Technology you need for a great benefit communications strategy

Having a fantastic communications plan is all well and good but without the right technology to support it, you could be looking at a damp squib or lots of additional work. Where marketing technology leads, internal communications tech tends to follow. In this article we explore the technology that will make your benefits communications sing.

VIDEO CONTENT

Executive video blogs have become a popular comms tool over the past few years. From introducing new hires to communicating important messages straight from leaders’ mouths, they give senior leadership visibility across the enterprise.

Video is great for bite-sized pieces of information and for putting a friendly face to a name helping your business feel more connected. And it’s an effective tool for getting your messaging listened to in its entirety: in the marketing world, 55% of people watch video through to the end in comparison to 29% who read a whole blog.

In time-pressured working environments, video could be the tool that gets your benefit messaging heard.

DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS

Digital communications have been around for a long time but they’re always changing as internal communications tactics aim to keep up with marketing trends. Employees expect in-work comms to be as slick as the experience they get outside work. Keeping on top of these changes requires the right digital internal comms tools like:

• Enterprise social media platforms – Yammer, Facebook Workplace, Slack, Flock; the list goes on. These tools help organisations connect using messaging and video messaging on a one-to-one or many-to-many basis. You can also set up groups to collaborate and share files and other information and access your company directory and organisational charts. Features and connectability with other apps vary so you’ll need to do your homework to see which will work best for your organisation.
• Intranets – a basic part of any communications plan, an intranet platform provides a single place for all your documents, policies and news and it also acts as the hub from which other platforms can be accessed. Modern intranets work in a similar way to websites, pulling in topical news stories and allowing staff to comment, like and share content. This is particularly useful for driving engagement in larger businesses and those with employees who work further afield. Putting your intranet outside your firewall makes it accessible from a range of devices no matter the location. This enables staff to log on at home and involve other family members in big benefit decisions. Like medical insurance cover or their next car choice, for example.
• Wider digital platforms – think total reward statement platforms, benefit portals and provider sites. Link them all to the relevant pages on your intranet to provide a one-stop shop for staff to find what they’re looking for. This works even better if you can initiate single sign-on, saving time and hassle for your staff.

Your benefits communications plan should use all the channels available to you, including non-digital options, to create a multi-channel communications plan that pushes your messages out throughout the year.

By using different formats and channels, you’ll stand a far better chance of getting your message across and getting people to engage with benefits.

MAKING THE MOVE TO MOBILE

It’s likely your new hires began at least part of their job search using their mobile phone. Yet Deloitte has found that workplace technology tends to focus on PCs even though 51% of employees spend time away from a fixed location.

In employees’ day to day lives, smartphones are an integral part of the way tasks get done, however this evolution has yet to reach the workplace. Which, given employee’s mobility, doesn’t make sense from a productivity or communications perspective.

Some employees are taking matters into their own hands setting up WhatsApp groups to share information and communicate. This has led organisations to develop apps which give employees a way to access the intranet using their mobile devices. Employers can also switch push notifications on enabling the most important messages to be flagged.

By providing a secure mobile-enabled workplace comms app, you’ll be choosing the app your staff use for communication rather than the other way round. This reduces security risks, minimises the disruption caused by different teams or departments using different apps and reduces the risk of people leaving with access to company information.

For benefits to be truly beneficial, businesses need to be on the front foot with the right technology to enable powerful messaging. Get the mix right and you’ll deliver an even better return on your benefits investment.