Internal Merger Communication

Don’t Let Staff Come Last In A Company Merger

Mergers are one of the biggest changes an organization can undergo. Integrating cultures, values, expectations and staff is a big challenge for management – and for employee communication.

In every merger, confusion, uncertainty, fear and resistance amongst staff can impact productivity and customer service.

The US has seen more than 325,000 mergers & acquisitions since 1985. (Source: IMAA)

Effective communication plays a critical role in minimizing the impact and reassuring employees. To be successful, an internal communications strategy must be at the core of the merger – as well as tools to guarantee employee engagement at this volatile time.

Tools To Manage Merger Communication At Every Stage

Merger communication needs to fulfill many objectives – raising awareness, growing understanding, managing objections and smoothing transitions. The SnapComms solution suite covers all these needs within one proven, dynamic platform.

Desktop alerts raise awareness and communicate urgently in times of high importance. Video alerts convey both information and emotion when in-person communication isn’t possible.

A digital newsletter dedicated to the merger can become the single source of truth for employees, consolidating news and updates to provide transparency and quash rumors.

Screensavers communicate visually in a way that gets messages across while avoiding them being buried in existing (and probably overloaded) channels – essential for effecting cultural change.

Staff surveys gather fast feedback and keep lines of communication open during a merger. Staff who fail to reply can be prompted in to ensure information gleaned represents as many people as possible.

Registration alerts are a useful tool in the newly-formed organization, allowing staff to define their roles and the information they wish to receive. These details are then stored to enable ongoing message targeting.

RSVP invitations help make meetings easier by managing meeting options, attendees and what questions staff want covered. The appointment can then easily be added to their Outlook calendar.

Discover our range of tools for Internal Communications

Digital Communications — Digital Signage

Use SnapComms Software To:

Reduce uncertainty

Use video alerts to get senior leaders in front of staff to explain decisions, answer questions and manage concerns, especially when face-to-face communication isn’t possible.

Convey sincerity
Humanize the merger process
Reach geographically-dispersed staff

Track attitudes

Measure staff attitudes and perceptions through surveys to understand how well they understand the merger and how it affects their role, plus invite feedback on areas they’d like clarification on.

Grow participation and staff buy-in
Identify areas of potential disruption

Manage transitions

Publish weekly newsletters with progress updates on the merger to reassure staff. Encourage staff to submit articles in an appropriate section to encourage thinking, acting and working as one organization.

Demonstrate transparency and engenders confidence
Minimize impact of rumors
Foster employee engagement

Support wellbeing

Promote wellness tips and employee support programs to help counter stress via screensavers and dedicated training sessions.

Demonstrate employee care
Mitigate stress-related absenteeism

Results You Can Depend On With SnapComms

Enhance leadership

The reputation of management is enhanced through both authoritative top-down messaging and transparent two-way dialogue

Minimize disruption

Rumors and productivity-risking ‘water cooler talk’ are addressed through openness and reassurances to staff

Foster buy-in

Sustained, consistently-delivered behavior-driven messaging supports widespread employee acceptance of the changes

Improve communication

Effectiveness of corporate communications are improved through data-driven insights delivered in real-time

Maintain momentum

Staff are kept focused on achieving defined business objectives throughout the merger process

Build engagement

Visual, inspirational content conveying the post-merger world improves staff understanding and positivity

Extra Features To Target, Timeline & Track

The SnapComms platform includes built-in features to enhance communication performance without adding to technical complexity.

Target your messages to meet the needs of the different employee groups within your organization (for example, if the merger affects specific departments differently). Set up a specific group for field-based staff to deliver mobile-optimized messages.

Schedule messages in advance around key milestones. This makes management of communication strategies easier and removes the risk of anything being missed. It also ensures staff receive important notifications at the same time it’s announced externally.

Delegated administration rights can be set to permit access for creating and publishing content around the merger for specified staff members only.

Reporting offers a range of ways to pulse check, track attitudes and measure the impact of communications in real time. It also helps identify any ‘black spots’ where staff may be missing essential information.