To remain relevant, internal communicators must wrangle data

That’s a good thing. Unfortunately, many communicators have been late arrivals to the data party—even with performance measures increasingly expected to include key performance indicators, cost savings and benchmarks. Communicators still have miles to go toward tracking substantive metrics and using data in meaningful ways.

Even though engagement and internal communications have become a key concern for CEOs, research published in May by VMA Group found that as many as 31 percent of internal communications teams “do not have a strategy.” This figure is staggering—and perhaps an indication of why employee engagement scores are stagnant.

Data-driven strategies can (and should) be closely aligned to wider business objectives, whether it’s recruitment, retention, sales or service levels. We can demonstrate the positive impact that internal communication initiatives have on business performance and corporate reputation, and our work can harness the power of employees as brand ambassadors.

Niall Ryan-Jones, head of employee experience at Harrods, believes that using data is crucial to the company’s success: