It is important for companies to monitor the effectiveness of internal
communications because the better internal communications are, the
better external communications will be (DesRochers, 2019). Some of
the key considerations for measuring internal communications are:
- Strategic Goals - Internal communications are an important support
to the implementation and success of strategic goals, therefore
measuring the effectiveness of internal communications can display
what areas still need work for the company to fully achieve their
strategic objectives.
- Meaningful Relationships - Effective internal communications are
important for developing meaningful business relationships, which
fosters the exchange of ideas and insights, and can also inspire others
creativity. This also impacts employee engagement and satisfaction,
which if effective can increase productivity and employee retention,
as employees are satisfied and have a connection to the team and
company they work for.
- Performance Rewards - Bonuses and salary increases are often tied
to performance metrics and internal communication is an important
factor in the success of the business, so performance metrics for the
effectiveness of internal communication should also be considered
when determining any bonuses or performance-based salary
increase.
- Crisis Management - Measuring the effectiveness of internal
communication pathways can be an important step in creating a crisis
management plan. b If the most effective communication pathways
are monitored, then in the event of a crisis a priority can be placed on
sending communications through these channels to have the greatest
effect in the shortest response time, versus wasting time on
pathways that are not well received. This can make a big difference
in the outcome of a crisis (National Academies Press, 2016).
Now when considering external communication metrics, some of the
considerations above will be similar, for example, the way
communication effectiveness impacts strategic goals applies to both
internal and external communications depending on what the
specific goal of the company is. One example here could be a metric
used for the impact of the communications on brand reputation. b A
main difference between the internal and external communications
and the metrics used for them relate to the difference in target
audience, as internal communications will be employee focused, and
external communications can be public/consumer focused. There
will also be differences in the channels used to communicate with
external audiences versus internal audiences. Internal audiences
could be more using memos and instant messaging communications,
whereas external communication could use social media and digital
advertising platforms. b As a result, some helpful metrics for the
external communications through social media can be account reach,
follower counts, comments, views, and the engagements on posts
(Klipfolio, 2023). Another important consideration when looking into
business metrics for communication and any other performance
indicators, is the business environment the company operates in, in
other words its industry. An important part of using business metrics
is having established benchmarks to compare to, and some common
ones are industry benchmarks (Klipfolio, 2023). b
DesRochers, M. (2019, July 16). Council post: Why it’s vital to
accurately measure your communications metrics. Forbes.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbostoncouncil/2019/07/16/w
hy-its-vital-to-accurately-measure-your-communications-
metrics/?sh=5ab47cffe71b
Klipfolio. (2023, April 9). What are business metrics?. Klipfolio.
https://www.klipfolio.com/resources/articles/what-are-business-
metrics
National Academies Press. (2016). Measuring Communication
Effectiveness Across Diverse Backgrounds and Missions. In Strategies
to enhance Air Force communication with internal and external
audiences a workshop report (pp. 23–25). essay.
