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Internal communications is on the brink of the next big movement for employee engagement and interaction: mobile apps. Straight from the app store, a well-designed mobile app could connect a global workforce to news, information and resources.
From print to email and now intranets, companies have long used these channels as the primary platform to share news, information and resources. In the past decade, whether it’s regarding open enrollment or the retirement of Mindy from accounting, intranets have been used as the hodgepodge of all things that are supposed to facilitate information sharing and keep employees engaged and inspired.
However, even with tech and digital advancements, intranets have become outdated and don’t match the external facing sites companies use to sell a product or service. Companies looking to the future and for alternative ways to reach employees, should consider using a platform current and future generations are already using at work and home.
Here are 5 reasons why you should consider enhancing your internal communications and create a mobile app to engage, inform and inspire employees.
1. Everyone Else is Doing It
Other industries have taken advantage of the capabilities smart phones offer. You can deposit a check, look for your future home, watch TV and use it as your wallet. Everything is developed with the smartphone in mind.
2. Reach Employees Where They Are
According to the IDC, by 2020 mobile workers will account for nearly three quarters (72.3%) of the total U.S. workforce. Employees aren’t confined to a desk anymore. Give employees the opportunity to access the news and information they want and need when it is most convenient for them to read.
With more than 7,000 employees, London’s Heathrow Airport developed an app to engage their mobile workforce who don’t sit behind a desk. Three months after launching analytics showed that 75 percent of potential employees voluntarily downloaded the app with 85 percent using it daily.
3. Push Notifications
Reach your entire workforce instantly with push notifications that take them to your mobile app. Instead of sending out an email with a link to the intranet and requiring employees to login to view the full article, distribute push notifications for important company news and updates.
4. Reach Millennials
64 percent of American adults now own a smartphone, and that number climbs up to 85 percent for younger generations. With the topic of engaging millennials still on conference agendas, a mobile app is a great option to reach, engage and retain this segment of the population that is expected to make up 75 percent of the American workforce by 2025.
5. Affordability
Creating an app is not just for the Googles and Facebooks of the world; it’s now cost-effective and reasonable for any company to create an app to engage employees.
Mobile apps aren’t right for all companies and will not replace every communication channel. However, for a company looking to engage a workforce, an app might be the best download.