What are internal communications apps?
Internal communications apps are digital tools designed to centralise and streamline communication within organisations. These apps provide employees with real-time access to company news, updates, training materials, and other important resources. Unlike general messaging apps, they are purpose-built for improving employee engagement, facilitating feedback, and ensuring information reaches both office-based and frontline staff. The focus is often on mobile accessibility to ensure that all employees, especially those in non-desk roles, are connected to the business.
Why are internal communications apps relevant to internal comms?
Internal communications apps are essential for organisations looking to enhance transparency, engagement, and efficiency across their workforce. These tools allow businesses to share updates quickly, encourage interaction, and provide employees with the tools they need to stay informed and productive. For non-desk workers, who often lack regular access to desktop systems, internal comms apps make sure they remain part of the organisation’s conversation through mobile-friendly platforms.
For industries like retail, customer service, and healthcare, where teams are often dispersed or working remotely, these apps make sure critical updates are delivered in real-time. This can significantly improve engagement, collaboration, and overall job satisfaction.
Best internal communications apps
When selecting an internal communications app, it's important to consider your organisation's and workforce's specific needs. Below are some of the best apps designed to enhance internal communication:
Ocasta Engage: This app stands out for its focus on frontline and non-desk workers. It provides a mobile-first approach, offering features like news distribution, task management, training modules, and push notifications. Ocasta Engage is designed to keep employees connected and informed regardless of their location, making it ideal for industries with large teams on the move. Learn more about its features and benefits in How to keep communication levels strong in a large non-desk team.
Staffbase: A popular platform for internal communications, Staffbase helps organisations engage employees with personalised content, news, and surveys. It also offers mobile access and integrates with existing systems, making it a strong choice for both desk and frontline workers.
Blink: This app caters to organisations with a significant frontline workforce. Blink combines messaging, document sharing, and workflow management, ensuring that non-desk employees stay connected to the business.
These apps focus on employee engagement, feedback collection, and content distribution, making them more robust than general messaging apps like Slack or Microsoft Teams. As Meta Workplace is shutting down, apps that specialise in internal comms like Ocasta Engage will become more relevant for businesses looking to keep teams aligned.
Best practices for using internal communications apps
To maximise the benefits of internal communications apps, consider these strategies:
Mobile-first communication: To ensure frontline workers are connected, focus on apps designed for easy mobile use, such as Ocasta Engage.
Keep content relevant: Use push notifications to deliver important updates without overwhelming employees, as discussed in How to use push notifications in your employee app.
Encourage interaction: Enable features that allow employees to comment, like, and share posts, creating a two-way communication channel.
Common challenges for internal communications apps
Some challenges that may arise when implementing internal communications apps include:
Low user adoption: Encouraging employees to use the app regularly requires a solid onboarding process and a focus on the benefits, such as ease of access to important updates and information.
Overload of information: Too many notifications can lead to disengagement. Use segmentation tools to ensure that employees only receive relevant updates.
Ensuring app integration: The app should integrate well with other business tools, such as HR systems or project management platforms, to avoid confusion or fragmentation.
What do internal communications apps mean for frontline teams?
For frontline teams, internal communications apps are a lifeline to the broader organisation. Employees who don’t work at a desk often miss out on traditional forms of communication like email. With internal comms apps, they can access news, tasks, and training directly on their mobile devices. This ensures that everyone, from the CEO to the store floor worker, remains informed and engaged.
Apps like Ocasta Engage, designed specifically with non-desk workers in mind, play a crucial role in ensuring that mobile employees can stay connected to the company’s culture and objectives.
Internal communications apps FAQs
What features should I look for in an internal communications app?
Look for features such as mobile accessibility, push notifications, analytics, and employee engagement tools (e.g., surveys and feedback collection). Apps like Ocasta Engage provide these functionalities and are designed to improve communication across all levels of a business.
How do I measure the success of my internal comms app?
Use the app’s built-in analytics tools to monitor employee engagement, such as the open rates of news articles or completion rates of tasks and training modules.
How do internal communications apps support remote and frontline workers?
These apps provide mobile access to critical information, ensuring that remote and non-desk employees stay informed and can easily engage with company communications.
