ENGAGEMENT THROUGH INNOVATION

Fail to plan
At Greensquare we are huge fans of the digital landscape but equally we know there the creation of a new app has to meet a real need if it is going to be of any benefit to the intended audience. Launching a new app into an organisation is the same as launching any new product it’s all about the research. Understanding the needs of the your audience and meeting those needs sounds extremely simple but you would be surprised at how many organisations fall at this hurdle because they don’t ‘know’ what their audience want.

BYOD
With 67% of all workers using their personal mobile devices inside the workplace, and this number is only going to grow, the trend of supplying workplace digital tools to employees to access through their own personal devices is gaining popularity and widespread adoption. This creates a clear opportunity to easily support and engage with those members of the organisation that want to connect with colleagues and business after the day has finished. Although there is a clear need for a work/life balance, for many people work forms a massive part of their social life and engagement with colleagues after hours is simply part of their day to day.

The global business
Organisations are becoming a more diverse place to be, sometimes with global work forces that have their own unique culture and ‘ways of doing things’. This is where technology can really break the barriers and have a major impact on what can often initially be seen as quite a diverse business and help create one common culture throughout. At a micro level there are clearly individuals that make up the organisations and each have their own personality and skill level. The identification of these personas is absolutely critical when creating any employee engagement program and never more so than when technology is involved. The golden rule here is embrace not alienate when planning the content and user experience of any digital tool…

Engage with the written word
Fundamentally, creating content for the printed word and the digital world is exactly the same and can be likened to the old advertising mantra Attention, Interest, Desire, Action (AIDA). Attention – are you creating a piece of content that grabs the attention of the audience, is it supported with great images, does it have relevance to the audience? Interest – Is the article you have written interesting enough to keep the reader engaged throughout the entire piece? Desire – Are you supporting the article with information that creates the desire within the audience to explore additional information around the article? e.g. are there quotes from colleagues enabling them to communicate to find out more on the subject matter or the opportunity for further reading? Action – Are you creating a clear journey for your reader to allow them to carry out this follow up action easily, can they share the content, comment or otherwise engage with it?

“We speak to a lot of organisations that have been down a digital route before with limited degrees of success and so many times this comes down to the simple planning and delivery of a product that there is an actual demand for in the business. Once you have the right app that your team have a real appetite to use, it makes the rest of the process a lot more achievable.”

Who me?
It is a popular and well documented theory that people have the desire to feel important. This is at the heart of the success of any social media you come across today. Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are awash with images of what people have been up to in their day to day lives. However in the workplace this need to feel important can sometimes be ignored / overlooked. A workplace app can provide the perfect tool to allow all employees to have voice in the work place and a sense of belonging and importance. This could be in the form of user generated content such as the ability to be able to share their successes and achievements via a photowall feature or indeed through a digital rewards and recognition platform that are becoming more of a feature as companies look to identify talent in the business and foster it for continual growth.

Wrapping up
Although technology can engage with a workforce in ways that have never before been possible there should never be an over reliance on this and it is unlikely to replace the need for face to face contact with your team. Like all applications an engagement app is a tool and nothing more. Listen to the problems of your team, guide them, be interested in them, put yourself in their shoes and you will go a long way to having a successful and engaged team.

If you do decide that an engagement app is part of your toolbox to help engage with your business then remember its objective, plan it well and enjoy the benefits that this amazing technology can bring to your organisation for years to come.