Internal vs. external communication - all one? 7 Questions for EUROPART

Our interview partner is Daniel Zinn, Head of Marketing at Europart. His long-term goal is to turn customers, suppliers and employees alike into fans of the brand. To achieve this, Europart not only uses Flip as an internal communication channel, but also YouTube, Instagram and Facebook - with similar content and formats.

What tools do you use for internal communication?

Now, exclusively the employee app. We didn't want a parallel world. If we use the app, then only the app. To be honest, the intranet didn't have any impact on the ground anyway. It was mainly used by those in the administration who were already well informed. We made the total switch with a hybrid staff event that could only be attended digitally via the app.

How has the introduction of the employee app changed internal communication?

We already created good and innovative content before. But we lacked a platform to distribute the content internally. We miscalculated: our plan to address our own employees via external channels did not work. It was clear to us: everyone could see this on YouTube and Instagram, including our employees. We did not wish tofall prey to  self-deception. With the employee app, the content is now also carried from the employee to the customer.

Is there still a boundary at all between internal and external communication?

There is still content that we only communicate  internally, for example staff events and information from our CEO. Apart from that, the boundaries are actually blurring. We started incorporating moving images into our social media strategy about five years ago with "Fan News TV" to generate reach externally. We mirror this content in the employee app because we also want to turn employees into fans. If our own employees don't know what we're communicating to the outside world, the enthusiasm quickly dies down - and the customer knows more than they do.

Normally, the employees should have a knowledge advantage over the customers. Do you also achieve this through the employee app?

With the videos and unusual content, we want to offer added value to three target groups in equal measure: Employees, customers and suppliers. Always under the premise that the content is authentic and shows Europart as the sender. Internally, the videos are not intended to replace training material, but to promote it. Training with industry partners will continue to take place on site.

If you want to use moving images, you need people who feel comfortable in front of the camera. Do you shoot your videos with employees?

Yes, and without training. It was a jump into the deep end with a lot of heart palpitations and adrenaline. The nice thing is that everyone who stood in front of the camera in the last few months mutated into a diva in the positive sense. The ‘stage fright’ we had at the beginning has now been overcome.

Concern is a good keyword. Intranet and notices are an ideal world. Did you have concerns before the introduction of the app with its open communication?

We put everything on the table together with the works council. Our decision was also based on the fact that there is an inhibition threshold in the business environment. At the beginning, we even thought that communication in the app was rather cryptic and not so authentic. This has been put into perspective in a positive sense. People write what is on their mind at the moment. It can happen that someone posts in a weekend mood. But no problematic content has ever emerged.