Communication metrics allows a business to adapt methods and or
mediums to ensure you are working towards strategic goals. It’s really
a method to complete the communication cycle between sender and
receiver without the receiver having to engage in direct feedback due
to proximity. The mere size of many businesses and the scale of their
communication reach, it’s not possible to have two-way
communication with all stakeholders. Metrics allows a measure of
understanding to persist through the various levels of noise. The
biggest consideration for a business to put in metrics is the ability to
meet their business objectives through effective use of resources.
Ultimately it speaks to the financial bottom line and the business
sustainability.
Both internal and external metrics are similar in that they can be
designed to measure engagement. DesRochers (2021) speaks to
utilizing click through rates to see if employees are reading emails and
utilizing the links as intended. If an email has a high rate, the message
was composted in an effective manner which promoted employees to
engage in the communication. The same can be said for external
stakeholders when viewing marketing or social media metrics. Post
engagement or average time spend on page are both example that
can illustrate effective communication (Klipfolio, 2023). Surveys are
another tool to measure metrics with can be used for both internal
and external stakeholders but for different objectives. Employee
satisfaction can highlight deficiencies or strengths in communication
and human resource initiates. Customers experience surveys can be
used to change product offerings or work processes.
Understanding the unique requirements of your business
environment are critical for defining and implementing the correct
metrics. One of the topics covered within the National Academies of
Sciences study (2016), is that “understanding your stakeholders” is
paramount to accurately measure success. Not all stakeholders and
business environments have the same needs. It would be ineffective
to utilize metrics that do not provided meaningful data. For a
simplified example, in my work environment of state government,
many of the marketing, sales, and event financial metrics proposed by
Klipfolio (2023) would not be relevant and an unnecessary business
expensive. To be effective metrics need to quantify the measure that
are important to you.
DesRochers, M. (2021, August 20). Council post: How to measure and
improve your employee communications. Forbes.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescommunicationscouncil/2021/
08/20/how-to-measure-and-improve-your-employee-
communications/?sh=3d723c8769d9
Klipfolio. (2023). What is a business metric?
https://www.klipfolio.com/resources/articles/what-
are-business-metrics
National Academies of Sciences, E. and M., Division on Engineering
and Physical Sciences, Air Force Studies Board, & Committee on
Strategies to Enhance Air Force Communication with Internal and
External Audiences: A Workshop. (2016). Strategies to Enhance Air
Force Communication with Internal and External Audiences : A
Workshop Report. National Academies Press.
