The top 5 HR trends you should be tracking right now
Looking to inspire your frontline workforce? Here are the top HR trends to take into account for 2021 and beyond.
Jess DeVore
Published:
September 6, 2023
Last updated:
September 17, 2023
What we'll cover
The last few years brought a storm of change to the HR industry. Artificial Intelligence. The gig economy. And more recently, a global pandemic has altered our reality and redefined workflows.
While Covid-19 has forced us to make many temporary adjustments to the way we live and work, not every new development is short-lived. There has been an influx of new trends that are here to stay.
These innovations have pushed us to view different areas of the HR function from a new perspective. And they have made us wonder: What’s in store for the future? What are the developments that will transform HR for good? Which trends will shape the new reality of work?
Read on for answers. In this post, we take a look at the top HR trends in 2021 for frontline business and HR leaders to take into account as they prepare for what’s to come.
Top HR trends for 2022
Designing work for frontline employees’ well-being
The line between work and home life has been blurring for some time, but the pandemic has all but erased it for many employees. In response, HR leaders have shifted from promoting work-life balance to pushing well-being into the work itself.
As per the 2020 Hartford’s Future of Benefits Study, workers are now demanding benefits like hospital indemnity insurance, additional paid time off, and employee assistance programs.
Companies, on their part, are focusing on online experiences that improve employees’ health. These include virtual team-building events, yoga and fitness sessions, and mindfulness classes, and so on.
So organizations that thrive beyond 2021 are going to be those that integrate health-related initiatives into the design of work. This will be done at the individual, team, and organizational levels to create an environment in which employees are at peak health.
Reskilling to unlock frontline worker potential
During Covid, many organizations struggled to retain employees because of financial problems, sick leave, or losing workers to the virus. So managers called on remaining employees to expand their roles and fill the gaps left by their coworkers. And like the Spartans, employees rose to the challenge.
Workers’ resourcefulness and agency in these hard times have shown that they can learn and contribute in unexpected ways. And in doing so, they have positioned their organizations to thrive in the long term.
So employee reskilling is another important trend to watch out for. According to a recent Udemy survey, the demand for building employee skills grew by 38% in 2020. The consulting company PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) illustrates this trend. It invested $3 billion in the learning and development of employees who have stayed with the business for at least 3 years. This suggests that reskilling is a lean and sustainable way to strengthen your workforce.
Building 'Superteams'
Organizations have been using ‘teaming’ (setting up a temporary team of people who aren’t familiar with each other) as a survival strategy to counter the impact of Covid-19. Many leaders have now begun to realize teaming as an opportunity to form “superteams.”
Coined by Thomas Malone, the term ‘superteam’ refers to the pairing of people with technology such as artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics, to rethink workflows and get faster outcomes.
The strategy of turning teams into superteams is still in its infancy, as many companies still see technology from a limited viewpoint — more as a tool than a team member.
According to Deloitte’s 2021 Global Human Capital Trends report, only 16% of executive-level leaders said that they plan to transform work by combining humans and machines.
But the trend is expected to accelerate, with organizations shifting to this new mindset and strategy in a strong position to realize the untapped potential it offers to drive growth and handle uncertainty. Making sure you have the right employee experience software, and the right tech stack is vital.
Rethinking governance of workforce strategies
Covid-19 has opened our eyes to the fact that using data on your workforce’s current state to determine employee strategies is not enough. Relying solely on the metrics showing the workforce’s present situation is risky because it limits a company’s potential to survive drastic changes. This applies to all strategies, from staffing levels to employee retention.
Some organizations are shifting their approach from strategizing for likely, minor events to planning for the unexpected. 17% of HR executives say that their companies plan to focus on the occurrence of unlikely, high-impact events, as opposed to 6% before the pandemic.
Companies that want to handle change with confidence must address questions that force them to look into the future. It’s forward-looking insights that will help businesses accomplish new milestones.
Shifting from managing employees to re-architecting work
Covid-19 has positioned HR as a prominent part of surviving a crisis. And the good news is that HR has lived up to this new standard, gaining more credibility as a result.
A survey by Deloitte has shown that both HR and business leaders are now more certain of HR’s ability to tackle future challenges.
This creates an opportunity for HR departments to leverage their new position and transform their role from that of managing employees to re-architecting work.
HR leaders can make the most of this by taking charge of reimagining both the workforce and the workplace to ensure future success.
The survey also found that 61% of business and HR executives are planning to reimagine work in the next one to three years. This would mean:
Prioritizing outcomes over outputs
Focusing on building superteams that combine human and technological capabilities
Managing the cultural and leadership changes that arise from the new approach to work
As a result, HR trends and goals will align better with business objectives. And HR will need to work closely with other departments to shape the new architecture of work.
Conclusion
These HR trends show the future holds both big opportunities and tough challenges for HR and business leaders. All this is pushing HR professionals to search for and leverage innovative technologies to improve employee productivity and engagement.
In the near future, AI-based predictive and automation technologies are likely to improve all the areas under the HR function, including talent acquisition, workforce analytics, and reskilling of employees. All these ultimately help HRs role in employee engagement.
So use these trends to anticipate new developments in the human resource field, and to inform your business processes moving forward. It will give you a solid foundation to not just survive but thrive in the face of upcoming changes.
The last few years brought a storm of change to the HR industry. Artificial Intelligence. The gig economy. And more recently, a global pandemic has altered our reality and redefined workflows.
While Covid-19 has forced us to make many temporary adjustments to the way we live and work, not every new development is short-lived. There has been an influx of new trends that are here to stay.
These innovations have pushed us to view different areas of the HR function from a new perspective. And they have made us wonder: What’s in store for the future? What are the developments that will transform HR for good? Which trends will shape the new reality of work?
Read on for answers. In this post, we take a look at the top HR trends in 2021 for frontline business and HR leaders to take into account as they prepare for what’s to come.
Top HR trends for 2022
Designing work for frontline employees’ well-being
The line between work and home life has been blurring for some time, but the pandemic has all but erased it for many employees. In response, HR leaders have shifted from promoting work-life balance to pushing well-being into the work itself.
As per the 2020 Hartford’s Future of Benefits Study, workers are now demanding benefits like hospital indemnity insurance, additional paid time off, and employee assistance programs.
Companies, on their part, are focusing on online experiences that improve employees’ health. These include virtual team-building events, yoga and fitness sessions, and mindfulness classes, and so on.
So organizations that thrive beyond 2021 are going to be those that integrate health-related initiatives into the design of work. This will be done at the individual, team, and organizational levels to create an environment in which employees are at peak health.
Reskilling to unlock frontline worker potential
During Covid, many organizations struggled to retain employees because of financial problems, sick leave, or losing workers to the virus. So managers called on remaining employees to expand their roles and fill the gaps left by their coworkers. And like the Spartans, employees rose to the challenge.
Workers’ resourcefulness and agency in these hard times have shown that they can learn and contribute in unexpected ways. And in doing so, they have positioned their organizations to thrive in the long term.
So employee reskilling is another important trend to watch out for. According to a recent Udemy survey, the demand for building employee skills grew by 38% in 2020. The consulting company PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) illustrates this trend. It invested $3 billion in the learning and development of employees who have stayed with the business for at least 3 years. This suggests that reskilling is a lean and sustainable way to strengthen your workforce.
Building 'Superteams'
Organizations have been using ‘teaming’ (setting up a temporary team of people who aren’t familiar with each other) as a survival strategy to counter the impact of Covid-19. Many leaders have now begun to realize teaming as an opportunity to form “superteams.”
Coined by Thomas Malone, the term ‘superteam’ refers to the pairing of people with technology such as artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics, to rethink workflows and get faster outcomes.
The strategy of turning teams into superteams is still in its infancy, as many companies still see technology from a limited viewpoint — more as a tool than a team member.
According to Deloitte’s 2021 Global Human Capital Trends report, only 16% of executive-level leaders said that they plan to transform work by combining humans and machines.
But the trend is expected to accelerate, with organizations shifting to this new mindset and strategy in a strong position to realize the untapped potential it offers to drive growth and handle uncertainty. Making sure you have the right employee experience software, and the right tech stack is vital.
Rethinking governance of workforce strategies
Covid-19 has opened our eyes to the fact that using data on your workforce’s current state to determine employee strategies is not enough. Relying solely on the metrics showing the workforce’s present situation is risky because it limits a company’s potential to survive drastic changes. This applies to all strategies, from staffing levels to employee retention.
Some organizations are shifting their approach from strategizing for likely, minor events to planning for the unexpected. 17% of HR executives say that their companies plan to focus on the occurrence of unlikely, high-impact events, as opposed to 6% before the pandemic.
Companies that want to handle change with confidence must address questions that force them to look into the future. It’s forward-looking insights that will help businesses accomplish new milestones.
Shifting from managing employees to re-architecting work
Covid-19 has positioned HR as a prominent part of surviving a crisis. And the good news is that HR has lived up to this new standard, gaining more credibility as a result.
A survey by Deloitte has shown that both HR and business leaders are now more certain of HR’s ability to tackle future challenges.
This creates an opportunity for HR departments to leverage their new position and transform their role from that of managing employees to re-architecting work.
HR leaders can make the most of this by taking charge of reimagining both the workforce and the workplace to ensure future success.
The survey also found that 61% of business and HR executives are planning to reimagine work in the next one to three years. This would mean:
Prioritizing outcomes over outputs
Focusing on building superteams that combine human and technological capabilities
Managing the cultural and leadership changes that arise from the new approach to work
As a result, HR trends and goals will align better with business objectives. And HR will need to work closely with other departments to shape the new architecture of work.
Conclusion
These HR trends show the future holds both big opportunities and tough challenges for HR and business leaders. All this is pushing HR professionals to search for and leverage innovative technologies to improve employee productivity and engagement.
In the near future, AI-based predictive and automation technologies are likely to improve all the areas under the HR function, including talent acquisition, workforce analytics, and reskilling of employees. All these ultimately help HRs role in employee engagement.
So use these trends to anticipate new developments in the human resource field, and to inform your business processes moving forward. It will give you a solid foundation to not just survive but thrive in the face of upcoming changes.
What we'll cover
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More than 80% of the global workforce is deskless. That's more than 2.7 billion people working outside of a traditional office setting, making it more important than ever to have effective communication tools in place.
This guide is designed to help business leaders keep their deskless employees connected and communicating, no matter where they are. We'll cover a variety of topics, from why communication is so important (and often challenging!) for deskless workers, to how to choose and evaluate digital communication tools to engage your deskless workforce with ease.
Why communication is important for deskless workers
With such a strong majority of the global workforce that is deskless, purposeful corporate communication solutions are crucial. This means ensuring all employees feel connected, in-the-loop and heard - even as a deskless team. As such, there are a number of reasons effective employee communication is important for frontline workers and their wider teams.
1. Reduces turnover
With the Great Resignation still in full swing, all business leaders need to be focusing on employee retention. This becomes even more prominent for the deskless workforce, with52% of frontline workers claiming they would leave their job over tech tools in 2022.
Additionally, according to a survey of 8,000+ global frontline workers and C-suite executives, 45% of frontline workers were planning on leaving the frontline altogether this year.
With most corporate communications tools not designed for them and frontline engagement projects lacking in substance, deskless workers are showing high turnover rates and low job satisfaction, creating an unstable workforce for your business.
Effective communication can improve job satisfaction by creating a sense of community and increasing transparency from leadership. This also helps to reduce misunderstandings and conflicts among employees, leading to better employee retention rates.
2. Increases profits
Better communication means better engagement. Indeed tells us that improved communication works to connect and keep open lines of communication between employees and other members of the organization, which ultimately works to create better engagement between employees. But did you know that this can have a further positive impact on your company profitability?
Engaged employees, who feel heard, valued and involved in communications, are more productive, and this increased productivity can often result in a more profitable business.
As we highlighted in our recentEmployee Engagement Statistics Guide, highly engaged organizations achieve a 23% difference in profitability, alongside a 43% difference in turnover. By driving home your employee engagement with impactful, intuitive communication, you’re investing in the success of your deskless workforce, and the long-term success and overall profitability of your business.
3. Drives employee experience & empowerment
Deskless workers often have limited access to traditional channels of communication, such as email or company intranet. Providing alternative means of communication, such as mobile apps designed for the frontline, can help improve the employee experience by giving them a voice and empowering them in their work environment.
This also allows for agile, on-the-go, two-way communication that deskless employees need in their fast-paced work environments, which is where communications for deskless workers often fall short.
Better employee experience can also boost your bottom line. HBR research shows that a shift in employee experience would result in a 45% increase in profits per person-hour, adding significantly to both individual, team and overall company success.
4. Increases productivity & organization
Effective organizational communication can increase productivity by reducing miscommunications and streamlining processes. It also allows for better frontline organization, as employees have access to important information and updates in real time.
This helps deskless workers stay on top of their tasks and responsibilities, leading to more productive employees and a more organized frontline.
Without efficient two-way communication solutions, it can be difficult for business leaders to understand, or even acknowledge, the issues their frontline workers are facing. For example, did you know that70% of frontline workers have either suffered from burnout or felt at risk of burning out?
With great team communication, your leaders can hear and respond directly to workers needs, implementing them into their organizational practices.
Whether that means giving employees an intuitive two-way communication solution such as a mobile employee app, an accessible scheduling tool to prevent miscommunications or an easier way to organize shift swaps, effective communication can improve the productivity and organization of your workforce.
5. Boosts trust, engagement & morale
A lack of communication can lead to a disengaged and distrusting workforce, as employees feel isolated and disconnected from the larger company culture.
Research shows that nearly all (99%) of C-suite executives believe their frontline workers trust them, while only a quarter (26%) of workers entirely trust their organization to communicate company updates and news transparently.
Clearly, as part of the C-Suite it's important to understand how purposeful internal communications help to build a sense of community among deskless workers. By increasing transparency from leadership, you can drive employee engagement long-term. In turn, this can improve overall job satisfaction, minimize churn and build trust with your workers.
6. Improves worker safety
Proper communication can also improve safety in the workplace. Problems with communication leading to major accidents/incidents are well known, according to HSE.
Proper frontline communication includes informing deskless employees of important safety updates, as well as providing a platform for reporting concerns or hazards. In turn, this can lead to a better quality of work and decrease the likelihood of accidents or injuries on the job.
The Blink frontline engagement app offers a central Hub for storing core company policies, procedures and training documents, ensuring all teams have access to important information and updates in real time. It also includes Secure Chats, giving frontline employees the ability to report concerns or hazards directly to management for swift resolution.
The challenges of communicating with deskless workers
While the benefits are great, it can be a huge challenge to communicate with deskless workers in the modern work environment. Some key challenges of communicating with deskless workers include:
Budget: When you're under-budgeted and under pressure, finding the right communication channels and tools for your deskless workers can be a complex and costly process for business leaders that don't know where to invest.
Old software or no access to tech: Deskless workers may not have access to the same technology or software that office-based employees do, leading to communication disconnects, especially when using tech not designed for them.
Implementing new software: Introducing new communication software can also be a challenge, requiring dedicated training and support to ensure adoption and success for your deskless teams.
Easy access to the right information: Deskless workers often require easy access to essential information, such as company updates, product knowledge or HR policies. Without proper communication channels in place, there can be a breakdown in sharing important information with these teams.
Disconnected, disengaged & distributed: With teams spread across various locations, it can be difficult for deskless workers to feel connected and engaged with the company and their coworkers. Effective communication helps bridge this disconnect.
No sense of community or belonging: Deskless workers may not have the same office community or team spirit as traditional office-based employees, making it crucial for businesses to find ways to build a sense of belonging and connection within their remote or distributed teams.
So – how can leaders overcome these challenges and drive stronger communication between their employees? Let’s take a look.
How to improve communication with deskless workers
Build a digital culture
The pressure’s on for leaders in the frontline sector to digitize their communication efforts with deskless employees. As such, many companies are now developing digitalization strategies that enhance employee experience and drive performance.
One key to business success in a post-Covid world is to embrace a digital culture.
For digital culture to be successful, it must be driven from the ground up.
Clearly, it's important for business leaders to embrace a digital culture, with communication tools and processes that accommodate deskless workers. This means investing in the right technology solutions, as well as training and support for adoption of more complex tools.
For leaders of a deskless organization, digital communication can reduce the complexity of managing a dispersed team, as well as improve transparency and accessibility for employees in remote locations, making everyone's lives easier.
Digital transformation and digital adoption are now key concepts for the deskless workforce, and a focus on digital culture can ensure deskless workers feel connected and included in company processes. With your workers able to access important information and comms from the palm of their hand, you'll have no shortage of engaged, on-the-ball and informed employees.
And remember, this digital transformation must be built from the ground up, with impactful input from deskless workers themselves on their communication needs and challenges.
Listen to and act on feedback
As important as it is to have the right communication tools in place, it's also essential for business leaders to implement processes that gather and listen to feedback from their deskless teams. Ask for input on what channels and tools they prefer, as well as how communication processes can be improved, and implement it in your communication strategy.
Direct communication with features such as surveys, polls or secure chats can make it easier for deskless workers to provide their input. And listening to and implementing this feedback can lead to more successful communication strategies with your deskless teams.
When workers know that their feedback is being listened to, and acted upon, they will be more receptive to future engagement strategies and communications.
With the right processes in place, deskless workers can feel just as heard, connected, included as their office-based colleagues, leading to a more natural, intuitive communication flow within the entire organization.
Provide easy access to key information
By providing an easy-to-access, intuitively designed central Hub for information and communication, deskless workers have easy access to the essential information they need for their roles. This includes company updates, product knowledge, HR policies and more - all in one place, accessible on any device.
A central Hub can also promote a sense of community by allowing deskless workers to connect with their colleagues and share ideas or important information.
This not only saves valuable time for you and your employees, but can also boost your productivity and improve communication initiatives in the long run.
Focus on building a sense of belonging and connection
Though they may not have the same office community as traditional office-based employees, there are still ways to build a sense of belonging and connection for deskless workers.
This includes regularly scheduled check-ins with managers or team members, virtual (and meaningful) team building activities, and offering opportunities for professional development.
These efforts can help deskless workers feel included, valued, and connected with their colleagues and the company as a whole, which can improve employee engagement in a way that feels natural and earned.
Keep two-way communication channels open
As we touched on, it’s important for deskless workers to not only receive information, but also have the opportunity to share their ideas and feedback.
Communication should not be a one way street from the top down. Employees should be engaging in two-way conversations with both each other and management in order to keep communication open and transparent.
This can be done through regular check-ins or meetings, as well as utilizing communication tools that allow for a two-way flow of information - such as Secure Chats or collaboration platforms.
Encourage real employee recognition
Recognition and appreciation are important for all employees, but can be even more impactful for deskless workers who may not have the same opportunities for team praise or company events.
Implementing a recognition program, with features such as virtual badges or “shout-outs”, can help deskless workers feel seen and valued. And don’t underestimate the power of a personalized thank you note or Feed shoutout from leadership - deskless employees can feel just as appreciated through these small gestures.
The role of technology in deskless communication & employee engagement
The right employee technology is vital for your team communication. And as the deskless workforce continues to grow, so does the need for communication technology and tools specifically designed for them.
Reports show that 75% of deskless workers spend most of their work time using some form of technology, yet 60% reported being unsatisfied with the tech they use.
This is where better employee communication and engagement apps come in. By investing in technology that truly supports and engages your deskless team, you’re able to better connect with them, reaping all of the benefits of great communication we explored above.
But what is the exact role of technology in team comms and employee engagement? Here are a few key roles great technology solutions can play:
Easy communication & real-time responses
The right tech should connect your deskless employees with ease, ensuring they have the same access to communication as their desk-based colleagues. With mobile and desktop apps, they can easily communicate no matter where they are or what device they’re using, making one key role of employee tech easy and intuitive communication.
Successful communication also relies on timely responses, and the right employee communication app should support this with real-time messaging and notifications. This helps to keep your deskless team in-the-loop, ensuring they have access to important information as it happens.
Easy access to important information
Employee engagement technology reduces complexity and overhead for your teams by simplifying password management with single sign on to your tools. By centralizing important information, documents and updates on one platform, employees can easily access what they need without having to navigate multiple systems or chase down colleagues, resulting in a better overall employee experience.
Easy implementation & adoption
A key role of the right technology in team communication and engagement is simple implementation and adoption. Look for a solution that’s easy to set up and navigate, with support available when you need it. This helps make the transition smoother, leading to faster adoption and better results from your tech investment.
It can also be useful to choose a technology that feels familiar to employees in order to drive adoption of your chosen tool. By providing a user-friendly, familiar experience, such as a mobile app, deskless workers are more likely to engage and adopt the technology in their day-to-day work.
One core role of employee communication tech is to help your business leaders focus on driving real change and value, rather than being bogged down by day-to-day IT management. Look for a solution that is scalable and customizable, allowing you to easily adapt your communication strategy as your business grows and changes.
By developing business value away from business-as-usual (BAU) IT and into an employee communication and engagement platform fit for your frontline, you’re investing in your deskless workforce, and ultimately, your organization.
How to measure the impact of communication technology on your workforce
C-suite leaders are starting to catch on to the potential benefits employee communications technologies, tools and apps can have on their workforce. In fact, leadership trends show increased HR support of supervisors and managers with innovative processes and technology. But how can those leaders measure the success of these digital initiatives?
As part of the C-Suite, the CIO will want to see ROI on any investment made in employee communication technology. In fact, data from CIO found that 81 percent of IT leaders agree that CIOs are under extreme pressure to defend their technology investments and prove ROI.
This can be done through surveys, pulse check-ins, or feedback from leaders and managers on team performance. Additionally, you should consider investing in a technology that provides real-time employee engagement analytics, like ourFrontline Intelligence feature, to get live insights into how your deskless teams are utilizing the tool.
This key data can help inform and improve your internal communication strategy, ultimately leading to better, and more tangible, ROI.
It’s also important to consider other measures of success, such as improved team profitability, communication and collaboration, boosted employee engagement and satisfaction rates, increased productivity, and higher retention rates for deskless employees. These all contribute to the overall impact of employee communication technology on your workforce.
Final thoughts
At Blink, ouremployee communication and engagement software offers a mobile-first, intuitive solution for your deskless workforce. We support real-time communication, easy access to important information, and simple implementation and adoption – all key roles of technology in team communication and employee engagement.
Our employee app is made for the frontline, to support the needs of your deskless team and drive business value in the process.
Interested in learning more? Request a demo today to see how Blink can drive value for your deskless organization.
Is your internal comms tech stack bursting at the seams?
Technology should make work easier. The right internal communications tech has the power to transform the employee experience and get everyone pulling in the same direction.
But when your internal comms tech stack is bursting with tools — all pinging, updating, and overlapping — things get messy.
With different tools for communication, collaboration, engagement, and more, employees get a fragmented digital experience.
And for the IT team behind the scenes? It’s a constant juggling act of integrations, logins, security, support tickets, and updates — plus eye-watering costs for all those subscriptions.
Of course, each one of those digital tools serves a purpose. But used together, they can create friction, silos, and a digital employee experience that doesn’t live up to expectations.
Overwhelmed by your tech stack? There’s a better way.
Let’s explore how to consolidate your tools without compromise — and why a single, mobile employee app can simplify your stack, save your budget, and elevate the experience for everyone.
The current state of internal comms tech: A tool for every need
Internal communication teams wear a lot of hats. They’re responsible for amplifying company culture, keeping track of employee sentiment, sharing essential company updates, and boosting employee engagement.
To tick all those boxes, many organizations end up with a patchwork of internal communications platforms. A survey tool here. A chat app there. A weakness in one tool is fixed by bringing another software solution into the mix.
In any given organization, there are often separate tools for:
Real-time chat and collaboration
Social media-style engagement
Critical communications
Employee surveys and feedback
Employee training
Virtual meetings and town halls
AI content support
Employee journeys
Peer recognition
Task management
Before you know it, these tools are fighting for employee attention. They’re adding to the noise and making it harder for comms teams to cut through with vital messages. Maintaining multiple, overlapping solutions is also costly — and it creates a real headache for CIOs and IT teams.
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The CIO’s challenge: Complexity, cost, and employee fatigue
If you’re managing a complicated internal comms tech stack, you’re probably experiencing one, if not all, of the following challenges.
IT burden
Managing integrations, security, compliance, and maintenance for multiple tools puts a strain on your IT team. Help desk tickets mount up because users struggle to learn each new platform and remember all those login details. For companies with high employee turnover rates, onboarding and offboarding staff across different platforms takes up a huge amount of time.
Cost overload
A bloated internal comms tech stack eats into your budget. When different tools cover similar ground, you pay multiple times for the same features, many of which aren’t even used by your comms team or employees. Costs mount up, draining resources that could be better used elsewhere.
Employee disengagement
App overload kills engagement. Employees bounce between platforms. They miss messages. Some tune out completely. You get poor usage and adoption rates — and a tech ROI that simply doesn’t add up. Despite (on paper) covering all the bases, your internal communication tools don’t provide the seamless digital experience employees have come to expect.
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The solution: An all-in-one employee app
With new and improved internal comms tech tools on the market, it doesn’t have to be this way. You don’t need to make do with a hotchpotch of platforms, each fulfilling a slightly different internal comms function.
Instead, you can consolidate all internal communications andworkplace tech into one software solution. And you can do this without compromising on security, functionality, or the employee experience.
With a unified employee app, you have one platform, one login, and one powerful digital workplace for all your internal communication needs. Here’s what consolidation can do for your organization.
One hub for all communications
The best employee communications apps bring all comms under one digital roof. So everyone can stop toggling between tabs!
Employees can access a news feed, instant messaging, alerts, surveys, and videos from the same dashboard. Comms teams can unify their messaging across integrated communication channels. IT teams have just one comms platform to manage and maintain.
Streamlined integrations with existing enterprise tools
The right employee app acts as a hub for all workplace tech. It offers seamless integrations with tools like Workday, ServiceNow, and Microsoft 365.
Your team doesn’t need to spend time creating and customizing integrations from scratch. And with one command center, it’s easy to maintain, secure, and scale your tech ecosystem.
Improved user adoption and engagement
Fewer internal communication tools means less friction and high levels of user adoption. What’s more, with single sign-on (SSO) and deep integrations, users can access all workplace tools via one central, user-friendly dashboard.
Everything from HRIS tools to L&D programs to pay stubs is right at employee fingertips. So adoption of other workplace tech improves too. And — if you pick a mobile-first solution — you improve uptake among frontline employees, which means better comms engagement across your entire workforce.
Reduced costs and complexity
By eliminating redundant software and establishing a single employee app you reduce costs and complexity. Your budget goes further — and your IT team is less stretched, so they can focus on value-add activities instead of tackling endless support tickets.
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Why Blink? The all-in-one employee app
Blink was built as an all-in-one workplace solution — everything your workforce needs in one intuitive platform designed for easy use on mobile devices.
Wondering whether our employee app is the answer to a sprawling internal comms tech stack? Take a look at what Blink can bring to your organization.
Real-time chat and collaboration
Blink makes a great alternative to Slack and Microsoft Teams, particularly if your organization has a lot of frontline workers. As a mobile-first solution, Blink gives all employees easy mobile access to secure chat and collaboration tools via both desktop and smartphone apps.
Social-style news feed and engagement
Workplace from Meta will soon be defunct. But your workforce can still enjoy an engaging social-media-style experience with Blink. You get a news feed and other modern social features, like Stories, Communities, live streaming, and user profiles.
Mobile alerts and push notifications
Say goodbye to a tangled web of email and SMS communication (which most employees ignore anyway). With Blink, you can use mobile-first alerts and push notifications to share critical updates with your workforce.
Surveys and pulse checks
Surveys and polls are another built-in Blink feature, so you don’t need a third-party tool to find out what your workforce is thinking and feeling. Your comms team can seek regular feedback from employees and view survey data alongside platform usage stats.
Video and live updates
Blink offers integration with Zoom. But you can also use native tools for video and live updates. Users can video call from within chat. Leaders can use the live stream feature to host company-wide meetings from the news feed, giving employees the option to comment and interact during the event.
AI-powered content
Another big benefit of Blink is its built-in AI functionality. Users don’t have to switch between ChatGPT and your employee communications platform. Instead, they can keep their data safe and sound by getting Blink to create, improve, or summarize content, right within the feed.
A wide range of integrations
Blink’s App Marketplace contains integrations with many of the most popular workplace tools. You can set up integrations with your learning and development, project management, CRM, payroll, HR software, employee scheduling, time tracking, and more. One app, one seamless experience: Get one-click access to what you need, when you need it.
Easy identity management
Another way Blink eases the load of your IT team is with user management tools. Rather than using another external identity management provider like Okta, you can use Blink to automate user administration, assigning permissions based on groups, job roles, location, and more. You can use single sign-on right in the app, reducing the number of accounts and login details you’re responsible for.
Rock-solid security
Blink can handle authentication, including secondary biometric authentication, for you. You can also fence particular functions, controlling the areas that workers can access in integrated tools. Blink gives you everything you need to keep company data safe on employee devices.
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Simplify, save, and strengthen employee experience with an employee app
Lately, the internal comms text stack has become a little… unwieldy. In many organizations, a complex network of tools is harming the employee experience, complicating internal communications, and stretching IT teams to the limit.
But with the help of an employee app, you can fix all that.
Employees get a dynamic digital workplace, where they can access multi-media company news and time-sensitive critical updates. It’s easier than ever for them to connect with co-workers, launch video calls, and respond to surveys.
Your internal comms team has tools to share information and gather feedback on employee experience. They can unify their messaging and keep a close watch on employee engagement figures across all workplace software.
And last but by no means least, an employee app brings benefits for your IT team too. Streamlining your tech stack reduces tickets and software maintenance tasks. It frees up your budget while bringing comms clarity to your entire organization.
Blink. And create a streamlined digital experience for every worker and every team.
With the news that Workplace by Meta will be shutting down within a year, there are going to be thousands of companies looking to replace their employee experience platforms soon. Sure, finding a new solution for internal communications with the right features and functionality is important, but just as important (and not talked about enough) is the implementation and rollout experience for employees.
In my mind, a great product implemented poorly is no longer a great product. So, what does a great implementation process and experience really look like?
Whether you’re looking to upgrade your employee app before Workplace from Meta shuts down or you’re just curious to learn more about Blink, here is my take on what a great implementation experience should look like.
I’ve spent over a decade in the implementation space and know how common it is to hear that a vendor will “go the extra mile” for a customer during the crucial time between signing the contract and launching the technology.
Rarely, though, is the extra mile enough; sometimes, what it takes is the extra 1,600 miles.
Prior to my role as Head of Implementation at Blink, I spent the first 8 years of my career in technology consulting working at large firms like Aon and Accenture. In that time, I travelled to 30+ countries and learned how to deliver business value through broader people and technology transformation at multinational enterprise companies.
In all that time, I have never worked in an organization that goes so far above and beyond as Blink. This is truly a whatever-it-takes company, even when it takes a 1,600 mile road trip through 8 states to visit 6 different plants to ensure one of our customers launches the right way. On this particular trip, we met with Plant Managers, HR, Production Managers and more, to build out a use case strategy, run training sessions, and hold focus groups to ensure we were delivering a comprehensive roadmap for their new employee app.
This hands-on approach is why we have an industry-leading user adoption rate of 90% across all our customers. But it’s more than just our willingness to traverse state lines that creates a great implementation experience.
The values that drive our implementation process
I know two things to always be true about implementation: first, customers are busy. Since launching an employee app often involves a lot of contributors and stakeholders, sometimes getting everyone on the same page is the biggest barrier to launching on-time.
Second, and most important, we’ve only got one shot to launch your platform right. Change is often met with scepticism or some resistance, so we bend over backwards to set you up for the best first impression on launch day, from a seamless onboarding experience for employees to quick, demonstrable value for your executive stakeholders.
Our approach and our values that drive the team are done with these two things in mind to ensure each customer sees a high adoption right out of the gate.
So what goes into our process that makes it so successful? There are five things I’d like to highlight:
The experts
When you sign up with Blink, you’ll be guided through the implementation process by an experienced team spread across the US, UK, and Australia. All of our implementations are done solely in-house. Over the years, we’ve developed a playbook of best practices to follow and accumulated deep industry knowledge to recommend the best course of action for your unique needs.
Once you’ve launched, the Implementation team is still there with you. Not only are they helping ensure a smooth transition to your Customer Success partner, they’re helping gather metrics and feedback on the launch and supporting your efforts to hit the user adoption target in those early days.
Our employee-focused strategy
Whether you’re rolling out your first employee app or you’re replacing an old solution like Workplace, getting your employees to buy-in to Blink (or any new technology) is so important at launch. For companies with deskless workforces, where communication is a challenge, in particular, getting that early buy-in is a virtuous cycle where the employees start telling their colleagues about Blink.
When Stagecoach, one of the largest transit providers in the UK, rolled out Blink, their post-launch survey found 100% of the drivers would recommend the app to their peers. With 21,000 bus drivers across the country, word of mouth helped accelerate adoption as much as any top-down messaging.
That’s why, when we plan for a launch at your organization, we ensure there is functionality that your employees want to help get them invested early on. We’ve got an extensive catalogue of integrations that give them easy access and notifications for paystubs, time-tracking, vacation requests, IT help desks, and more. Pair that with Single sign-on, and employees will be doing all these things with one-click access through Blink.
The result of providing quick value to your employees is a high usage and adoption rate. Stagecoach, for example, has an average of 6 app opens each day from 89% of their drivers. That level of employee engagement and communication is critical to keeping everything running smoothly.
Rollout success you can measure
Everyone who implements Blink will know exactly what success looks like. We outline the six key pillars to a successful rollout early on so you have a benchmark for what to expect:
We’re going to get the leadership team aligned around the opportunity driving the rollout
We’ll determine the key metrics and KPIs for success with you so everyone is working towards the same goals
We’ll help you build your company’s digital front door—turning Blink into the single point of access for everything they need—to maximise adoption
We’re going to ensure the look and feel of the app matches your company’s brand to build trust in the early adoption phase
We’re going to build a comprehensive activation strategy to reach every employee, while taking into account the unique challenges posed by disparate and diverse workforces
Lastly, we’re going to help you build out and optimise the app after launch by introducing new functionality and soliciting user feedback to guide the improvements
Our clear roadmaps
With a feature-rich solution like Blink, unleashing the full experience is like asking employees to drink from a firehose.
To avoid overwhelming people, we help you develop a clear roadmap for the long-term experience. It starts with the Day 1 MVP that’s focused on addressing the most pressing needs and quick wins for the employee experience. From there, we help you bring new functionality to the employee experience in a way that boosts adoption without overwhelming users.
Every roadmap is tied to the KPIs you outlined earlier, so there is a definitive business value for each phase. If, like many Blink customers, you’re trying to save money by modernising outdated processes, that KPI can be tied to functionality like payslips being put into the app instead of being mailed out.
That simple change saved one Blink customer $300,000 per year on mailing and printing costs—and we were able to measure that impact because of the KPIs we had established early on.
Low-lift launch
We understand how busy our customers are, so we want every app to be launched quickly—but with as little effort on your part as possible. While you and your team are going to be involved, we keep as much of the work behind the scenes to minimise the disruption to you and your team.
When you combine our expertise with the out-of-the-box functionality and pre-made assets, getting to launch day is simple and fast. We measure implementation in weeks, not months and quarters. You can have users onboard in as little as 6 weeks, while still delivering a compelling first impression with your new employee app.
These five pillars can't capture all of the hard-work and care that the Implementation team has here at Blink. That doesn’t happen without having a team that’s willing to go above and beyond for every single customer.
Change management while implementing Blink
The implementation journey is an intense period for the stakeholders. It’s a lot of work to do quickly, and one of the ways we help ensure you’re staying on course is through our comprehensive Change Impact Assessment.
With so much change, it is easy to lose the forest for the trees and get lost in the day-to-day minutiae of the launch process. The Change Impact Assessment is designed to keep you on track by helping you understand how Blink will affect the following areas:
Operations: How will Blink affect current workflows, and what adjustments are needed to seamlessly integrate it into your existing processes?
Company culture: What changes in team dynamics and communication can we anticipate? How will this software align with your corporate culture?
Resource allocation: What are the costs, both financial and time-based, for training, implementation, and long-term management of the platform?
Technology integration: How does Blink fit into your existing technology landscape? Can we integrate into and leverage compatibility with existing systems?
Return on investment expectations: How does introducing Blink to ADQ map into your business goals? We’ll establish metrics to measure the effectiveness and ROI to ensure change is actively happening and tracking to your business goals.
Hands-on support, on-site or online
Some of the most memorable moments for us come from our on-site, white glove support for the implementation process. Whether we get to visit a corporate headquarters in Chicago to run use case discovery workshops or trekking out to a distribution centre to train frontline managers to use the app to communicate with their team, we’re always hyped to work alongside our customers.
Even if we’re not spending weeks on end at your office, we’re shooting for the same launch experience with every customer. Our job is to ensure you’re going to be successful in delivering enough value to your employees that they fall in love with the Blink app.
So, virtually or in-person, you get hands-on support experience from us. We’ll help you find, train, and empower a network of advocates and experts within your organisation who will help ensure launch-day communication is on point.
Adoption drives feedback drives adoption
Launch day success is not the end for us. Once your employees are onboard, we’re going to canvas for your people’s first impressions to understand what’s resonating and what’s missing the mark.
Getting this survey feedback early on helps us course correct, if necessary, to take you from 70% user adoption at launch up to the 90% user adoption rate we want for all of our customers.
The surveys are rarely surprising, though, because of all the work that went into the implementation journey. From getting stakeholders aligned on KPIs to running frontline focus groups, we know the value is going to be felt from day one.
Blink. And you’re set up for success.
When I take a step back and think about everything that goes into launching each company’s employee app from the people—executive sponsors, project managers, Comms, IT, Operations, managers—to all the planning, content creation, and communications efforts, it’s amazing to think about how all that work leads to something as simple as a text or email invite on launch day.
All the hands-on work that we do prior to launch is to ensure that your employees have a seamless experience from day one. That starts with the invitation to download the app and login to their “digital front door” for the first time. From there, they’ll be able to communicate with secure chat, post in the Feed, search for policies and documents in the Content Hub, and access important information like payslips, vacation requests, and scheduling—all without leaving the app or having to enter another login.
Our job is to make getting to launch as effortless as possible. Because, we know, once your employees login to Blink, they’re going to be more engaged, more informed, and, ultimately, more likely to stick around.
Employee communication and engagement is more important than ever in the remote-work era and for the frontline. You can put your trust in my team’s experienced, hands-on approach to help you deliver the most value to your employees. It’s what we’re so passionate about and what we do best.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves: the first step is signing up for a demo today to learn more about the Blink platform.
For years, the intranet market has been quietly humming in the background — necessary, but rarely exciting. Static sites, low adoption, and an “if it ain’t broke” mindset have kept things predictable.
But the rhythm of work has changed. Employees expect consumer-grade experiences that rival modern social platforms, and organizations need platforms that actually connect people — not just store documents.
Enter 2025’s Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Intranet Packaged Solutions, where Blink made its debut — not just as a newcomer, but as the market’s most exciting Challenger. It’s a milestone that says as much about where the market is heading as it does about where we stand.
The significance of a Challenger debut
The Gartner Magic Quadrant is one of the most respected evaluations in enterprise technology. Each year, Gartner assesses intranet providers on Ability to Execute and Completeness of Vision, mapping them into four quadrants: Leaders, Challengers, Visionaries, and Niche Players. Decision-makers around the world look to this report for support and validation in their platform investments.
Being named a Challenger means two things:
We’re executing at a high level.
We’re pushing the market forward with a bold, differentiated vision.
For us, debuting in this position validates years of momentum — from scaling frontline employee engagement to redefining what an “intranet” even means. But more importantly, it signals a broader shift: The industry is ready for something more human, more connected, something more vibrant.
A new rhythm for the digital workplace
The modern intranet is no longer a static homepage. It’s a living, breathing ecosystem that powers communication, culture, and connection across every corner of an organization — from HQ to the shop floor.
This report reflects that evolution. It highlights the growing importance of frontline access, intelligent content, and designing for the employee experience. These aren’t fringe capabilities anymore — they’re must-haves.
That’s exactly where Blink has been leading:
Frontline-first design that reaches the 80% of workers traditional intranets forget.
Mobile-native experiences that fit the way people actually work.
Analytics and insights that make employee engagement measurable, not mythical.
AI-powered communication tools that help leaders connect with clarity and scale.
In short: Blink isn’t playing the same old tune. We’re remixing the intranet into something people actually want to use.
Why this matters for buyers and the market
For IT, HR, and communications leaders, Gartner’s recognition offers something invaluable: confidence. It confirms that the market is moving toward solutions that are not only functional but felt — favoring all-in-one employee experience platforms that drive adoption, engagement, and belonging.
Blink’s debut as a Challenger underscores three broader trends shaping the intranet software landscape:
People-first design is now non-negotiable: Usability, accessibility, and experience aren’t nice-to-haves; they’re the new foundation. Platforms that feel like consumer apps are setting the bar.
The frontline workforce is being reconnected: Enterprises are realizing that true culture and communication can’t stop at the office door. The intranet must extend everywhere work happens.
The era of “static sites” is ending: Modern intranets are dynamic platforms integrating AI, video, and microapps — enabling communication, knowledge, and action in one place.
Gartner’s report confirms what many leaders already feel: The traditional intranet model is out of sync with how work happens today.
The Blink perspective: Challenger as a mindset
Being named a Challenger isn’t about position — it’s about posture.
At Blink, we see this as validation and responsibility. Validation that our people-first approach is working. Responsibility to keep raising the tempo for what’s possible in the digital workplace.
We’re here to make work feel better — for everyone. That’s why we obsess over adoption. Why we invest in intuitive design. Why we believe that when every employee has a voice, the whole organization moves faster.
As our CEO Sean Nolan puts it:
“We’re not here to play the same tune as everyone else. We’re spinning the future of work — remixing the intranet into something vibrant, exciting, and actually worth using.”
What comes next
The intranet category is in transformation — and Blink’s debut marks a turning point. The market is hungry for connection, simplicity, and meaning at work.
Delivering experiences that feel as good as they perform
The recognition from Gartner is both a milestone and a launchpad. Because being a Challenger isn’t the end of the story — it’s the start of the remix.
Read the full report
Get your complimentary copy of the Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Intranet Packaged Solutions (2025) to explore the full market landscape, compare vendors, and see how the industry’s next chapter is being written.
Want to scale your business communication in 2026?
WhatsApp Business is widely used for customer communication. As of November 2025, the business app has been downloaded over a billion times worldwide.
WhatsApp may be the first name that springs to mind when you think of instant messaging. But the app comes with major limitations — especially for growing teams and regulated industries.
Its biggest flaw? It’s not built for scale or collaboration. There’s no unified inbox, no team-level access, and limited integration with CRMs or internal systems. And while it’s great for small businesses, many companies quickly outgrow it.
Whether you’re looking for better security, team-based workflows, automation, or enterprise-ready support, here are the 12 best WhatsApp Business alternatives in 2026 to help you choose the right messaging platform for your business.
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12 best WhatsApp Business alternatives
#1. Blink
Best for: internal messaging, mobile-first employee communication, and app consolidation
Blink isn’t a direct customer messaging tool like WhatsApp Business — it’s a comms tool for internal use. A modern employee communication platform with built-in chat, company updates, surveys, forms, file sharing, and integrations — all in one place.
It’s ideal for teams who want to consolidate Slack, WhatsApp groups, emails, and paper processes into one secure app.
Features & benefits:
Secure, centralized communication across departments
Private and group chat with notifications
Integration with scheduling, forms, documents, and alerts
Designed for all employees — desk-based, remote, and mobile
AI automation tools
Limitations:
May offer more functionality than smaller, office-only teams need
#2. Telegram for Business
Best for: broadcast messaging and public channel growth
Telegram is a highly flexible alternative to WhatsApp Business, especially for businesses that want to build public or semi-public communities. Its channels, bots, and automation tools make it ideal for announcements and large-scale broadcasting.
Features & benefits:
Public and private channels
Large group sizes (200k+)
Bots and custom integrations
End-to-end encryption in Secret Chats
Limitations:
Lack of built-in enterprise compliance tools
Limited reach compared to WhatsApp
#3. Signal
Best for: ultra-secure business communication
Another of the best alternatives to WhatsApp Business, Signal is known for its privacy-first approach. It’s open-source, end-to-end encrypted, and free. While it lacks native business tools, it’s ideal for companies handling sensitive internal communications or working in regulated industries.
Features & benefits:
No ads, no tracking
Fully encrypted
No connection to Meta/Facebook
Limitations:
No CRM integration
Limited team collaboration tools
#4. Facebook Messenger for Business
Best for: businesses already using Facebook Pages
If your customers like to hang out on Facebook, Messenger for Business is a logical next step. It’s a WhatsApp Business alternative that connects directly to your business page, letting you automate greetings, FAQs, and appointment bookings.
Features & benefits:
Chat widgets for websites
Auto-responders and templates
Integration with Meta Business Suite
Limitations:
Facebook-dependent
Lacks enterprise-level tools
#5. WeCom (formerly WeChat Work)
Best for: teams and clients in China
WeCom is the business-friendly version of WeChat, widely used in China. It’s ideal for companies with Chinese operations or customer bases, offering both external client comms and internal team messaging.
Features & benefits:
Unified contact management
Rich API ecosystem
Seamless transition from WeChat
Limitations:
Regional user base so may not suit global brands
Data privacy issues for industries with strict compliance requirements
#6. LINE Official Account
Best for: businesses in Japan and Southeast Asia
LINE is dominant in Japan and parts of Southeast Asia. Its Official Account tool is designed for businesses, with features like chat, coupons, ads, and broadcast messaging.
Features & benefits:
Chatbots and autoresponders
Loyalty programs
Targeted push messaging
Limitations:
Regional user base so may not suit global brands
Plan and message limitations in the USA and Europe
#7. Viber for Business
Best for: small businesses and customer support
Viber provides business messaging through bots, broadcast lists, and customer service chat. It’s end-to-end encrypted, supports verified business profiles, and is especially popular in Eastern Europe and the Middle East.
Features & benefits:
Verified business messages
Rich media and chatbot options
Business API for developers
Limitations:
Bugs and file handling limitations
Limited contact segmentation and scheduling tools
#8. Twilio Conversations
Best for: multi-channel messaging at scale
Twilio isn’t a messaging app — it’s an API-first communications platform. If you want to build WhatsApp-like workflows with more flexibility across SMS, email, and in-app messaging, Twilio gives you the tools.
Features & benefits:
Unified inbox across channels
Custom automation flows
Enterprise-grade compliance and analytics
Limitations:
Setup can be complex and often requires development support
Restrictive Chat participant limits
#9. Slack
Best for: internal messaging and team collaboration
If you’re using WhatsApp for team chats, Slack is a more organized, searchable, and integrated alternative. With channels, app integrations, and rich history, it gives desk-based teams the tools they need for communication and collaboration.
Features & benefits:
Channels for projects and teams
Integrations with Google Drive, Jira, Zoom, and more
Threads, reactions, and pinned messages
Limitations:
A poor mobile user experience
Inadequate support for push notifications and compliance
#10. Microsoft Teams
Best for: Microsoft 365 users
For companies in the Microsoft ecosystem, Teams provides structured internal communication with chat, calls, meetings, and file collaboration — all within one interface.
Features & benefits:
Deep Office and SharePoint integration
Video calling and meeting features
Security and compliance support
Limitations:
Requires high internet stability
Minimal customization options
#11. Tidio
Best for: live chat and website automation
Tidio is a customer support platform that includes live chat, chatbots, and multi-channel messaging (including Messenger, Instagram, and email). It’s ideal for SMBs looking to handle client support from one hub.
Features & benefits:
Website live chat
Automated lead capture and FAQs
CRM integrations
Easy setup process
Limitations:
Expensive and inflexible pricing structure
Limited features in cheaper plans
Limited customization options
#12. Zoho Cliq
Best for: small teams using the Zoho ecosystem
Zoho Cliq is a lightweight team chat tool with integrations across Zoho's productivity suite. If you're already a Zoho user, it’s a natural upgrade from WhatsApp for internal comms.
Features & benefits:
Easy to use
Role-based access controls
Threaded conversations
Audio and video calling
Limitations:
Can be slow to load during peak times or with large files
The user interface isn’t user-friendly
Fewer features on the mobile app compared to the desktop version
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What are the best WhatsApp Business alternatives by use case?
The best alternative to WhatsApp Business depends on what you’re trying to achieve. Here’s a quick summary of which use cases match which apps.
Internal team communication
If your goal is to keep teams aligned, share updates, and consolidate tools, go for platforms designed for internal comms.
Top picks: Blink, Slack, Microsoft Teams
Customer support at scale
Want to chat with customers quickly and efficiently? Then you need a platform built for multi-channel customer engagement.
Top picks: Tidio, Twilio, Facebook Messenger for Business
Highly secure conversations
For industries handling sensitive data or requiring compliance, you need secure alternatives to WhatsApp — tools that offer unbeatable privacy and security.
Top picks: Blink (for internal conversations), Signal (for customer conversations)
Regional customer engagement
If your business operates in specific markets, using the local dominant messaging apps helps you reach your audience where they already like to hang out.
Top picks: LINE, Viber, WeCom
What questions should you ask when choosing a WhatsApp Business alternative?
When you switch from WhatsApp Business, you want to be confident that your chosen alternative fits your team, your customers, and your business goals. Ask the following questions to find out whether a shortlisted platform has everything you need.
1. What problem am I trying to solve?
Are you looking for better internal communication, faster customer support, or both? Maybe you need a solution that works for remote teams, frontline workers, or specific regions. Defining the problem upfront will help you zero in on tools that actually solve it.
2. Can the platform scale with my business?
WhatsApp works for small teams, but many businesses outgrow it quickly. Ask whether your chosen alternative can handle:
Large teams and multiple departments
Cross-functional collaboration
Growing customer bases
Multi-location operations
3. How secure and compliant is it?
All business communications should be secure and compliant. Check whether your alternative to WhatsApp Business offers end-to-end encryption, admin controls, audit logs, GDPR compliance, and compliance with industry-specific standards.
4. How user-friendly is it?
Even the most powerful platform will fail if no one in your organization actually uses it. So consider mobile and desktop access. Look for push notifications and reminders, onboarding support, and an intuitive interface.
5. Can I measure performance?
You need visibility into how your team and customers are communicating. Ask software providers about analytics, reporting dashboards, and the KPIs you want to track. It should be easy to monitor your comms performance and find actionable areas for improvement.
6. Does this tool integrate with other workplace software?
If you’re planning to use one tool for internal communication and another for customer messaging, seamless integration is critical. Your WhatsApp Business alternative should play nicely with your CRM, employee tools, and other communication systems — so messages, work, and data flow without friction.
How do you choose the right WhatsApp Business alternative?
WhatsApp Business is simple and popular — but it’s not scalable, secure, or flexible enough for most growing businesses. And there are lots of apps like WhatsApp for you to choose from.
Whether you’re managing internal operations or external customer conversations, the 12 alternatives above offer powerful features that go beyond the basics.
Need a secure, mobile-first alternative for team communication?
Blink brings chat, alerts, files, surveys, and scheduling into one unified experience — no more group texts or missed messages.
Find and fix pain points to build an employee intranet that everyone wants to use.
Let’s be real here. The word “intranet” doesn’t exactly spark joy in employees.
For many, it’s synonymous with clunky logins, endless scrolling, and outdated information. It’s the digital equivalent of a dusty bulletin board. It’s just there — not doing anything to help the employee experience.
In fact, just 13% of employees say they use their intranet daily — and 31% said they never do.
Here for the work? Let’s unpack what employees hate about your intranet experience and what you can do to fix it.
Employee intranet pain points — and what you can do to address them
#1. “It’s too hard to find anything”
Your intranet is packed with employee handbooks, policies, HR forms, org charts, benefits info, and company news. But can anyone actually find what they’re looking for?
If your intranet software is the digital black hole where documents go to die, employees will soon realize that searching through files in search of the resource they need simply isn’t worth their time.
The fix: Tidy things up
Make your company intranet easy to navigate. You can do this by:
Improving search functionality. Allow for misspellings and synonyms, ensure results are relevant, and support employees with autocomplete and filter functions.
Grouping content logically. Think like a user — or run focus groups — asking where you would expect to find each piece of content.
Cleaning up your navigation. Simplify dashboards and use clear, intuitive labels that make sense to everyone.
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#2. “It’s only updated once a quarter”
If your intranet is only updated once in a blue moon, it’s no wonder employees aren’t logging in. There’s nothing new to see — and no reason to trust that the internal communications and resources they do find are up-to-date.
The result? Your intranet becomes a ghost town, with fewer and fewer employees bothering to pay a visit.
The fix: Keep it fresh
When your intranet is relevant and up-to-date, employee engagement follows. Your intranet becomes a place worth visiting, which means employees are more likely to see critical messages.
Don’t wait for “big news.” Celebrate small wins. Share behind-the-scenes moments. Post real-time updates. And take a look at these intranet content ideas if you need a little inspiration.
Internal communications team already stretched too thin? Then add employee-generated content (EGC) into the mix. Allow your entire workforce to interact with intranet content — and post content of their own — and there’s always something new and exciting for your audience to engage with.
#3. “It wasn’t built for people like me”
This is a common problem for frontline employees and more remote teams. Just 10% of frontline workers say they have high access to the tools, tech, and opportunities they need to connect and advance in their workplace.
Imagine a retail assistant who spends their days in a store serving and supporting customers. Unlike the team at HQ, they only have access to a desktop computer in the breakroom at lunchtime. And they don’t have a company email address.
It’s then difficult — if not impossible — for them to access vital workplace documents and updates via the intranet. They feel disconnected from the company and frontline employee engagement suffers.
Use frontline-friendly login methods that don’t require a corporate email address
Design for mobile devices — don’t just squeeze the desktop experience onto a smaller screen
Make your employee intranet accessible to frontline workers and you ditch the two-tier experience, where office staff feel connected to company culture and each other — and where frontline workers are left behind. You create an enjoyable intranet experience that works for everyone.
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#4.“It’s all corporate fluff”
Does your content feel like it’s gone through five rounds of legal, then taken a trip via the buzzword bus stop before finally landing on the employee intranet? Then your audience is likely to scroll right past it.
Formal, corporate language is unengaging. It’s also difficult to read. Long words, long sentences, long paragraphs. They don’t reflect the way people speak to one another in the real world. And they get in the way of meaningful employee communication and connection.
Likewise, if you only use your intranet to talk about high-level corporate happenings, employees will struggle to relate. If they can’t see themselves in the story, they’ll tune out.
The fix: Make it human
Yes, company news matters. But it doesn’t need to sound robotic and overly formal.
Write like a human. Use plain language, short sentences, and a conversational tone — just like you would talking to someone face-to-face.
And don’t forget to share stuff that your people really care about. Use your employee intranet to celebrate employee stories and customer stories. Put people at the center of each piece of content.
One final tip for ditching the corporate speak? Play around with content formats. Swap dry text-based documents for dynamic images, videos, polls, GIFs, and infographics. You’ll make the intranet feel less like a bulletin board and more like a digital community.
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#5. “It’s ugly and feels like 2009”
Still working with your parent’s intranet? Today’s employees get super-slick experiences on the tech tools they use at home. So they have increasingly high expectations for the tech they use at work.
They want minimal friction. Intuitive dashboards. Easy navigation. And then there’s personalization.
A one-size-fits-all approach to the intranet is outdated. Because most of today’s software experiences are tailored to the preferences and behaviors of each individual user.
Up against consumer-grade digital tools, a traditional intranet feels like a lumbering dinosaur. It’s hard to use and fails to delight employees.
The fix: Upgrade intranet UX
A modern intranet should look and feel like the tools employees already love using. We’re talking:
Clean, mobile-responsive design, available via desktop and smartphone app
Intuitive navigation and integrations, so everything employees need is just a couple of clicks away
Personalized dashboards, based on role, location, team, and tenure
Social features, like chats, forums, emojis, and news feeds — and lots of engaging visuals
Modern intranet features like these are no longer nice-to-haves. They’re essential if you want to meet employee expectations and keep them coming back to your social intranet for more.
#6. “No one ever showed me how to use it”
For some employees, it’s not resistance. It’s simply a lack of intranet know-how.
They don’t know how to log into the intranet or download it to their device. They’re unaware of how the intranet can support their work and don’t know how to use specific features.
Without clear training or support, they never give your intranet a try — and never discover all the amazing things it can do for them.
The fix: Support employees to get started
A good intranet should feel intuitive from the get-go. There’s a minimal learning curve and better employee adoption because the platform has a familiar and user-friendly interface.
But, beyond choosing the right intranet platform, there are a few other things you can do to support employees to use it:
Create intranet ambassadors. Offer intranet training to a select band of employees who can share their knowledge with teammates.
Offer how-to tips within the intranet. Add pop-ups and quick tips on relevant pages so employees get support when and where they need it.
Bake it into onboarding. As new hires start work at your company, make an intranet walk-through an integral part of the employee onboarding process.
#7. “It doesn’t help me do my job”
Too many corporate intranets are built around what the organization wants to share — not what employees actually need. So what happens?
People work around it. They ping their manager for shift information, share documents by email, and complete HR forms by hand. They don’t see the value in your employee intranet so they don’t choose to hang out there.
The fix: Build it around employee needs
Start by asking employees what they want the intranet to do. Ask which tools they’d find useful. Then shape the user experience around that.
Some essential features that tend to be popular?
Integrations. Link your intranet to the other workplace software you use, so employees can access the tools they need from their intranet dashboard.
HR self-service. Support employees to request PTO, swap shifts, leave feedback, access benefits, and submit expenses — right within your intranet platform.
Employee directory. Make it easy for employees to find and connect with colleagues across locations, teams, and shifts — even without a corporate email.
Interactivity. Turn your intranet into a digital water cooler by providing channels for peer-to-peer connection, team collaboration, and the sharing of company culture.
From ignored to adored — your intranet makeover starts here
Let’s recap.
Most employees don’t hate the idea of the employee intranet — they just hate the version they’ve been stuck with. Outdated, clunky, hard to use, irrelevant…
But that doesn’t mean you have to scrap it and start over.
You can build a better digital employee experience by listening to your people, modernizing the experience, and meeting them where they are. On mobile — with real stories, useful tools, and relevant content that actually reflects their day-to-day work.
Build a modern intranet and your platform can become a digital home for internal communications, community, and culture — and an app that employees across your entire company enjoy opening every day.