How elasto revolutionised internal communication

70 percent of Elasto's staff do not have their own email address and for a long time could only be reached by notice board. The administration, on the other hand, was struggling with email overload. Head of Communications Ellen Scheibl got a handle on both - with the right employee app, a clear process for the introduction, convincing content and an element of social media management in internal communication.

The staff in the field received relevant information only in dribs and drabs, while their colleagues in the office sometimes lost it in a flood of e-mails. The three biggest challenges at Elasto:

1. Communication as a one-way street

Information taken note of: This is all that can be achieved with internal communication by notice board. Feedback? Not at all. "Moreover, no one checks the notice board during the night shift," Ellen Scheibl reports. During the day, information is only communicated when employees read themselves from the notice board.

2. High effort for the IC team

"Some of our employees in production come from Eastern European countries. But it's not just the language barrier that is hard to master," says Ellen Scheibl. Communicating the short-term and constantly changing instructions during the Corona pandemic by notice board? "With a three-shift operation in production and several locations, this is an unmanageableeffort."

3. Email overload in administration

"80 percent of my emails came from internal sources," estimates Ellen Scheibl. Like her colleagues in administration, she struggles with a flood of emails. And with information that is not always relevant for all recipients.

"It can only go via an app!" For Ellen Scheibl, it was clear which tool should solve the challenges. An employee app promises real-time communication and fits perfectly into Elasto's digitalisation strategy. What did Ellen Scheibl look for when choosing a provider? The communication specialist answers not with a feature list, but with three much more important points that tipped the scales in favour of Flip.

1. Value for Money: "We thought carefully about what we really needed. And above all, what added value for our staff."
2. Gut feeling: "It was just right from the start." Ellen Scheibl already had a good impression of Flip during the first contact via webinar. And this was confirmed in the personal interaction.
3. Support: important above all for the successful introduction. "In the end, it was easier than I imagined - also because a lot of promotional materials had already been prepared by Flip."

The right introduction of the employee app determines how well the new communication solution is received - and whether employees install the employee app on their private smartphones. "We engaged all employees and explained exactly why we were introducing a new tool. The steps Elasto took to turn 100 percent of employees into users of the app: 

1. Prepare rollout material

Flyers, notices, posters: the basis for the rollout campaign. Flip provided tried and tested templates.

2. Train the ic-team

"Guidelines for our editorial team were provided by Flip as a template." An important factor: after all, communication via employee app is social media management.

3. Use all existing channels

Notice Board and Intranet: to push the employee app, all the "old" channels should be used.

4. Prioritise the employee app

On 5.8.2021, Ellen Scheibl announced the switch to the employee app on the intranet - it was the last intranet posting at Elasto. Bulletin boards and notices would also no longer be used.

Elasto uses the employee app not only as a communication tool, but as a central platform for collaboration. Ellen Scheibl provides four examples of content and integrations that have contributed to its success. 
 
• Product data, occupational safety, onboarding guide 
Product data sheets, certificates, all information about occupational safety, the onboarding guide - everything is centrally located on one platform. Gone are the days when employees received a printout of a 40-page guide by post.  
• Short videos instead of long presentations 
"We are increasingly using short, personal videos. Colleagues are both the speaker and the sender. And even more importantly: they can be reached directly via comments and direct messages.
• Integrated time recording 
Following the introduction of the employee app, Elasto has digitised time recording. In the meantime, the function has been integrated into the app. 
• Corporate benefits 
"Our employees get discounts and other goodies at some companies. We have integrated the corporate benefits programme into the app," says Ellen Scheibl. Those who want to save money regularly check the app for this reason alone.

The results after just over half a year of internal Communication via employee app at Elasto:

• 100 percent registration rate achieved 
  The better the introduction, the more users. The more users, the more added value. Elasto has optimally combined both. 
• Feedback culture created 
  Employees are finally able to participate in communication themselves. 
• Language barrier dissolved 
  The app translates into the native language with one click. 
• Overcoming email overload 
  "My internal emails have been reduced by about half," says Ellen Scheibl. 
• Allowing private exchanges 
  Team building first: Private and "semi-private" topics are also welcome in the app, for example in an after-work group. 
• Targeted information flow established 
  "Everyone is not a good target group." What applies in marketing also applies to internal communication. With Elasto, information flows via individual groups precisely to those for whom it is relevant.