Employee communication apps are the secret to building an ultimate dream team. You heard us; you must encourage employees to pick up their phones. Apps for employee communication are a brilliant way to get your team to connect. You could set up a purely socializing app to encourage out-of-work communication.
Alternatively, you can use an employee communication app to aid more effective teamwork on the clock. If you want a dream team to run your business (remember, your team dictates your success potential), apps are perfect. In terms of productivity alone, an employee communication app scales productivity by 30%.
You are really going to want to try these apps out. Incentivize your staff with regular rewards and shoutouts to praise individual and team performance. An internal communication tool and real-time chat can work wonders for your company culture. Even little things like hilarious accounts for hospitality all build rapport. So, how do you start? A team chat app is hugely different from a purely employee management app, which invokes more negative connotations. There are a few things you should know. And this guide will introduce you to everything you need to do to grow a super team.
What Are Employee Communication Apps
What are employee communication apps? Well, these apps are a type of internal communication tool that is built explicitly for employee communications. For instance, you can use Google Meet or Slack. These tools encourage employee communication and are part of an internal communication strategy to boost success. The better your team gets on and the more effectively and light-heartedly they communicate, the stronger your business. So, this is an essential tool to consider when starting or running a business.
These apps have multiple standard features. They tend to allow private messages. However, they also encourage group chat discussions, letting the team bond as a whole rather than split off. Depending on management, employee apps for communication may or may not allow employees only. As a business owner, you can give your employees free rein to communicate ‘without supervision.’ Alternatively, you can involve yourself in the fun. The choice is yours and massively depends on your strategy behind communication apps.
An internal communication strategy is a crucial way to maximize your business growth. Communication is at the root of all development and daily business operations. So, if you don’t have a way for your staff to communicate, you are massively hindering your business development potential. And since technology is developing so much and is now such a standard part of life, apps are essential.
Similarly, as workplace trends are creating more remote positions and international teams, employee communications are a hot topic. Employees need an online way of connecting and fostering solid relationships and excellent communication. In short, apps for employee communication fill a gap in your business model and provide a necessary tool for success. To build a dream team, what more could you want?
How To Introduce Employee Communication Apps
Rolling out employee communication apps is super easy. Yes, you may have some initial growing pains and technical difficulties, but staff should catch on quickly. A team chat app is similar to other social media apps that most employees will already use. And in our day and age, digital literacy is mainly seen as non-negotiable in the workplace. The majority of staff will pick up an employee’s communication app with no difficulty. Just be ready to have assistance and resources on hand for anyone struggling.
Be aware of device compatibility requirements, too, as not everyone can afford specific smartphone models. And if staff don’t have suitable devices, it may be worth investing in work phone schemes. When rolling out an internal communication tool, you need to think ahead about sensitively managing digital literacy and financial-related topics.
With that said, let’s look at the rough plan you should implement when introducing apps for employee communication.
- Do your research on the app and ensure it fits your internal communication strategy. The last thing you want is to abandon the ship and restart with a different app. Check out all the leading apps and tools, like Slack and Google Meet. Compare the features and see which app best suits your needs.
- Notify your staff of upcoming changes and the introduction of this new tool. Make staff aware of any device requirements, training, and schemes you have in place to support them. Set a date to introduce the app.
- Use the app and encourage staff to get set up and active. You can even reward engagement with staff incentives.
- Review the app’s effectiveness regularly and continue providing technical and general support.
10 Reasons Why You Should Encourage Employee Communication Apps
So, we’ve given you a definition of what exactly employee communication apps are. But why should you care whether your staff use them? The most motivating part of any strategy is an awareness of its benefits. These are the top 10 reasons you should encourage apps for employee communication.
1. Increased Morale Through Employee Communication Apps
Apps for employee communication boost morale. Why? Because we are social beings who thrive on feelings of connection. Happy employees are productive, which leads to another of our points. But for now, all you need to take away is the fact that communicating makes your team happy. And any good boss wants their team to be satisfied with great morale.
2. Develops Positive Company Culture
Developing a positive company culture is easier said than done. There are tons of company culture examples online, but actually executing these strategies can seem overwhelming. Setting up an app for employees to communicate is a huge positive step. If you want something simple to start with, this is a brilliant first move. Apps for employees to communicate are social and build connections - everything you need for company culture positivity.
3. Increased Commitment Through Employee Communication Apps
You might not expect it, but employee communication apps also boost commitment. Speaking to colleagues creates a sense of accountability and team effort, each playing a part. Having a space for employees to communicate increases individual commitment levels. And who doesn’t want that when running a business with a team of employees?
Similarly, having an app for employee communication boosts performance across all employees. This is likely due to a mixture of increased team effort, accountability, and morale. It is also helpful that there are other staff members for employees to learn from and swap details with. The group setting helps bring out the best in employees - whether you have a remote or office-based company.
5. Smoother Communication Through Employee Communication Apps
It goes without saying that having an app for employee communications makes overall company communication smoother. But we still said it, so there. Improving communication by offering an online team chat app has a direct improvement on overall communication. You’ll find fewer miscommunications, more clarity across the board, and boosted company communication.
6. Minimized Hiring Costs
‘Reduce your staff turnover’ is a message you’ve probably already heard. Reducing staff turnover is essential, significantly, when minimizing hiring costs. Hiring sucks. It costs money and resources and saps away at your otherwise valuable business. Is it necessary? Yes. But can you reduce it? Also yes. By setting up employee communication apps, you can maximize the benefits to staff happiness and reduce turnover.
7. Using Employee Communication Apps for Improved Consistency of Action and Values
Having all your staff on the same page means they are on the same page. After investing in communication apps, you’ll see a distinct improvement in the consistency of individual actions and shared values. Your brand values and staff behavior should all be consistently impeccable. Increase internal communication standards, and you’ll notice this begins to happen naturally.
8. More Staff Feedback Through Employee Communication Apps
By having more internal communication, you’ll naturally collect more staff feedback. We know customer feedback matters, and so does employee feedback if you want to retain staff. Collect this valuable staff feedback with app features like polls and surveys. Alternatively, just initiate discussions on your team chat app.
9. More Effective Management
Considering all these factors, it’s no wonder that employee communication apps bring more effective management. If you know your staff and their true feelings better, you can manage better. Open up opportunities for an internal communication strategy, and you’ll soon see yourself gain a better connection with employees.
10. Reduced Conflict Between Employees
You may think that more communication means more potential for conflict. This is sometimes true, but it is the opposite in most cases. Better connections and seeing the ‘person behind the screen’ is a great way to reduce conflict. Besides, as a manager, you can quickly herd any short-lived conflict towards a resolution.
3 Best Employee Communication Apps
Are you ready to go shopping for the best employee communication apps? These are the top three apps you should consider for the valuable role of your new internal communication tool. Choosing was tough, but you’ll soon see why these made the cut.
Slack is brilliant. This team chat app lets employees converse in both private and group messages. Using the app is easy. It has engaging designs, including hashtags in a social media-esque display of casualness. Fun and simple, Slack is what you’d hope to find in an app to encourage employee communication.
The Workplace is another team communication gem. Thanks to how the Workplace boosts team connectivity, your internal communication strategy will be glowing with success. It has all the standard real-time chat features. It also has additional features like polls and surveys. We know how important it is to check in with customers, but checking in with employees is equally important. The Workplace is excellent for encouraging employee feedback and helping your staff feel heard and respected.
Beekeeper is a less commonly mentioned employee communication app, a brilliant software that aligns your team. With Beekeeper, you can adjust schedules on an online shift calendar. You can also direct message staff members and, if you want, post company updates on the ‘Company Stream.’ Where it really comes into its own is with shift scheduling and a more ‘scroll-inducing’ app layout. It is similar to social media apps, which aim to increase employee engagement.
Final Thoughts: At What Business Stage Should You Introduce Employee Communication Apps
There are tons of apps that business owners should own today - whether that’s booking platforms or QR code generators. It is sometimes tricky to know which ones you should exactly embrace. Business owners face a torrent of app recommendations alongside their daily demands and responsibilities. However, as soon as possible, you should introduce employee communication apps.
You want a dream team, right? And the best time to connect your team in the most effective way possible is correct at the beginning. Introducing people to a communication system immediately is easier than introducing it later. Besides, you want to get the benefits as soon as possible. It is never too late to jazz up your internal communication strategy. However, the saying ‘there’s no time like the present’ has never rung truer. Start your journey with apps for employee communication today, and you won’t regret it.
Are you ready to invest in employee communication apps? You should evaluate your relationship with WiFi and technology as a whole. Once you pick an app for employee communication, let us help you revamp your technology strategy. While this is a much bigger job, we can do all the challenging jobs for you. Let’s get everything perfect at the same time. The quicker you build a more effective relationship with technology, the more success your business will reach.
Beambox gives business owners the best possible WiFi marketing platform. We use a multi-strategy approach to help you keep high profits and customers happy. Start your Beambox free trial today, and we’ll help you utilize technology and build a dream team.
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