Survey: Comms companies slow on the technology uptake

Email, desktops and intranets dominate workplace communication—but for how much longer?

According to a survey from the Public Relations Society of America and APPrise Mobile, a sea change in how companies distribute internal content and coordinate messaging seems inevitable. Old habits die hard, however.

Even with the proliferation of social media and messaging apps like Slack and Google Hangouts, and the rise of mobile use, the communications industry can’t quit the status quo.

Companies have been especially slow to invest in making internal content mobile-friendly. The survey found that 62 percent of respondents “either don’t access or have a very difficult time accessing their company’s intranet through their mobile device.”

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Another issue is the inconsistent splintering of communication platforms. The report found that messaging technologies are being adopted at a “group level” in an à la carte fashion, rather than in uniform, companywide rollouts.

Thirty-one percent of those polled said they use “a variety of messaging technologies,” and “46 percent said their entire company uses the same platform.” Of those using messaging apps, Slack was the most popular (41 percent), followed by Workplace by Facebook (21 percent).

With all these side conversations happening on different platforms, how do you keep everyone on the same page? That’s a hefty challenge facing the communications industry. If this survey is any indication, it might take another generation to find a solution.

The report’s other key findings include:

· Email is not likely to go away anytime soon. However, considering factors such as inbox overload, newer messaging technologies and greater mobile consumption of content, communicators agree that email is not the ideal way to reach external audiences.

· Ninety-one percent of respondents use email to communicate with external audiences, yet only 27 percent believe it is the most effective way to communicate externally.

· Communicators found social media 11 percent more effective than email for communicating with external audiences.

· Email is used by 95 percent of respondents for internal employee communications with 69 percent saying it is the best way to reach employees.

· Nearly two-thirds of respondents (63 percent) believe email use will endure, especially with internal audiences.

· Seventy-seven percent of respondents said their company has a social media policy. Forty-four percent said their company has an informal policy that relies on employee judgment.

· Companies recognize the importance of mobile as a workplace tool and necessary counterpart to desktop computers, but most employees cannot access important company information through their Apple and Android devices.

You can read more about the survey here.

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