For organisations that have completed a Digital Discovery, leaders typically have everything needed for a detailed recommendation and aligned approach. This forms the foundation of the business case.
Over the past few years, our observations from preparing clients’ Digital Discovery presentations reveal consistent insights. While these examples relate to procuring an employee communication app, the learnings apply broadly across employee experience platforms.
Build Alliances Across Leadership
Internal Communication leaders are often the driving force behind procuring an employee communication app. However, we consistently see HR leaders, Operations leaders, CEOs, and CIOs initiating conversations or acting as key influencers in the buying process. It is critical for Communication leaders to build strong relationships and alliances with the Executive Team early.
Go Beyond Communication Metrics
When developing a business case, some Communication leaders focus solely on communication metrics – and often find they have limited data. Survey results, polls, or anecdotal feedback may indicate poor engagement but lack depth. Others rely on data from a single channel, which rarely provides a compelling foundation.
Our experience shows the most effective approach is to work with the Executive Team to develop a business case that aligns with broader business goals. Here are three metrics we consistently see in successful cases:
1. Improving Retention
Retention is a powerful metric. Employee communication apps drive engagement and belonging – especially among hard-to-reach frontline workers. Improving retention of frontline employees by just 1% can pay for the app ten times over in a large enterprise.
2. Driving Productivity
Simplifying the digital employee experience is another common metric. Through Digital Discovery, we quantify the impact of transforming a cluttered tech environment into a single integrated multi-channel experience. For large enterprises, introducing an employee communication app can unlock up to $10 million in savings simply by enabling employees to find and access what they need when they need it. Internal Communication teams also save hundreds of hours by moving from fragmented processes to a unified platform – boosting operational effectiveness and delivering measurable ROI.
3. Channel Simplification
Channel rationalisation is the third metric we frequently see. If an employee communication app replaces multiple tools – such as two intranets, an event app, a survey tool, and even some HR platforms – the cost of procuring the app often ends up lower than maintaining the current channels.
Factor in Ongoing Costs
Finally, don’t overlook ongoing Opex costs. Leaders often focus on Capex for the app itself but forget the costs to implement it effectively and sustain it over time. Consider whether internal resources are available or if external partners are needed to ensure success.
