Today, enterprises face increasingly difficult challenges as they attempt to transform digitally. SocialChorus analysed data from 1.5 million employees and 840 end users in order to determine how communications leaders can increase employee engagement.

How to increase employee engagement

Overall, the report found that workers engage with their company apps in a similar way to consumers. As a result, workers expect the same experience and quality when it comes to their company communications.

The future of Unified Communications (UC) is mobile, according to a recent PGi report. SocialChorus also uncovered that two-thirds of workers find their company app easier and faster than alternative content sources.

Over the past five years, desk phone usage for conference calls has declined by 70%. Furthermore, mobile apps are now "a necessity for reaching a distributed workforce and deskless workers."

Within company apps, video also contributes to keeping 53% more employees as active users after the first 30 days. Moreover, communicators and company leaders who use video to communicate with employees benefit from three times higher click-through rates than any other type of content.

Types of content matter

According to the data, "bite-sized" content grabs more attention as the average time spent on a company app is 2 minutes. Headlines, photos, and links are particularly effective at making long text more accessible for employees.

Employing different content types is also important in helping employees better understand the overarching message. A variety of visuals such as GIFs, videos, photos, and infographics can help achieve this.

While employees will turn to the company app for news, communicators must think of innovative ways to keep them coming back. Differing content type is particularly useful, such as exclusive CEO messages, contests, and employee recognition.

However, it is important to keep the content relevant by personalising it for different groups. The survey found that targeted channels with tailored content had almost double the click-through rate in comparison to a general information blast.

In fact, personalisation drove more frequent use and a higher rate of user retention. Those who personalised their content feeds were four times more likely to still use the app after 90 days.

How can companies adopt a fast-faced communications culture? Listen to our podcast with UC expert Irwin Lazar for the key trends to look out for