Healthcare organizations have unique needs when it comes to internal communications. Beyond employee engagement, healthcare organizations need a highly reliable communication system that keeps its people connected in critical times of need. Mandatory and compliance posts in Sparrow come in particularly handy when healthcare organizations need to ensure that vital information reaches the right people.
“We have unique needs when it comes to internal communications. Our staff and physicians work at multiple sites and around the clock. An effective internal communications platform, like Sparrow, ensures we get the right information to the right audience at the right time.” Patrice Cloutier, Manager, Corporate Communications & Public Affairs, Hamilton Health Sciences
EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT
A nurse stands in line for coffee in the hospital cafeteria. His Android phone buzzes, drawing his attention to the Sparrow notification with an intriguing headline. Glancing up to confirm he’s still got a few minutes to burn, he clicks into the Sparrow app and a smile spreads across his face.
“What are you reading?” asks a colleague.
“Did you hear about the new private donation?” pointing to the story he just saw in Sparrow. “This is awesome.” He picks the thumbs up reaction for the post and collects his beverage.
Finishing the story, he switches over to the Sparrow marketplace and flips through the latest ‘for sale’ posts. One catches his eye. He frowns as there’s not enough detail, so he types up a question and slips his phone into his pocket as he steps into the elevator, his break is over.
CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS
Elsewhere, a hospital director is standing in the doorway of her office, lost in thought when her iPhone chimes. Opening Sparrow, her current concerns wash away as she reads the mandatory post that’s been sent only to regional leadership.
The post talks about a virus that’s spreading and there will be a call at noon to discuss next steps. It asks everyone to comment on any cases they’ve encountered so far. She’s about to add a comment stating they’ve only had one case when she gets drawn in by a particularly well written comment that gets her thinking. Maybe they’ve had more cases then she thought. She stars the comment, increasing its score and importance to the group, and heads down the hall to ask some questions before adding her own two cents to the mix.
After the call, a compliance post goes out outlining the agreed upon actions and messaging to support it. Every member of the leadership team clicks the compliance checkbox in the post that confirms their understanding and commitment. With the compliance report showing 100% agreement, a message is crafted for broader communication.
A little later, a tired doctor sits on a stool at a communal computer in the busy hallway outside patient rooms. She puts her depleted phone on the charging pad and opens the Sparrow Web Portal.
“Hmm, that was quick,” she says as she opens a compliance post entitled Facts and Process for Dealing with the new Virus. She reads through it and clicks the checkbox at the bottom confirming that she’s understood the content and will act in accordance with its direction. She flags down a nurse walking by. “Have you read the new post about the virus? We need to change how we’re dealing with the patient in room 42.”
An hour later, the hospital director goes into the Sparrow Admin and Analytics Portal and pulls up the compliance report for the Facts and Process. She downloads its CSV file, opens it in Microsoft Excel, and cross-references the names of everyone who has complied with the staff who have scheduled shifts. There’s a handful of those who haven’t complied. She decides to email them, rather than phone them, and copies and pastes the list of email addresses into a new message. She adds a copy of the post in the body and clicks the send button. With strategic communications covered, she knows her staff will be well informed and ready to act.
Sparrow employee communications platform not only helps organizations build an engaged tribe, but layers on the tools for handling critical communications and enabling discussions with a targeted set of users at any time.
Learn more about Sparrow Crisis Communication.
