Tailor-made internal communication

Employee Experience - Published September 7, 2022

The German company Kronsteg finds new ways to use internal communication within organizations. In the German tradejournal “Fachmagazin Werbetechnik” this new approach is described by Kronsteg’s founder Ricardo Thiele.

“Internal digitalization is the basis for an organization’s external competitiveness”, explains Ricardo Thiele, founder and CEO of the company Kronsteg. Since 2017, the Düsseldorf-based company has been helping organizations find new digital ways to promote internal communication.

Well-functioning internal communication must be controlled digitally. To be successful externally, an organization must function well internally. “Projects with chatbots, for example, are no rarity for customers. Yet, employees still fill in requests for time off with pen and paper”, says the CEO in the article.

internal communication

Internal communication from analog to digital, Wankmüller Präzisionsmechanik GmbH ©

 

Which system for which purpose?

One issue, which many organizations deal with, is which variant of internal communication can best be used. It is therefore necessary to define what such a system is used for. Is this, for example, to make processes more transparent? Or to make the communication run more smoothly during projects?

Terms such as digital signage are often used. However, such a tool only works well if the communication is top-down, from the management to the organization. An example of narrowcasting is the distribution of information via screens at central locations in the company.

Thiele says: “Communication can also be personalized and sent to employees in a targeted way. The employees in turn also have the opportunity to respond and publish their own content on social intranets”. This is where Kronsteg’s work begins. There is a wide variety of social intranets on the market, which all have different functions.

The founders of Kronsteg – Ricardo Thiele und Patrik Kolligs. ©

 

Four factors that determine a system

To choose the right software, Kronsteg has developed its own method. For example, four factors have been drawn up that determine the right advice. These are costs, user experience, requirements, and corporate culture.

The strategy in a nutshell: Corporate culture issues, among others, have to be taken into account when choosing a certain system. To what extent are employees already familiar with other systems? It is important to get a picture of the costs of new licenses, systems, hosting, etc. for the next five years. Kronsteg supports organizations in all four steps and helps to focus on well-founded evaluation of social intranet systems.

 

Tips for the right content

According to Kronsteg, the content on a social intranet should contain a mix of informative content on the one hand, and user-generated content on the other hand. Informative content is important on an intranet. Many companies have guidelines or legal matters that need to be communicated to all employees. Information about, for example, declaring costs can also easily be shared in this way. “There is a lot more essential information that can easily be shared on an intranet,” says Thiele.

Many people involved in work projects will agree that it saves a lot of time and effort when all the necessary information is available. A social intranet is such a place. As the content can be shared in all shapes and sizes, it leads to less frustration and more time for other work. Ricardo Thiele says: “The most important motivation for employees to use a social intranet is when it actually helps them in their daily work process.”

The practice has shown that informative content on a social intranet needs to be reviewed after 12 to 18 months. This is because there is a chance that the content is no longer up to date. The author as well as the editors must be attentive that the content is not outdated.

 

Accessibility and personalization are the key

 

This publication was originally published in the German journal “Fachmagazin Werbetechnik”


Annika Willers

7 Sep 2022