Do you ever think about how consistent and effective you are at communicating with your employees to the same extent as you do about communicating with your customers; or are your employees….

• Receiving your company’s updates via your customers?

• Receiving dozens of emails with bits of info?

• Relying on your company news on your public website or via social media?

• The ‘last to know’ what’s going on in the company?

• Trusting hearsay, gossip and the grapevine?

• Kept in the dark?

If you’ve answered ‘yes’ to these questions, then you need to have a serious look at your internal communication plan!

Alignment between internal and external communication is always essential and is even more crucial at present in light of COVID-19 and its impact on the day-to-day relationships between employees, colleagues and customers.  As you progress with getting back to ‘normal’, it is vital that you pay extra attention not only to customer communication, but also to the communication you are delivering to your employees.

A regular internal newsletter is one of the best ways to achieve effective, trusted communication and to increase employee engagement. They set the right tone for your company, reflect your company’s values and build morale.

Our Top 9 suggestions for what to include:

1. A clear, succinct and relevant update from the CEO/Exec team – provide info on updated strategies, what has and hasn’t changed in terms of the employee experience and customer experience and your company’s anticipated future outlook.

2. Success stories and case studies – share the good news and give insights on what’s working well. These will become positive talking points and examples that employees can proudly tell existing and potential customers about.

3. Celebrate achievements – whether it’s a sales achievement or personal achievement let everyone know about it. This makes employees feel recognised and appreciated and strengthens your culture.

4. Employee news – welcome new employees; share team and HR updates and encourage employees to contribute and tell you what they want to read about. Let them be involved so that your newsletter isn’t only management communicating. Maybe offer an incentive, such as a voucher, to encourage their involvement.

5. Product updates – highlight new products and include images and links to more info. The more knowledge your employees know about your products or services, the more confident they will be talking about your product – no matter what their role is in the company.

6. Report industry trends – include your company’s perspective on trends and/links to relevant articles to keep employees abreast of what is happening in the industry in general.

7. Announce upcoming events – whether you’re participating in an exhibition, talking on a panel or holding a staff function, let everyone know about it.  And be sure to share photos in your next newsletter.

8. Health & Wellbeing – reinforce safety messages and give your employees ideas, for example, keeping active, getting better sleep and taking care of themselves and their families.

9. Collect feedback – sometimes you may want an opinion or feedback on something, so include a link to a quick survey or feedback form. The results are immediate and outcomes are content for your next newsletter.

“But even after the pandemic passes, it’s likely that digital communication is going to be more prevalent than before….. So now is the time to exercise empathy, transparency, and personality — and establish emotional connections that shore up your relationships with customers and employees going forward.”

Denise Lee Yohn

Source : Forbes, 7 April 2020 

Dovetail Brand Engagement

Whether you’re communicating with, or working to attract and retain employees or communicating to attract and retain customers, HR and Marketing should be working together towards a single vision which includes conveying clear and compelling messages to align your most powerful assets; your employees and your brand. More >