9 Tools to Improve Internal Communication Across Large Organizations
An increasingly global, remote workforce demands new modes and methods of improving communication. The larger your organization is, the more important it is to adopt and standardize the right tools to connect your workforce. In the past, you might have been able to get away with a few rudimentary tools like email and good old fashioned phone calls. In this day and age, however, you need an arsenal of advanced solutions to keep your team in touch and on track.
At bare minimum, your team needs a shared email platform and some sort of chat application, but that isn’t enough for most large teams. You’ll also need a single trusted location for up-to-date project status information, a way to host meetings, and a client database. This isn’t by any means a comprehensive list, as there are so many ways to link employees and prevent silos. That said, here are some fundamental types of programs that can help you improve communication.
1. Global Address Lists (GALs)
A Global Address List (GAL) is an address book that contains contact information for everyone in your organization and is shared by all users. A sync global address list feature lets users connect the organizational GAL to their individual contacts lists, both online and offline. A GAL is crucial in large organizations, where users may not always have one another’s contact information. Some GALs also include contact info for partners, vendors, and outside contacts.
2. Chat Platforms
Chat platforms, like Slack, let workers across your organization contact each other in real time, using text, audio, and even video. Users can receive messages on their work laptops and other devices, including their personal phones. Chat applications can also allow internal users to communicate with outside partners, like vendors, IT, and freelancers. Chat is one of the most efficient and immediate — and least intrusive — ways to quickly exchange information.
3. Project Management Platforms
Project management platforms like Asana, ClickUp, and Trello help you break up larger projects into more accessible individual, measurable tasks. You can use them to assign different components of a project to different team members and give them different deadlines. These platforms may also include features like link-sharing, messaging, and calendar reminders. They allow teams across multiple countries and timezones to coordinate effectively on shared projects.
4. Shared Calendars
Speaking of calendar reminders, every larger organization should have shared organizational calendars, with tools like Google Calendars or Calendar.com. With these platforms, each employee can maintain an individual calendar with their own meetings and deadlines. Depending on their privacy settings, other individuals will or won’t be able to see how they spend their time. Teams also use these platforms to schedule shared activities like meetings and one-on-ones.
5. Video Conferencing Programs
During the pandemic, nearly every office in America began using some type of video-based meeting platform. The most popular programs were (and still are) Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams. These programs allow large, global teams to host meetings no matter where they are in the world, as long as there’s internet access. Major events, like conferences and trade events, have adopted specialized software programs designed to host even larger synchronized meetings.
6. Customer Relationship Management Tools (CRMs)
Traditionally, we think of a CRM as a tool primarily designed for external communications. That’s because these programs store large amounts of contact information about prospects, clients, and customers. More advanced CRMs, however, allow users to store detailed notes about each interaction with a person in the database. In this way, they serve as an internal communication tool, keeping all users in the loop about each and every client relationship.
7. Shared Documents
Shared documents like Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides allow multiple employees all over the world to collaborate on the same file. They can work together to edit a piece of written content, update a spreadsheet, or produce a presentation. This is another one that you might not typically think of as a “communication” tool because it’s not primarily for messaging. However, these tools allow workers to share notes and feedback in the form of conversational comments.
8. Virtual Whiteboards
Virtual Whiteboards take the concept of shared documents a step further, allowing employees to brainstorm ideas in real-time through a shared visual interface. Rather than working directly on the document to be developed, they can use this space to visualize concepts and stories. Some popular programs for this include Canva Whiteboard, Miro, and Whiteboard for Trello. There are also tools like Notion, which combine features of whiteboards, shared docs, and project management tools.
9. Survey and Feedback Tools
Larger organizations often need a mechanism for collecting large amounts of feedback from employees and teams. Email and chat programs can help, but a more efficient option is to send out a company-wide survey. Free tools like Google Forms and Survey Monkey allow businesses to collect multiple choice or written responses instantly and efficiently. They can use these tools to learn more about organizational needs, preferences, and progress.
Communication is a Skill
While each of these tools can be incredibly useful, none of them really work their best in a vacuum. To take full advantage of these tools, large organizations need to train their employees so they understand all the features and which vital components of company functioning are served. Companies should also establish protocols for appropriate use of each tool to protect vital information. Effective organizational communication starts with shared values around information, collaboration, and respect.
