Our Sparrow Connected team had a great experience exhibiting at the first in-person IABC World Conference 2022 since the Covid-19 pandemic hit.
Interacting with internal comms leaders and professionals from around the globe emphasized that we are all working towards a shared mission – to improve the day-to-day functions of internal comms professionals and build a future where comms leaders are sitting alongside the CEOs, CFOs, and CMOs when decisions are being made.
We learned a lot from our fellow communication professionals who shared their ideas and insights on current internal comms challenges and the impact their organizations.
Here are the 4 key insights from IABC World Conference 2022, uncovered by our Sparrow Connected team:
1. Microsoft Teams Won Covid, But Can It Stand Alone As An Internal Comms Tool?
One of the beliefs I had about Microsoft was validated at IABC. MS Teams won COVID. Nearly every company is on it. They’ve turned MS Teams into a comms platform, but it was never designed to be a comms platform.
We built our platform to integrate with the Microsoft Suite, not replace it. This is one of the things that really sets us apart from other internal communications platforms that aim to drive employees to their own platforms to consume and engage with content.
Our goal is to keep you on the platform that you and your employees are already using. If your employees are comfortable using Microsoft Teams, they won’t even have to leave Teams to receive and engage with your corporate communications.
Chris Izquierdo – CEO, Sparrow Connected
2. The True Cost Of “Free” Is Higher Than You Think.
While speaking to my internal comms colleagues at IABC, it became apparent that many are still using free, off-the-shelf tools for internal communications, even if they are inappropriate and not fit-for-purpose.
Organizations still believe in the notion “why buy something that you can have for free” without realizing that the “true cost of free” ultimately leads to lack of information, misinformation and disconnected employees. As I always say, - in the absence of official stories or official explanations, unofficial stories and explanations proliferate. If there’s no credible official platform, credible and informal “unofficial platforms” emerge, often omitting critical facts and perspectives.”
Mike Klein, Senior Strategic Advisor and Founder of Changing The Terms and #WeLeadComms
3. Reaching Frontline Employees Is One Of Today’s Biggest Internal Comms Challenges.
I speak to internal communications professionals daily, so IABC wasn’t the first time I heard about the challenges they’re facing in reaching frontline employees. It did, however, reiterate just how significant this challenge is and validated the need for a solution like Sparrow Connected.
Many organizations are still using Microsoft, which requires employees to have a corporate email address in order to participate and is more accessible for desk-based employees. It's no wonder they’re struggling to reach frontline employees who have limited or no access to corporate emails and are not in front of a screen all the time.
Gavin Macintyre, Sales Development Representative
4. Internal Comms Professionals Need Better Analytics To Create Better Content.
Analytics was a hot topic in the conversations I had with internal communications professionals. They want and need an internal communications tool that has robust, built-in analytics that they can use to create better content and connect with employees more effectively.
These analytics need to be internal communication specific. Google or SharePoint level analytics around page views, time on page, etc. are not specific enough to really take action to improve internal communications.
With Sparrow Connected, you get detailed analytics around content, employees, and topics. They were actually very excited to see a solution designed specifically for internal communications with built-in analytics.
Santiago Zapata, Senior Enterprise Account Executive
Your business deserves the best communication tools out there so you can engage your employees, boost productivity, and bring value to your workforce.
Stay ahead of the competition - Talk to Sparrow Connected today!
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