Using Text Messages To Communicate With Employees

In any business setting, the ability to communicate clearly and effectively is a key component of company success. After all, the point of internal communication is ultimately to share information that is necessary to keep business running smoothly. Historically speaking, in the digital era, email has been the number one method for internal communication. Employees and executives alike will send updates, schedules,  presentations, reminders, and more via email.

While email definitely has its perks, it does come with some clear disadvantages. The most glaring downside is that not every employee has a work email or the time and resources to check it consistently. Specifically, non-desk employees are often the most disadvantaged when it comes to checking email. Whether they are spending too much time on the floor working to check an email often, or don’t have easy access to a computer, the fact of the matter is only 20% of emails are ever read.  It begs the question, is there a better way to communicate? That very question is what we at Yourco set out to answer. Our solution…internal text communication.

We have created a web-based employee texting platform that eliminates the disadvantages of email while also accounting for some of the hassles of a normal employee texting app. In the remainder of this article we are going to discuss communicating effectively with texting in the workplace and highlight some of the reasons Yourco is a great email alternative for non-desk employees and HR professionals alike.

How Can Text Messages Be Used To Communicate With Employees?

It is easy to use text messages to communicate with employees. All you have to do is type out your text, hit send, and you’re done. Let’s face it, everyone has a phone, and most people check their notifications constantly (whether they should or not). Even if your phone isn’t always on you, it’s probably the first thing you are going to check during a lunch or break. In fact, in contrast to the low email open rate, some studies estimate that 95% of text messages are read and responded to within just three minutes of being received. Stats like that make texting an ideal employee messaging system. You can be confident that when you send a text message to employees, they are getting all the information necessary to keep things running smoothly.

What Are Examples of Work-Related Text Messages?

There are many different examples of messages that would be more effective as a text than an email.

• Schedule Distribution: Making sure everyone has their schedules and there is no miscommunication over who is supposed to work when can save time and money, not to mention prevent employees from becoming disgruntled. 
• Mandatory Gatherings: Maybe there is a mandatory safety meeting or training seminar that all employees need to attend. When something is critical to safety, it’s important to communicate details in a way that all employees are likely to see. 
• Progress Updates: It’s always a good idea to check on how work is progressing. With texting you can easily start a quick two-way conversation to check in.

How Do I Send An Employee A Text Message?

There are many employee options for text messages, from messaging apps to regular direct texting, and now the best of both worlds, Yourco.

Messaging Apps (Slack, WhatsApp, Band, GroupMe)

While messaging apps allow you to text employees, they come with a handful of drawbacks. First, they require employees to download an app on their phone. Not only is this inconvenient, but not all employees have smartphones, meaning they won’t have access to apps. Additionally, many messaging apps require you to create an account with your work email which, not to be redundant, doesn’t help solve the problem of communicating with non-desk employees. What’s more, these apps often drain cellular data, meaning that employees could face usage charges from their cell service providers.

Direct Texting

Direct texting can work well for individual messages, but it does so while running some risks. For starters, it means employees have to share their personal numbers with everyone, as opposed to just one directory administrator. This can also make it difficult to send a mass text message to employees without revealing each person’s phone number. Additionally, having that kind of direct access to any individual can unfortunately lead to a higher risk of harassment, and at the very least, a toxic work-life balance of being constantly reachable.

Yourco

Yourco is a web-based messaging platform specifically designed to address many of the pain points with other messaging options while still being more convenient than email. For example, with Yourco anyone can send and receive text messages since our platform uses SMS messaging. That means no need for apps, smartphones, or company emails.

We also make it easy for you, as an administrator or manager, to send a mass text from your computer. You can simply type your message, enter all the recipients, and hit send. You can send mass texts that appear as individual messages and conversations. What’s more, administrators have access to all the texts ever sent in Yourco to their assigned employees. That means a safer texting environment, and also access to information that can be useful during disputes or after an employee no longer works at the company.

Set Up Your Co. For Success With Yourco SMS

Whether you are looking for an innovative way to communicate with non-desk employees, or just a better alternative to constant emailing, Yourco can help. Our platform empowers digital communication, built-in efficiencies, and maximum productivity. Ready to get started? Sign up for free or contact us today!