Inform and engage employees - 3 strategies to transform internal communication with SMS

1. Customise SMS communication to meet employee needs

To ensure your messages are relevant and well-received, it’s important to understand what employees need and expect. Consider:

• What information is most important to them?
• When and how do they prefer to receive messages?

If you have a flexible or remote workforce, SMS can be particularly effective for time-sensitive information, such as schedule changes or emergency notifications. However, it’s essential to maintain a balance—too many or irrelevant messages can lead to frustration.

A simple way to boost engagement is by personalising SMS communication. Addressing employees by name (e.g., "Hi Anna! Your next shift starts at 8:00 AM") creates a more personal and appreciated experience.
 

2. Collaboration between departments and IT for maximum impact

Implementing an effective SMS strategy for internal communication requires collaboration across departments. IT, HR, internal communications, and security teams all play a crucial role:

• IT ensures the technical infracstructure, integrations and security of the SMS system
• HR and internal communications ensure that messages are relevant and engaging and tailor the SMS to employees' needs.
• Security teams should create guidelines on who sends messages, how they should be formulated, and who should receive them to ensure clear and effective communication without causing unnecessary concern or misunderstandings, especially when SMS is used for emergency preparedness or crisis situations.

If you are a CTO or IT manager, your priority is to ensure that the SMS system is scalable, secure and integrated with existing communication platforms if needed. If you are a business leader, HR executive or communications manager, your focus should be on leveraging SMS to enhance employee engagement and streamline information flows.

Best practices for effective collaboration

To maximize the impact of SMS as a communication channel, organisations should follow these best practices:

• Define the purpose - What types of messages will be sent via SMS? Internal updates, crisis alerts, job shift changes? Establish clear guidelines for when SMS should be sent internally.
• Engage the right teams - Ensure collaboration between IT, HR and communications from the start to align technical solutions with business needs.
• Ensure compliance and data security - SMS may contain sensitive information. Make sure messages are encrypted when necessary and that GDPR and data protection regulations are followed.
• Segmentation of messages - Not all employees need the same information. Ensure that the right people receive the right message at the right time.
• Educate and communicate internally - Employees should understand why SMS is being used and how they can respond and provide feedback.
• Evaluate and optimise -  track open rates and engagement metrics to refine your SMS strategy over time - fine-tune timing and messages etc.

By following these steps, organisations can create and secure SMS strategy that enhances employee engagement and strengthens internal communication. A structured collaboration between the internal teams ensures that SMS becomes an effective channel for both information and engagement. 

3. Foster engagement - the benefits of two-way communication

SMS should not be limited to one-way communication. It can be a powerful tool for facilitating two-way interactions, enabling dialogue and feedback. By embracing two-way communication, companies can:

• Gather insights and suggestions from employees
• Foster a more open and inclusive work environment
• Improve decision-making through direct responses

For example, businesses can send out a quick survey via SMS, allowing employees to reply with a number, YES/NO, or use the latest RCS technology (SMS 2.0), which enables richer, more interactive survey experiences. Encouraging open dialogue among employees helps build a more collaborative and productive workplace culture.

Use cases for SMS in internal communication

• Staffing: Keep employees informed with crucial updates, such as schedule or shift changes. Other applications include managing leave or vacation requests and providing important information. Key user teams include operations, staffing, team leaders, coaching, and human resources (HR). Read more here.

• Company News: Communicate important updates regarding company policies, projects, or events.

• Meetings and Reminders: Send reminders about important meetings, training sessions, and deadlines.

• Employee Surveys or Feedback Collection: Conduct quick feedback collection through SMS surveys.

• Incident management: Ensure critical information reaches the right people immediately during an incident or crisis. Mobilise the required personnel and resources in the event of an emergency. Read more here

Effective SMS communication strengthens workplace connectivity by facilitating quick and efficient information exchange. By tailoring messages to employees' needs, promoting collaboration between departments and IT, and gathering feedback, you can ensure a successful communication strategy.

ABOUT LEKAB
LEKAB provides mobile messaging services, messaging APIs and software for advanced messaging and process automation. We offer digital tools and solutions to companies that want to optimise how they communicate and interact with customers and employees on the mobile to improve productivity, availability and the customer experience through mobile channels. Do you want to know more or ask us for advice? Contact us!