Communication is crucial to seamless and productive operations in any organization, but as businesses grow, maintaining strong communication can become increasingly difficult. According to a 2018 Gallagher study, 60% of companies do not have a long-term communication strategy, yet around 50% of those companies said that they wanted to prioritize improving leadership and communication.  Organizations that seek to improve the effectiveness of communication can integrate mobile apps into their strategy to extend the reach of communication and as a result improve employee engagement.

Why does internal communication matter?

Internal communication, engagement, and collaboration directly impacts the success of a business. The better organizations can communicate within teams and between departments the smoother operations will run by improving employee satisfaction, boosting productivity, and enhancing the overall customer experience.

What can go wrong with communication?

The Harvard Business Review found that when employees perceive poor communication 35% of salaries are wasted and approximately 12% of work hours is wasted as a result of “avoidable inefficiencies.”

One common communication challenge for employees is having to keep up to date with an inundated inbox when email is the main channel for internal and cross-departmental communication. The inability to quickly get access to another employee especially across departments can slow productivity in both departments and potentially throughout the entire organization.

A prominent communication tool is intranet, which is a local communication network with files and data to offer employees access to pertinent information in the office. But according to a Prescient Digital Media survey, only about 13% of employees actually use workplace intranets on a daily basis and 31% of people have never used it.. When employees stop relying on their intranets it is commonly because they are outdated and are difficult to use. On average employees spend 2.5hours a day looking for information which can negatively effect productivity throughout an organization.

How can mobile apps make a difference?

Mobile apps give employees continued access to information available from their office database and desktops securely on any other mobile device which enhance accessibility and enables increased efficiencies. If a laptop is being used for a video conference, staff can access other information on their phone or tablet, on-demand.

Mobile technology equips organizations with the tools to keep up with fast paced communication between different people in your company to deliver swift and effective service. Mobile options eliminate cross-departmental communication barriers that stifle collaboration.

Mobile apps offer a streamlined communication experience beyond email by facilitating in-app mobile messaging, easy access to email, text messages, and push notifications. So, when property managers are on the road, they can continue to access their email reducing the chances of missing important correspondence.

According to the McKinsey Global Institute, productivity can be improved 20-25% when employees are effectively connected. By enhancing connectivity and communication between team members through mobile technology, organizations are facilitating access to information which creates better equipped and engaged property management teams to deliver consistent, high quality service through collaboration and independence.