Internal Communication Tools and Apps for Companies in 2023

November 15, 2023

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Internal communication strategies are fundamental to an organization’s growth and stability. These strategies lay the foundation for every essential element of business functionality, from marketing tactics that create robust connections with target audiences to accounting tasks designed to ensure financial compliance. A lack of solid internal communication can cause breakdowns, produce subpar collaboration efforts and delay goal achievement. All these elements can combine to derail business success.

Regardless of business size, developing effective internal communication involves a combination of clarity and efficiency. This complex process can be streamlined through the use of internal communication tools and apps. As technology-driven innovation continues to penetrate the business sector on many levels, companies that take advantage of the correct education and communication technology to build their internal communication strategies can produce noticeable benefits for their business and their employees.

What Are Internal Communication Tools?

Communication tools are the technology-based apps, software, and programs that businesses use to build collaboration strategies, distribute messages and disseminate key information. These tools can be used to build relationships with external groups, such as clients or targeted customers. They can also be used internally as communication channels for employees and employee-based teams.

These tools can take on numerous forms, from everyday concepts, such as text messaging or email, to more concentrated, business-oriented applications, such as online conference rooms or group bulletin boards. The tools’ effectiveness can also vary based on factors such as company size or the type of communication that they’ll be used to convey. Regardless of what these tools look like or how they function, their purpose for internal communication is the same: enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of communication to improve employee collaboration; goal achievement; and, ultimately, profitability.

Why Should Companies Use Internal Communication Tools?

Internal communication in business is more than exchanging messages. It’s about building collaboration, developing project cohesion, and creating employee engagement. Modern internal communication tools enable companies to deliver on these elements with great efficiency.

Curating a strong internal communication strategy isn’t just a good idea — it’s a beneficial one. Internal communication promotes more robust opportunities for collaboration between employees. These increased opportunities can build camaraderie among employees and allow room for new ideas. They can also lessen the burden of project managers, helping to make their management more effective.

Increased collaboration can also boost employee engagement, which is crucial to business success. Engaged employees typically have greater clarity about their role in the project, greater access to resources needed for their job, and an increased willingness to put their best foot forward. These factors can improve not only productivity but also employee retention.

Internal communication tools can also make it easy to explore different ways of working. Many businesses experienced this benefit as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced the need to develop remote and hybrid work concepts on the fly.

The need to pivot compelled organizations to recalibrate the way they communicated, collaborated, and connected, resulting in a workforce with greater familiarity and appreciation for communication tools. A 2021 Gartner poll stated that 79% of respondents use collaboration tools. The same poll also stated that workers held just 33% of their meetings in person, as opposed to 63% in 2019, the year before the pandemic.

These figures compelled Gartner to predict that in-person meetings will further drop to 24% by 2024. This prediction points to another advantage for businesses that develop strong internal communication strategies: It’ll keep them current and relevant in a constantly evolving work environment.

Best Internal Communication Tools and Apps for Businesses in 2023

No two internal communication tools are alike, even if they share the goal of improving workplace communication. Organizations need to carefully weigh the benefits and challenges of implementing various tools into their overall internal communication strategy.

As workplace expectations continue to evolve, the following tools can be helpful for businesses to shape their strategies in a way that empowers their employees to thrive. Business leaders who know how to implement and use the tools that best fit their structure can potentially experience positive changes in their communication strategies, employee engagement, and bottom line.

Slack

As an instant messaging tool, Slack allows employees to communicate quickly and with great versatility. The tool offers integration with several other communication applications used by the company, making collaboration between groups more efficient. Its ability to create different communication channels for specific tasks can also make it easier to keep track of multiple projects without having to wade through other messages.

Monday.com

As a project management tool, Monday.com’s strength is its ability for teams to track project progress in various ways, such as providing snapshots of how close workers may be to achieving specific goals. It also allows plenty of options to develop key workplace strategies, such as the creation of workflows or task organization.

Zoom

Zoom’s real-time videoconferencing tool ascended to prominence during the pandemic. Its user-friendly interface and ability to create a virtual conference room with remote participants around the globe will likely make it a mainstay for business operations. While Zoom is best known for being a site that allows people to host online meetings or conduct webinars, it also allows them to share files and exchange messages easily. It can also integrate with third-party apps, making it an even more valuable work tool.

Connecteam

Connecteam is an app-based tool that emphasizes task coordination for individuals in multiple locations or in the field. The tool can be used to build strategic workforce strategies in the form of employee scheduling and task assignment. It can also be used to send and receive updates on key project information directly to devices via the app. These elements can help build collaboration and engagement in a scattered workforce.

Trello

Trello is a data visualization tool that can quickly and efficiently make complex information easier to understand through visual displays. These displays can share a wide range of information, including the results and interpretation of data, project status updates, and calendar timelines. Employees can also access the tool to attach key project files; tag other relevant employees; and add their own elements, such as color coordination, to make information even more efficient to follow and understand.

Be Prepared for the Future of Business

Effective internal communication can spell the difference between a business that succeeds and a business that struggles. With technology influencing the creation of a wide range of internal communication tools and apps, business leaders now have an abundance of choices to ensure that their internal communication remains strong. Those who know how to use the right tool for the right purpose may be able to improve their companies’ growth and stability strategies. This can ultimately allow them to grow into trusted leaders within their organizations.

USC’s Master of Communication Management program can help prepare you to build strong internal communication strategies that get positive results. Our program is designed to give you the expertise needed to make decisions that lead to comprehensive, impactful communication strategies. Learn how we can help you grow into a trusted communications leader.