The 7 Best Employee Communication Apps for 2024
Looking for an employee communication app for your construction business? We’ve reviewed 7 of the best apps on the market to help you!
Communication is the pillar of any successful business, whether your team has only a few people or a few hundred (or more).
Being connected to every team member and aligned with each task is essential, especially now that workforces are spread out. Not to mention productivity increases when there’s transparency and everyone feels they’re part of the company culture.
Thankfully, most modern employee communication apps have made it easy and engaging to stay in touch with your workforce. But the choices can be quite overwhelming.
If you’re in the market for the best ones, check our recommendations below.
Top Picks
Below, you’ll find a summary of each app we’ve reviewed, with our scores, each app’s ideal use cases, its pricing, the availability of any free trials or free tiers, and the platforms on which the app is available. Each app has been thoroughly investigated and analyzed for users like you, with pros and cons, key features, integrations, and real user reviews.
Let’s take a look…
9.1 
14-day free trial, (no card needed)
7.6
14-day free trial with no credit card required
8.0
14-day free trial with no credit card required
6.5 
Comprehensive demo only
5.3
30-day free trial with no credit card required
7.5
14-day free trial with no credit card required
8.3
Free 14-day trial with no credit card required
EDITOR’S NOTE: We created Workyard – the first app reviewed here – to address issues we encountered while struggling to track and manage construction payrolls for over 700 workers in over 50 construction businesses. We built the Workyard app from the ground up to support construction companies like yours, with industry-essential features like the industry’s most accurate time clock app with GPS and geofencing, intuitive contractor scheduling, construction cost tracking tools, and more.
Learn more about how Workyard works on our main website, or sign up for a 14-day free trial today to see what Workyard can do for your business.
Workyard
Scoring
Key Features
-
Activity checklists with communication threads
-
Task management with custom labels and notes
-
Live activity feed for employees
-
Easy project tracking with photos, notes, and documents
-
Progress capturing from the field with notes, photos, and receipts
-
Schedule and task notifications
Photo, notes, and receipt sharing
Location and job tracking
Easy scheduling and task management
Automatic clock in and out
Users sometimes get kicked out when opening maps
Tiered pricing can feel more expensive than similar apps
Highlights
Workyard is designed to improve labor productivity and communication at construction and field service companies of all shapes and sizes. It’s very simple to adopt and use, even on the busiest construction sites.
It offers GPS time tracking, scheduling, and task management with features like checklists, notes, and photos, all built into an easy-to-use mobile app for your crew.
With Workyard’s real-time employee locations, boost employee efficiency and visibility and make quicker and better dispatch decisions.
Scheduler and Communications Thread
Schedule your team’s day or week and notify them of their newly assigned tasks. Your crew will always have up-to-date schedules on their phones, no matter where they are, avoiding confusion and miscommunication about when and where they need to be.
While creating schedules for employees, you can include photos, notes, comments, and updates to facilitate communication and ensure everyone is on the same page.
Every task created in Workyard’s calendar-based scheduler also has a two-way communication thread, allowing workers in the field to ask questions and share updates as work progresses. Your field employees can write notes, upload images and comments directly into the app, and send updates to the office with just a few clicks.
You can also embed checklists on tasks to tick off every to-do item. This makes it simple to manage assignments and follow through on every job.
Robust Features for Field Services
In addition to accurate time tracking with its GPS time clock, Workyard offers essential job tracking, reporting, and costing features.
Every time card automatically captures project labor costs and activities, empowering your team with the insights to bill accurately, improve future estimates, and track project actuals in real time.
Workyard also makes it easy to import and export many types of datasets. You can easily sync jobs from your CRM, payroll, accounting, and invoicing software.
The app’s built-in compliance features also simplify compliance with federal, state, and local labor regulations. Workyard’s accurate record-keeping, employee classification, overtime calculations, and meal breaks equip you with what you need to stay compliant.
Integrations
Workyard also integrates with your existing CRM, payroll, invoicing, and accounting systems. This eliminates double-entry work and keeps data consistent and updated across all systems.
You can import and export various types of datasets with ease. Workyard also has pre-built integrations ready to go for QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop, ADP Run, ADP Workforce Now, Gusto, Rippling, and more.
Reviews
Overall scores for Workyard have been solid and positive, with an almost perfect score on Capterra. See what Workyard users say about the app on the review platforms below.
RHEC615 on the App Store left a short but sweet Workyard review, saying it has been the most consistent and accurate app for work.
iOS Review:
Best app ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
By far the best app I’ve ever used for work. Most consistent and accurate app, hands down. Haven’t had any difficulties at all, was very easy to use. I will never use another app for clocking my hours at work.
Jacob Law gave Workyard a five-star rating on the Play Store because he hasn’t had problems with frozen screens and glitches like he did using other apps.
Google Play Review:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Tried other apps like TSheets and had glitches and frozen screens when I tried to take breaks or finish work. Haven’t had the problem with Workyard.
Jessica S. also gave Workyard a five-star rating, saying that the app worked better than expected, especially in out-of-coverage areas where they usually work.
Capterra Review:
Best tracking app out there ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Overall, the cons definitely are minimal. I have been exceptionally thrilled with the service we’ve had. Most of our work areas are way out of cell service, and the app has worked better than expected.
Pricing
Free Trial?
14-day trial with no credit card required
Time Tracking
Annual: $6 / month per user + $50 base fee
Monthly: $8 / month per user + $50 base fee
Workforce Management
Annual: $13 / month per user + $50 base fee
Monthly: $16 / month per user + $50 base fee
Workyard makes scheduling easy!
Click Here to Find Out More
ClickUp
Scoring
Key Features
-
Real-time chat channels
-
Tag or mentions for team members
-
Grouped embeds, links, and attachments
-
Rich editing on messages
-
Robust project management features
Offers a free forever plan
Centralized communication hub
Smart notifications for most important emails
Side-by-side view of work and notifications
Customization can be overwhelming and complex
Some manual work required to set up dashboards
Slow loading issues
Highlights
ClickUp is a cloud-based project management tool for individuals, small teams, and large organizations. It allows users to collaborate on projects and communicate with team members in real time.
Team communication is easy because you can mention team members and assign tasks or action items in the chat conversation.
You can share embeds, project links, spreadsheets, attachments, and videos and format your messages with bulleted lists, code blocks, banners, and more.
ClickUp’s wide range of tools also helps you track time, organize, budget, and stay updated on project statuses. Its collaboration features also help teams save time using several apps for different purposes.
Reviews
ClickUp has thousands of reviews on three different platforms. Although it has gathered solid ratings on the Apple App Store and Capterra, it lags behind on the Play Store, where it has the most reviews.
iOS user Jryskamp gave ClickUp three stars because of the big difference in using ClickUp on desktop and mobile.
iOS Review:
ClickUp is amazing! On desktop. ⭐⭐⭐
This mobile app isn’t great… It feels like someone started building an app and then slapped a web window into the parts they didn’t have time for yet. Things take a long time to load, and it just lacks polish and refinement (especially as seen with the widgets looking like an iFrame embed on my Home Screen, with large dark borders around the content).
It’s a four-star rating for Android user Orrin since he finds ClickUp not that intuitive, especially the mobile app. He also shared suggestions on how his user experience can be improved overall.
Google Play Review:
⭐⭐⭐⭐
ClickUp overall is feature-rich. I don’t think any project/task management software can compare. But it’s not intuitive—especially the mobile app. Things need to load faster! Swipe left or right to edit or complete tasks should be possible. You should be able to drag tasks to other lists or sections and so on. But if you don’t mind some of these drawbacks, then it’s a beautiful software, and the devs are always working, so it will get better.
One Capterra reviewer likes how ClickUp is so customizable, but this customization also makes ClickUp complicated to use.
Capterra Review:
It’s very customizable, but it can become too complex. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
CIt was a bittersweet experience that made me reflect on what my real process management needs were. I acquired ClickUp exactly because I was looking for a tool that could be customized to my needs. And that promise was fully delivered.
Pricing
Free Trial?
14-day free trial with no credit card required
Unlimited
$10 / user per month
Business
$19 / user per month
Enterprise
Contact sales for pricing info
Connecteam
Scoring
Key Features
-
Secure and compliant work chat app
-
Private, group, and company-wide chats
-
Segmented team chats by department, project, location, and more
-
Access to company directory
Chat and sharing permissions and categories
Scheduled messages only within work hours
Automated group management
Some time required for set-up and implementation
Glitches and bugs on mobile app
Highlights
Connecteam’s chat app streamlines communications in your organization and separates employees’ private and working lives.
Connecteam Chat has a feature where you can schedule and send messages only during work hours. Communicate with anyone in the company in one-to-one chats, team chats, and broadcast channels within Connecteam’s platform. You can also share files, photos, and videos.
You control who can start conversations with other employees. You can also add and remove users from different groups based on profiles or attributes you’ve set up.
And as a protective measure, conversations are not saved on employees’ devices, so sensitive company information stays within the company.
Reviews
Connecteam generally has favorable reviews on three major review platforms. It has a 4.8 overall score on the App Store and has collected over 8,000 reviews. See some samples of these reviews below.
For iOS user Powers476, the five-star rating is due to Connecteam’s easy implementation and robust features, especially the mobile app and chat messaging.
iOS Review:
Outstanding with a support team! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The customization ability is wonderful and not complicated. The software team really thought of the end user and created the ease to implement. The desktop side is very well created, with calculated custom icons and colors for labeling.The phone app is completely designed for phone users in mind. Rich in features with the ability to administer what accessibility each user has is well thought out. The chat feature is everything you want and need in software that has this many features and really ties all the workflows and schedules together.
From the perspective of Android user Mike D., Connecteam is easy to use, and the tutorials help users navigate the app.
Google Play Review:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Amazing app! Super easy interface and very user-friendly. Excellent features and built-in tutorials to help you learn without having to even try. The sales and support team are wonderful and very helpful. Excellent value for money, highly recommend!
Charyl T. shared her short review on Capterra and gave Connecteam five stars for how it can accomplish a bunch of things in its app.
Capterra Review:
Online Breakroom ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I’m able to send the schedule, allow team members to request time off, and clock in with one app. We can also stay in touch with announcements from home or the pool deck.
Pricing
Free Trial?
14-day free trial with no credit card required
Basic
$29 / month for the first 30 users
Advanced
$49 / month for the first 30 users
Expert
$99 / month for the first 30 users
Workvivo
Scoring
Key Features
-
Real-time chat with Microsoft Teams and Slack
-
Push notifications for critical communications
-
Live video streams for town hall meetings
-
Podcasts for corporate communications
-
Personalized activity and user feed
Promotes employee engagement
Interactive format for information sharing
Personalized content for spaces or groups
No free trial
Mobile app functionality can be improved
Posting can be more intuitive
Highlights
As an employee communication app, Workvivo aims to engage and connect people with each other, the company, its culture, and its communities, whether they’re working remotely or onsite.
Think of it as a combination of an intranet, communications, and engagement platform. It’s designed to make internal communications fun and engaging while ensuring every team member is connected and focused on business goals.
It simplifies employee communication by providing multiple tools in one central communication platform. It also integrates with many engagement, productivity, and HR tools to ensure there are no workflow disruptions.
Reviews
Workvivo has earned consistently high scores in these three platforms, getting a near-perfect score in the App Store. Although there are glowing reviews, there are also some expressing their disappointment.
Court Pennington gave Workvivo five stars in her App Store review because of its user-friendliness and helpful customer service.
iOS Review:
What a blessing! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
WorkVivo has been an incredible addition to our growing family of organizations! The platform is user-friendly. Support services are consistently accessible. Representatives are respectful and solution-oriented. We are seeing connections/engagement and have begun exploring all of the possible opportunities presented to our team by WorkVivo.
Android user Tina Quinn has problems using the app. She needs to delete and reinstall it just to read chat messages, so she gave it two stars in her review.
Google Play Review:
⭐⭐
I continually need to delete the app and reinstall so I may open and read chats. It happens on a weekly basis. Group chats are too restrictive as not all team members are able to join group chats. It doesn’t allow the larger number of people needed. This means not all are receiving important daily communication.
Ranjeet Kumar has had a good experience with Workvivo. He attributes it to their organization’s enhanced employee participation.
Capterra Review:
Best social media platform for employees ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
CMy overall experience has been really awesome with Workvivo and I have been using it for very long. We share pictures individually and as a team, create quizzes and contests, and get participation from so many employees. It’s a wonderful platform.
Pricing
Free Trial?
Comprehensive demo only
Business
Contact Workvivo sales for a custom quote
Enterprise
Contact Workvivo sales for a custom quote
Slack
Scoring
Key Features
-
Private direct messages and team chats
-
Private and public channels
-
Links, @mentions, emojis, GIFs, and video/photo attachments
-
Can connect essential apps right within Slack
-
Huddles for quick informal meetings
Offers a free plan
Easy to use and navigate
Visually appealing and customizable
Real-time instant messaging and notifications
Not easy to find relevant messages without @ mention
Video calls can be resource-intensive
Can be pretty expensive for small businesses
Highlights
Instead of lengthy email chains, you can communicate, work, and collaborate more efficiently through Slack. You have flexible spaces for your files and tools, and messages are organized as public and private channels, direct messages, and team chats.
When you need an urgent response from specific teams or individuals, you can simply mention the channel or the person’s name so your message won’t get lost in the shuffle.
Slack has formatting options to make your messages easier to read. You can use emojis, bullet points, bold fonts, Italics, strikethroughs, and block quotes, just to name a few. You can also save messages you can’t respond to right away by marking them as unread, setting a reminder, or starring the message.
Slack also connects with the most used work tools and apps in the market, so you can easily connect what you’re already using, making it a good employee communication app for any business.
Reviews
As one of the most widely used apps for employee communication, Slack has received thousands of reviews on platforms such as the App Store, Google Play Store, and Capterra.
iOne iOS user named Salamander10907 is disgruntled by Slack and gave it a one-star rating because of the amount of notifications they receive, which are not always work-related.
iOS Review:
The most annoying app ever ⭐
This is extremely distracting. The interface makes it hard to find the info that is meant for me because of all the mindless clutter. Heaven forbid if you don’t turn off notifications.
Yasmin Malik’s five-star rating on the Play Store is due to Slack’s good UI and UX and how its internal communications functions make project management easier.
Google Play Review:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Slack made handling client projects and internal communications so easy, quick, and efficient that we can’t imagine working life without it! I personally love the quirky and down-to-earth app notifications. And the UI/UX just keeps getting better. Highly recommended to anyone who wants to streamline and revamp both their internal and external workflows.
One reviewer on Capterra gave it five stars because of Slack’s instant messaging features and integrations with other apps.
Capterra Review:
Best digital workplace you need for a small or medium company! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The instant messaging, the integration with API or other apps (which in my point of view is very important), and the fact that you can use it as cloud docs management for your office are things that I mostly like.
Pricing
Free Trial?
30-day free trial with no credit card required
Pro
$8.75 / user per month
Business+
$15 / user per month
Enterprise Grid
Contact sales for pricing
Wrike
Scoring
Key Features
-
Team collaboration tools like live document editor, file attachments, and cross-tagging
-
Integrations with team communication and management tools
-
Shareable dashboards, real-time reports, and advanced analytics
-
Secure administrations and permissions
Ready workflow, task, and communication templates
Customizable workspace
Offers industry-specific solutions
Supports multiple languages
Lacks a native chat feature
Can be challenging to learn
A bit pricey for small businesses
Highlights
Aside from streamlining workflows, Wrike also facilitates employee communication and collaboration across multiple departments. Its robust team management features and real-time tools make working remotely and keeping everything organized a cinch.
The Wrike team management app allows you to view project updates and work remotely anywhere. You can build your own collaboration hub to share files in folders, organize projects and tasks, and create unique team spaces. Sharing project updates and instant feedback is easy, and everyone is updated instantly.
Wrike also makes work intake more organized and standardized with its custom request forms. These forms can automatically create tasks, workflows, and projects to save you time on planning.
Reviews
Wrike has thousands of user reviews and solid scores on the App Store, Play Store, and Capterra. Here are some reviews we’ve handpicked so you know the pros and cons these users discovered.
As a visually impaired person, iOS user Tateaj doesn’t like using the app because it’s not accessible and is quite challenging to figure out.
iOS Review:
It needs more coding for voiceover. ⭐⭐⭐
My company loves this app. Personally, I do not. Being visually impaired, the website is almost impossible to figure out. The app is a little better. But it still keeps moving things around when you’re trying to read them and follow the flow. Hasn’t been easy either. I love the concept for this app and company, just not its accessibility.
Android user Tony BA Mckee kept his Wrike review short and sweet and gave it five stars.
Google Play Review:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The best. Super easy to use as well and has a lot of subtasks.
Hunter S. on Capterra noticed improved organizational communication and collaboration since using Wrike. Hence his five-star rating.
Capterra Review:
Better divided work projection ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Work communication began to improve when we started using Wrike, being able to have a start-to-finish plan for each project, managing each user a task, and then bringing them together in a single project for better performance.
We have real-time monitoring of the progress of each project to improve errors or lack of content that is needed. Wrike has been a very useful platform for my work performance where each project we carry out is as a team and we all collaborate at the same time.
Pricing
Free Trial?
Free 14-day trial with no credit card required
Team
$9.80 / user per month
Business
$24.80 / user per month
Enterprise
Contact Wrike sales for pricing
Pinnacle
Contact Wrike sales for pricing
Homebase
Scoring
Key Features
-
Mobile app with free built-in messenger tool
-
Shift, break, and overtime alerts and reminders
-
Manager shift notes for employees
-
Auto scheduling feature and schedule templates
Easy-to-use employee communication app
Team messaging app integrates with Homebase HR software
Shoutouts to team members
Secure and private
Some glitch issues
Pricey for companies working at several locations
Occasional mobile app issues
Highlights
If you’re looking for other employee communication apps, Homebase can be a good option for small to medium-sized businesses in any industry. If your company has multiple locations, Homebase’s messaging app can also keep all updates and notifications in sync.
Send messages to specific team members, groups, or the entire company. It’s easy to create groups and add team members. Homebase does it automatically, so you don’t need to get anyone’s email addresses or phone numbers.
You can also share important work information, such as clock-out or shift reminders and schedule updates. If employees must review or sign any documents, you will be notified when they do.
Reviews
Homebase is a popular employee communication app with thousands of reviews on the App Store, Play Store, and Capterra. Still, we found some reviews mentioning the app’s pros and cons.
iOS user PurpleDust thinks the Homebase app works fine, except she never gets push notifications even if enabled.
iOS Review:
Not receiving notifications… ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The app works just fine for the most part. But for some reason, I can never receive notifications. All alerts are enabled on the app for push notifications and they’re also enabled through my actual phone settings. Yet I never receive anything. I can receive emails about new work shift schedules, which is fine, but it’s rather annoying that I can only check new unread messages if I manually open the app and check my inbox when I should be receiving push notifications to alert me.
P. Mazur on the Google Play Store seems to have the same problem with notifications and gave this app a two-star rating. But he added that it has a good messaging and scheduling feature.
Google Play Review:
⭐⭐
CDoes not send notifications of any sort most of the time, regardless of permissions, phone type, or phone carrier. Happening with all 32 of my employees. Uninstalling and reinstalling only fixes the issues for a day or so, and it’s annoying to keep reminding 32 other people to do a reinstall. Good for scheduling and messaging (when the app actually works).
Kelly F. only has praises for Homebase in her Capterra review. She says that it offers everything she needs right on the app.
Capterra Review:
Confessions of a Homebase Addict ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
It is so convenient to have everything you need inside the app. The schedule building is so simple and practical. Everyone can see it and request changes. I love that the manager features can be accessed inside the app. Almost everything can be accessed without a computer.
Pricing
Free Trial?
Free 14-day All-in-One plan trial with no credit card required
Essentials
$24.95 / location per month for unlimited employees
Plus
$59.95 / location per month for unlimited employees
All-in-One
$99.95 / location per month for unlimited employees
Final Thoughts
Having the right employee communication apps is critical for employee engagement and business growth. For the best results, opt for one that includes a mobile app so everyone stays in the loop, whether working remotely in the field or on their desk at the office.
Workyard is an employee communication app and workforce management software designed specifically for construction, home services, and property maintenance companies. It offers real-time insights into where your employees are and what they’re working on. You can also track project labor costs and feed these project costs into your accounting system.
If you want to improve field communication and understand where the money is going in your projects, get started with a free Workyard trial today!
Our Scoring System Explained
Our 8-part scoring system was created to help you understand the potential value of any software we review simply and fairly.
We created it after reviewing dozens of software products, which we covered in depth, but without providing a direct and simple way for readers to compare products on their merits – without spending a lot of time looking through our articles for the information they needed to make an informed decision.
Every app we review will include Customer Support and Company scores, which we’ll explain in more detail below. Many of the factors reviewed in this article will also be consistent across most (or all) of our software reviews, with some differences:
The 8 factors assessed and their contribution to a product’s overall score may differ slightly from product to product based on various factors, such as the use case we’re reviewing for, the type of business these products are tailored to, and other considerations. However, all reviews will feature an 8-part score, weighted and combined to calculate each product’s overall score.
How We Score Software
All factors in our reviews are scored on a 10-point scale – technically 11 points – from 0-10. However, we only give products a score of 0 if it does not include an essential feature at all, and we try to avoid giving out 0 scores if a product can demonstrate any functionality in line with the specific factor being reviewed.
In general, the 0-10 range translates as:
- 9.0 – 10 – One of the absolute best in its category (amazing).
- 7.5 – 8.9 – Very good, but with some minor issues (very good).
- 6.0 – 7.4 – Mediocre performance with notable shortcomings (average).
- 3.0 – 5.9 – This feature is not ready for prime time (borderline).
- 1.0 – 2.9 – This feature actually makes its product worse (unacceptable).
- 0 – The product doesn’t include this important feature at all.
How We Calculate Overall Scores
The 8 factors reviewed are weighted based on an overall total of 100%:
- Ease of Use: 20%
- Time Tracking Accuracy: 20%
- Scheduling Features: 15%
- Job Tracking: 15%
- Integrations: 10%
- Customer Support: 15%
- Company: 5%
Methodology for Each Factor
Ease of Use
We evaluate a product’s ease of use based on three main considerations:
- How easy is it to set up this app?
- How easy is it for managers to use the backend dashboard?
- How easy is it for frontline workers to use the (mobile) app?
These three considerations cover the main ways you and your team would use the software being reviewed – when you first obtain it, when someone (a manager, executive, team leader, or similar role) needs to use it to manage people, money, data, and other things, and when workers you’re tracking use the app (usually a mobile version of the software designed for frontline and/or field team members) to clock in, clock out, record time worked, or address other day-to-day needs.
Time Tracking Accuracy
Every minute matters when you’re trying to control payroll costs. This factor accounts for various features and common needs in time-tracking apps, such as…
- How accurate or precise is its GPS tracking capability?
- How accurate – and how customizable – is its geofencing feature?
- How accurate is its travel and mileage tracking (if available)?
- Can it automatically clock workers in and out based on the above?
- Can you set and/or restrict rules for clocking in and out?
- Can the app continue tracking workers while offline?
- How easy is its mobile app and/or kiosk for frontline workers?
Scheduling Features
Many construction businesses prefer to manage as many aspects of employee labor activity as possible in a single app, which is why many time-tracking apps also include worker scheduling as a core feature.
When we consider a product’s scheduling features, we look at:
- Its dashboard customizability (daily, weekly, or monthly views).
- Its project-based scheduling and visibility.
- Its real-time updates and notifications for workers.
- Its real-time map views of worker locations for best-fit scheduling.
- Its recurring schedule (copies to subsequent weeks, etc.) functionality.
Job Tracking
This factor helps you understand if the software can also provide insight into specific projects, which is particularly handy when your business deals with many customers or clients who generally need shorter-term work. Effective job tracking typically also includes accurate job costing functionality for construction companies.
We assess several things when calculating a product’s job tracking score:
- Its project-based tracking for multiple projects per day/week/etc.
- Its ability to track multiple / many projects simultaneously.
- Its use of (and your ability to customize) construction cost codes.
- Any built-in job costing views.
- Any integrations for cost coding (QuickBooks etc.)
Integrations
No business can operate on a single app, which is why integrations with other apps and tools are such important aspects of modern business software.
To calculate a product’s integration score, we’ll examine:
- How many native integrations (the simplest connection) does it offer?
- How effective and easy-to-use are its integrations with payroll software?
- Does it have robust data import and export features?
Customer Support
Learning how to use a new app can be frustrating, even if it’s meant to be the most user-friendly app around. That’s why great customer support is so essential when considering which time-tracking app to use.
Customer support scores are calculated based on:
- Live support channels available (phone, email, chat, etc.).
- Live support hours (business hours only, 24/7, etc.).
- The strength of the product’s online help center and/or FAQs.
- What other users say about support in online reviews.
Company
A great company with a highly customer-friendly approach can often make up for shortcomings in their software products – at least up to a point.
When assessing this score, we’ll examine:
- Transparency (easy-to-find pricing, etc.)
- Trial period (duration, feature availability, credit card requirements, etc.).
- Subscription flexibility (contracts, required durations, etc.).
- Ease of cancellation or pausing subscriptions.
- Customer perceptions (online product reviews).
- Website (a minor consideration, but great companies tend to have great websites).
Any questions about our scoring system? Have any suggestions on how we could make it even better? Click here to send us your feedback – we’d love to hear from you!
To improve employee communication in the workplace, consider implementing the following strategies based on the provided sources.
- Actively listen and understand different communication styles. Encourage two-way communication by listening to your employees, understanding their preferred communication methods, and acknowledging that different employees may communicate in various ways.
- Schedule regular meetings and one-to-ones. Establish consistent communication channels, such as weekly team meetings and one-on-one sessions, to provide opportunities for feedback, updates, and discussions.
- Provide clear job expectations and feedback. Ensure that employees understand their roles and responsibilities clearly. Offer constructive feedback that fosters growth and improvement rather than criticism.
- Build trust and rapport: Establish trust with employees by showing genuine interest in their well-being and empathizing with their challenges. Trust is essential for open and effective communication.
- Use modern communication platforms. Consider advanced employee communication platforms to facilitate employee communication, engagement, and information sharing.
- Integrate video and mobile communication to cater to modern communication preferences and enhance employee engagement.
- Empower managers to lead in communication and set the tone for effective communication. Initiate conversations, provide updates, and foster a culture of open communication within their teams.
Essential features include a range of functionalities that enhance communication, collaboration, and engagement within organizations, such as the following:
- Content and communication publishing – for distributing news and announcements
- Collaboration capabilities – peer-to-peer messaging for operational activities
- Multi-channel capabilities – integrations with various platforms and channels preferred by employees
- Analytics – insights into communication trends and analytics, including reporting on read and open activity
- Branding capabilities – support for aligning app design with corporate branding standards
- Knowledge management – Easy access to critical information for employees, from HR policies to product details
- Chatbots – Conversational interfaces for information retrieval and task completion
- Integrations with enterprise systems – Seamless integration with essential systems for centralized information access
- Work service capabilities – Support for work-related services like shared calendars and shift scheduling apps
- Business process support – Native templates for standard processes like onboarding, performance management, training, and upskilling
Here are some of the best free employee communication apps:
- Slack – Offers a free plan with features like unlimited messages, 10 app integrations, and 5GB file storage per team. It allows for direct messaging, group chats, and file sharing.
- Workplace from Meta – A free communication platform that looks and feels like Facebook. It includes groups, chat, video calls, and live streaming features. The free plan has a limit of 50 users.
- Microsoft Teams – Offers a free version with features like video conferencing for up to 100 people, 2GB storage per user, and unlimited chat messages. It integrates with other Microsoft 365 apps.
- Connecteam – A free employee communication app designed for deskless workers. It offers features like employee recognition, surveys, location tracking, and in-app training for up to 10 users.
Here are the key steps to effectively coach an employee on improving their communication skills:
- Assess their current communication style. Through assessments, feedback, and self-reflection, understand their strengths, weaknesses, and communication preferences. Identify gaps between their intentions and the impact of their communication.
- Set clear goals for improvement. Help them set SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) goals for communication improvement. Break down goals into manageable steps and prioritize areas to focus on.
- Provide ongoing support and feedback. Conduct regular coaching sessions, check-ins, role-plays, and encourage peer learning. Use positive, constructive, and developmental feedback to reinforce strengths and address areas for improvement.
- Teach communication skills and strategies, including active listening, asking open-ended questions, using empathy, adapting to different styles, and effectively delivering feedback.
- Encourage practice and reflection. Create opportunities to practice communication skills in actual or simulated scenarios, such as meetings, presentations, or conversations. Ask them to reflect on their communication experiences, what went well, what didn’t, and what they learned.
- Measure success and provide long-term support. Define clear metrics to gauge improvement in skills like increased collaboration, reduced misunderstandings, and enhanced message clarity. Continuously evaluate the long-term impact on employee engagement, team dynamics, and organizational culture.
