We are working in the era of the tech revolution and if you don’t keep up with the constant evolution of technology, you will get left behind. Although some may fear this time in the world, I encourage all to view the positive achievements and great potential there is to keep up with the times. Now more than ever, the tools we use to communicate are smarter and more engaging. With programmes like SharePoint and Microsoft 365, companies have the best resources to ensure clear communication amongst a global workforce in a way that makes work fun again – or at least simpler to manage.
I have worked with SharePoint for most of my career. Since the days of WSS3.0 until now one of the key focuses has been internal communications. From communication strategy to functionality, SharePoint has always been a strong option when choosing a medium for connecting a company’s employees. In this article I breakdown the key advancements in internal comms using SharePoint and Microsoft 365 in hopes of making your future decisions easier.
Rich media communication
I LOVE the fact that SharePoint has forced comms teams to look at including rich media types in their communications. Perhaps it’s due to the access of content 24/7 in all other aspects of our lives that have made our users desire a higher and more efficient standard of communication. SharePoint and Microsoft 365 are tools that can be combined to provide a myriad of options to get the message across in new and engaging ways. For example, rather than bulky text spelling out the company performance for the last quarter, we now have Microsoft 365 video or Stream. We can also incorporate a BI dashboard which allows the user to customise specific data into charts and graphs of their choosing. We can even feed into other tools like Microsoft Forms to help capture information the executive teams really want from these interactions such as “how are we doing,” and “how do our employees feel about the last year?” We finally understand we must create an exciting and bespoke feel for each user to ensure the greatest rate of engagement and productivity.
User behaviour capture
If a tree falls in the forest…. In the past we might have been used to throwing comms out there and assuming that everyone has read it. Let’s be honest, that nearly never happens, even the ‘read receipts’ won’t help you there. Now we have the power of google tags and analytics. If you really want to go one step further, we can even use things like HotJar to look at how many people read the whole article, clicked on the links and played videos. We have insight to user behaviour and can understand how well your messages are landing with the audience, which can inform future decisions and be used to make even better content.
2022 update: Our new product Ripple has built-in analytics that go even further. Set benchmarks, analyse employee sentiment and get recommendations.
The art of storytelling
It’s all about building a story. If there is one thing that can help everyone in the company get on the same page, it’s a coherent story and message that explains just exactly what you want to achieve and why. It’s also super helpful to be able to find previous examples of work completed and project case studies in order to learn how and where to improve. Imagine you are a new starter at a company, what better way to learn about what is important and where the company is headed than looking back over the past 3, 6 or 12 months of news articles and reading comments from colleagues old and new. SharePoint can help build the corporate story and purpose through meaningful traceable articles.
SharePoint and Microsoft 365 have the capacity to help comms teams build meaningful campaigns and news mechanisms in small to large businesses. There are obviously many tools out there today and different ways to transport the essence of every message. But in terms of an easily accessible way for teams to achieve greater communications, it’s at the top of the list.
Having difficulties in getting your employees on the same page? Contact us today to find out how Microsoft 365 and SharePoint can work in your favour.
