The Simpplr 2024 State of Internal Communications report paints a clear IC scene: highly effective internal communication is no longer a luxury — it’s a business imperative. And for all the right reasons. As organisations navigate an increasingly complex and dynamic landscape, fostering a well-informed, engaged and aligned workforce is critical to achieving shared goals and objectives.
As such, from an employee engagement perspective, IC teams face numerous challenges — ranging from shrinking budgets to burnout and varying levels of leadership support. Yet they show grit and resilience despite many obstacles, continuing to improve their impact and trailblaze the use of advanced technology to do more with less.
drivers of highly effective (HE) teams
In particular, the report identifies and quantifies several key drivers that differentiate highly effective (HE) IC teams from their less-effective (LE) counterparts:
Leadership buy-in and support: Though the extent to which leaders stay involved in IC is highly variable, when they do prioritise IC and actively champion its role, IC reach is expanded, content is better consumed, and impact is magnified.
Data-driven approach: Leveraging data and analytics empowers IC teams to personalise content, target specific audiences with relevant information, and measure the effectiveness of their efforts. Teams that leverage artificial intelligence (AI) and a strong employee experience (EX) platform can deliver dynamically targeted communication strategies that yield even greater results.
Strategic use of technology: Modern EX platforms serve as a centralised hub for information dissemination, collaboration and employee engagement. These platforms facilitate targeted communication, knowledge sharing and feedback mechanisms — fostering a more connected and informed workforce. The most effective IC teams leverage these technological capabilities to segment their audience based on roles, departments and information needs, ensuring that employees receive relevant and timely comms that connect to their specific work context.
Metrics-based decision-making: Measuring the impact of IC efforts goes beyond simply tracking open rates and clicks. HE teams go deeper, using a combination of qualitative and quantitative metrics to assess how IC contributes to key organisational goals like employee engagement, productivity and employee retention.
The Simpplr report recommends specific actions IC teams and leaders can take to harness the drivers of team and organisational performance.
engagement challenges for today’s IC teams
It is not all Halcyon Days for every IC team. Even the most highly effective teams experience daunting challenges. It’s especially telling that 66% of teams report the state of their IC efforts is the same or worse as the previous year.
Shrinking budgets: Securing adequate resources for IC initiatives can be a continual struggle and where the IC department resides in the organisation is a key indicator of budget growth/shrinkage.
Lack of effective tools: Outdated internal communication tools hinder efficient information flow and limit engagement — though even those teams with advanced tools do not always use them.
Difficulty demonstrating impact: Proving the tangible value of IC efforts to leadership and stakeholders remains a challenge for many teams. In fact, 30% of teams indicate that their organisation does not value the importance of IC, and a full 40% report that their team does not have a clearly stated charter and measurable goals. There is no question that those two stats are related. If you can’t measure and communicate your goals, there’s a good chance that others won’t either.
The combination of strategic positioning, advanced technology use, clear objectives, and strong leadership collaboration underscores the blueprint for highly effective internal communications teams and how they drive engagement within the wider workforce.
Read the full report here.
Author: Jordan Katz – Chief Insights Officer, Simpplr
Photo credit: Mikhail Nilov
