By investing in the right internal communication tools, you can streamline your corporate communication and reclaim hours of work every week, all while building the kind of engaged corporate culture every organization dreams of!
Read on for our guide to the best employee communication platforms and tools. You’ll learn which tools communicators are using, where they fit into an internal communication tech stack, and how to select the right tool or tools for your team’s needs.
What Are Internal Communication Tools?
Internal communication tools is a catch-all term for the digital tools that organizations use to relay important information and improve communication between and amongst employees and leaders. Employee messenger apps, HTML email builders and templates, and intranets are all types of common employee communication tools.
While internal communication software can take a lot of different forms, all of these tools exist to make communication within an organization easier, faster, and far more effective!
Why use internal communication software and tools?
As organizations grow, keeping an increasing number of employees informed, connected, and engaged gets complicated fast. This is especially true if team members aren’t in the same place.
Internal communication tools offer simple but powerful solutions to organizational communication barriers. They’re designed with the needs of the modern organization (and the modern communicator) in mind, and work to make it easy for communicators to get information to the right people at the right time in the right form.
Of course, what “the right form” looks like will differ widely–we all have been in a meeting that could have been an email and read an email that probably should have been a meeting. Different internal communication platforms answer different communication needs and each offers unique benefits to your communication workflow.
Benefits of internal communication software include:
- Cutting comms timelines in half by replacing slow, tedious, manual processes with simple, streamlined, and automated ones.
- Creating beautiful, on-brand, and engaging messages without design or coding expertise.
- Removing the guesswork from communications with detailed analytics to help communicators continuously assess, refine, and improve the effectiveness of their comms.
- Providing clear channels for employees to share feedback.
8 Best Internal Communication Tools for 2024
Still struggling to decide what internal communication software is right for your organization? We get it. There’s a lot to choose from.
To help arm you with a diverse and complete communication toolset, we’ve laid out our list of eight key types of comms tools our internal communicator partners can’t go without today. Furthermore, we’ve named names, highlighting our internal communication tool favourites.
In our internal communication toolkit:
1. Internal Communication Email Platform
1. Internal communication email platform
Internal communications email platforms integrate into an organization’s existing email infrastructure, adding functionality without replacing the tools everyone is comfortable with.
Using an intuitive drag-and-drop email builder, communicators can create beautiful, responsive HTML emails and save them as templates to streamline the process for future emails.
Plus, email tracking and detailed analytics give comms professionals a clear view of how employees respond to their emails, so important information doesn’t slip through the cracks.
Problems this tool solves:
- Plain text emails are missing necessary functionality.
- External email builders like Mailchimp require unsubscribe buttons on all emails, allowing employees to unsubscribe from staff updates.
- External email builders send sensitive organizational information over external servers.
- Emails sent using external tools are more likely to get flagged as spam.
- Sending to large contact lists is time-consuming and hampered by sending limits.
Best internal communication tool for the job: ContactMonkey
ContactMonkey is a powerful internal communications email software that seamlessly integrates into your Outlook or Gmail inbox to enhance your existing communications channels.
ContactMonkey’s drag-and-drop email builder is straightforward and intuitive, allowing you to build stunning HTML emails in minutes and even embed surveys, eNPS, event invites, and more. You can set all your brand default fonts and colours, and save emails you send as templates for the future.
ContactMonkey’s offerings also include List Management, which means you can easily segment sending lists, and have them automatically update and sync through Azure Active Directory and HRIS integrations. Plus, ContactMonkey’s Email at Scale feature means that you can send to even the largest mailing lists in a flash.
And data-driven communicators will be able to collect real-time feedback and gather precise, in-depth email analytics to continuously improve your internal communications strategy.
Book a free demo to see how countless big names are utilizing ContactMonkey to send better, more impactful employee emails.
2. Employee messenger app
For quick queries and time-sensitive questions, employee messenger apps like Slack or Microsoft teams provide a handy way for employees to connect and share files or other information at a moment’s notice.
Plus, setting up channels within your corporate messaging app makes it easier to target announcements and discussions to the correct people (and, inversely, not clutter up notifications for other employees).
Problems this tool solves:
- Existing channels are not optimized for real-time communication or for requests that don’t require a long back-and-forth.
- Contacting members of other teams or organization leaders feels more intimidating when using more “formal” communication channels.
- Employees are overwhelmed with communications that aren’t relevant to their work.
Best internal communication tool for the job: Slack
Although Slack still hasn’t killed good ol’ fashioned email, it provides an intuitive supplement to the other employee communication software or platforms your company uses. Slack boasts integrations for everything from email and job tracking boards, to internal knowledge management platforms. This makes it easy to slide right into your company’s current communications processes.
The interface is user-friendly, appealing, and even fun. It’s a great way for employees to chat and build relationships, but the addition of features like file-sharing, video and voice huddles, channels, and all those aforementioned integrations also makes Slack an unbeatable professional collaboration tool.
3. Intranet
Intranets are private internal networks that serve as hubs for organizational information. A company intranet is a resource for employees looking to access company policies, staff directories, document sharing, company announcements, and more.
In contrast to instant messaging, they may not be the best for direct employee-to-employee communication, but they are certainly a useful category of employee communications software for data storage and resource sharing.
Problems this tool solves:
- Important resources are siloed off or scattered across various platforms.
- Employees lack a big-picture view of the workings of the company.
- Employees feel disconnected from company culture.
- Remote employees have trouble accessing company resources.
Best internal communication tool for the job: Jostle
For our intranet tool of choice, we’ve gone with Jostle. Jostle is an extremely user-friendly cloud-based intranet software that prides itself on its clear information architecture. This really helps to streamline communication in the workplace.
With event planning, employee directories, and communication portals, Jostle is excellent for corporate internal communications and a leading internal communications platform to connect departments.
4. Employee SMS
Not every job role is done while sitting at a desk. Moreover, your employees aren’t always going to be at their desks at any given moment. But whether they’re in the field, traveling, or just briefly AFK, your employees will almost certainly have their phone on their person.
That means that employee SMS is your best bet for quickly reaching employees when other methods fail.
Problems this tool solves:
- Inability to engage deskless workers effectively through traditional communication methods.
- Employees missing time-sensitive updates during crisis situations.
Best internal communication tool for the job: ContactMonkey
ContactMonkey’s employee text messaging system is an internal communication platform that allows your whole team to stay connected and informed on the go.
With ContactMonkey, it’s easy to send a custom SMS directly to your employees’ cellphones. And you can do it all from the same place where you manage your Outlook and Gmail newsletters.Want to see ContactMonkey’s employee SMS tool in action? Learn more about the feature today!
5. Project tracking tools
A large-scale project needs great communication to succeed, especially when employees are collaborating across multiple departments.
Project tracking tools offer a bird’s eye view of what is being done and by whom. Employees can track not only their current tasks but tasks they’re going to be tapped to do.
Because everyone is tracking their progress through a centralized tool, changes in project scope are communicated to everyone at once. Plus, potential bottlenecks are easier to spot and solve before they become a real issue.
Problems this tool solves:
- Lack of transparency when collaborating on projects makes it harder for team members to manage their time effectively and leads to bottlenecks.
- Project dependencies aren’t communicated ahead of time, and progress stalls when it reaches the specific team or team member it depends on.
- Project parameters are discussed across multiple channels, making it more likely that team members miss important information.
- Changes to project goals or scope are not disseminated equally across teams, resulting in unnecessary work, duplication of labour, and backtracking.
Best internal communication tool for the job: Notion
Every project has unique needs for tracking and project management, which is why our task-tracking tool of choice is Notion.
Notion’s strength lies in its flexibility. The customization options allow users to create tailored workflows and project structures. With Notion’s database functionality, not only can you create task parameters for your exact needs, you can also organize those tasks into different views.
That not only means peak data visibility, it also means that individual team members can track tasks and workflows in ways that work for them.
6. Video conferencing
With workers increasingly seeking flexibility in their jobs—from remote and hybrid arrangements to work-from-anywhere hours—video conferencing has become indispensable for facilitating face-to-face communication within (and between) organizations.
Problems this tool solves:
- Widely varying comfort and skill levels with complex written communication.
- Long chains of text conversation that could be replaced with a quick voice or video chat.
- International and distributed teams feel disconnected from their organizations.
Best internal communication tool for the job: Zoom
Our choice for this categorization probably comes as no surprise. After all, Zoom remains the most popular video tool for organizations for a reason! Zoom’s reliability, ease of use, and feature-rich platform make it a top choice for virtual meetings and collaboration.
One recent feature to highlight is their AI Companion, which is included with a paid Zoom account. The AI companion quickly summarizes meetings, including talking points, assignments, and action items, eliminating the need for note-taking. That means team members can participate fully in discussions knowing that the salient points of the discussion will be retained.
7. Employee recognition tools
An employee recognition platform gives organizations a structured (and fun!) way to acknowledge and reward their employees’ achievements and contributions.
Implementing a dedicated employee recognition tool helps encourage both employees and managers to give team members the kudos they deserve. It also helps increase visibility into employee contributions and makes the hard workers in your organization feel appreciated, boosting morale and contributing to a great company culture.
Plus, features like rewards programs are a tangible way to thank employees for all their hard work.
Problems this tool solves:
- Lack of visibility and acknowledgment for employee contributions.
- Inconsistent or informal recognition practices across the organization.
- Low employee morale and motivation due to feeling undervalued or unrecognized.
Best internal communication tool for the job: Bonusly
Our pick for the best employee recognition tool has to be Bonusly. The platform provides a simple, engaging flow for both leaders and team members to recognize those who go above and beyond.
Bonusly gamifies employee recognition, allowing employees to give their team members points that can be used for tangible rewards through Bonusly’s customizable rewards program. Incentive programs, automated milestones, and employee analytics are also available so that organizations can set up a recognition program that fits their company values and team structure.
8. Employee feedback platform
Employee feedback helps leaders and communicators understand employees’ experience with, expectations for, or opinions about the company they work for. Feedback is a fundamental part of a data-based approach to internal communications. Implementing an employee feedback system has benefits not just for growth and productivity, but also for employee engagement.
While feedback could be as simple as approaching an employee for a 1:1 chat, having a formalized feedback process and internal communications tool in place is a great way to get specific answers as well as actionable, quantitative data from the feedback you receive.
Problems this tool solves:
- Limited visibility into employee satisfaction levels.
- Inefficient or ineffective methods for collecting and analyzing feedback.
- Difficulty identifying employee concerns.
- Risk of disengagement or turnover due to unaddressed employee concerns.
- Leaders get feedback from the same employees over and over again in lieu of a formal process encouraging more employees to participate.
Best internal communication tool for the job: 15Five
15Five prides itself on its holistic, evidence-based approach to everything Human Resources and performance management. Their unique platform bridges the gap between management and employees, and includes numerous functions to encourage engagement and feedback.
It’s a feature-packed product, but one useful tool to highlight is the ability to push quick pulse surveys to employees and receive clear, easy-to-understand analytics in moments!
However, if you’re looking for survey functionality that’s more integrated into your existing tools, ContactMonkey allows you to include pulse surveys in newsletters and emails and have employees answer them directly in the inbox.
How to Choose Internal Communication Software
Employee communication software is not one-size-fits-all. Your organization’s need for new employee communication tools depends largely on what tools you’re already using (and whether they’re working for you).
When deciding on new tools, we recommend you:
- Audit your current internal communication channels and platforms. Make a list of all of the forms of communication your organization uses across all teams.
- Take note of any redundancies or inefficiencies. Are two teams doing the same types of employee communication on two different platforms? Do you use multiple tools that do the same thing? Are there parts of your communication tech stack that could be more integrated?
- Note any gaps or challenges in your current internal communication capabilities. Figure out where your current tripping points lie. Are remote employees missing chat messages because they need more asynchronous forms of communication? Is news being posted to an intranet that no one checks? Are you only getting feedback from the same five employees every time? Let your internal communication challenges inform the solutions you need.
- Narrow your search. We recommend looking for software designed specifically for internal communications. Tools like Mailchimp are popular for external email marketing but lack the features of dedicated employee communication software or basic internal marketing communications tools.
- Prioritize measurement. Without tracking and analytics, it can be very difficult to prove the ROI of your internal communication strategy or determine whether the changes you’re making are having the intended effect. Consider bringing in tools with robust analytics to get a better idea of how your internal comms measure up.
Want more tips? You can consult our internal communication software buyer’s guide for more in-depth guidance on choosing the right employee communication platform for you.
Boost Your Communication With an Employee Communication Platform
Employee communication can make or break your company’s success, so finding the right employee communication platforms to keep communication lines open and running smoothly is crucial.
We hope this list of useful internal communication platforms proves valuable. Remember, no matter which online collaboration tool you decide to use for effective internal communication, make sure that the choice is informed by your organization’s actual communication needs.
Free trials and demos for internal business communication tools are an excellent way for you to play around with a tool and assess whether it’s the right choice for your internal communications.
Curious to see how ContactMonkey’s all-in-one email solution can upgrade your communications? Book your free, personalized demo today!
