Some of the factors that an organization may consider when implementing communication metrics
are: 1. Determine the effectiveness of the organization’s communication plan. A communication
plan is ineffective if the information is not getting to the right people at the right time (The National
Academies Press, p. 23). It is also ineffective if there is an effective feedback loop within the
communication plan. 2. Organizational performance is directly impacted by the effectiveness of
internal communication (p. 24). When employees are not clear on what they should do or how
they are to do it, it may result in poor outcomes and impact employee morale. 3. Organization may
also consider employee engagement and trust when measuring communication. When employees
are allowed to ask questions, give input, and provide feedback, the organization will experience an
increase in employee engagement and trust (p. 25).
Internal communication metrics focuses on the flow of information across the organization.
However, external communication focuses on engagement and relationship building. Whether the
metrics are internal or external, they attempt to access the effectiveness of the communication or
did the communication yield the desired result and can both use key performance indicators (KPIs).
Internal and external metrics are different because internal metrics are designed to measure
employee/organizational performance. External metrics are designed to assess brand reputation,
popularity, or customer engagement (Klipfolio, n.d.).
The business environment is important to implementing metrics because they are compared
against standard benchmarks. According to Klipfolio.com, these benchmarks can be established by
the industry, internally or externally and are measures across the entire organization (Klipfolio.com,
n.d.). Knowing the benchmarks and the factors that impact them can help the organization to
better understand the data from the metrics.
Businesses utilize metrics to measure long-term and short-term goals and objectives. Some key
considerations that could drive organizations to put metrics in place to measure the effectiveness of
internal communication would be, response times, employee engagement, and most importantly to
ensure the business objectives are being met. Organizations need to apply business metrics in
order to track performance across all areas of the business (Klipfolio, 2023). Business metrics can
be compared to said business objectives including internal, external, and performance.
Metrics used for internal and external communication initiatives would be similar in regards to
mediums used, whether target audiences were reached as well as ultimately determining if the
primary objective was met. They may differ in the sense of the information gathered and the
validity of projected outcomes. This can be partly due to time and budget restraints.
Due to business environments having so many differences, it is imperative that an organization
understands this in order to implement the appropriate metrics. For example, some companies rely
heavily on online sales while others rely on the name. American Eagle is a very well-known and
popular brand and while they offer online sales you do not see as much of their ad traffic or other
public relation matters splattered across Facebook, TikTok, or other social media platforms. Other
brands such as Wish, rely solely on online sales and ad placements and are seen on most social
media platforms. Having a complete understanding of the business environment only helps
companies such as the ones mentioned flourish and stay in business, hence them utilizing the
appropriate metrics to attain these objectives.
Reference
Klipfolio. (n.d.). What is a business metric? https://www.klipfolio.com/resources/articles/what-are-
business-metrics
Klipfolio.com. (n.d.). What are business metrics? Klipfolio.
https://www.klipfolio.com/resources/articles/what-are-business-metrics
Read “strategies to enhance Air Force communication with internal and external
audiences: A workshop report” at nap.edu. 4 Measuring Communication Effectiveness Across
Diverse Backgrounds and Missions | Strategies to Enhance Air Force Communication with Internal
and External Audiences: A Workshop Report |The National Academies Press. (n.d.).
https://nap.nationalacademies.org/read/21876/chapter/6
