Innovating communication at Microsoft Services with video podcasts
Employees of Microsoft Services Asia were receiving more than 200 emails a day when Jovina Ang came on board as director of marketing communications early last year. She needed an innovative, succinct channel to cut through the clutter - and a video podcast proved to be the perfect solution.
Microsoft Services is the IT strategy, consulting and support division of Microsoft and our mission is to lead, serve and make the difference for our customers and partners.
Worldwide, Microsoft Services conducts business in over 90 countries with more than 17,000 employees operating in 44 languages. In Asia specifically, we are present in four Areas - Asia Pacific, the Greater China Region, India and Japan - encompassing 17 countries in all and employing more than 4,000 people.
Before I joined Microsoft Services Asia at the beginning of last year, internal communication was handled without any set rhythm and was typically performed through manager cascade. My first major task was to develop a comprehensive communication strategy, the objectives of which were to:
- Improve employee engagement - we all know the importance of employee engagement and how it drives a company's bottom line and results;
- Align all our employees to a common objective - this was particularly important as there are many different groups within Services and not all of them report into Asia, as some report directly to the US;
- Develop the brand image of Microsoft Services Asia and its leadership team; and
- Influence managers to drive effective communication.
Video is the best way to obtain maximum impact with minimal effort, It's unique and stands out because most communication that people receive comes via email or newsletter.
While a typical internal communication strategy would include traditional channels such as the intranet, meetings, newsletter and email, I felt that with Microsoft Services' employees receiving more than 200 emails per day, a different approach was needed. I wanted to cut through the clutter and at the same time get the messages across in a succinct, innovative and concise way.
I decided on a video podcast because I wanted a channel that was easy for people to understand and that had a personal element. Video is the best way to obtain maximum impact with minimal effort, It's unique and stands out because most communication that people receive comes via email or newsletter. Many people absorb information quicker by viewing something and the five-minute format is short and sweet - which is ideal given that many of our employees are incredibly busy. Hence, we developed "5-Minute Friday" as part of our overall communication strategy.
A television mini-series for employees
5-Minute Friday is a video podcast that is sent out as an email. We first launched 5-Minute Friday in March 2010. It arrives in people's inboxes at 9am every Friday, setting an expectation for employees to look out for it every week.
We produced 5-Minute Friday like a television mini-series to make it compelling for our employees. We run it in "seasons" with a predetermined number of episodes in each, timed around our business cycle. It starts with a jingle, with a montage of photos of our people overlaid, before launching into the latest episode. Each episode has a different topic and a slightly different format depending on the focus. Sometimes I'll introduce the podcast and conduct an interview with one of our senior leadership team members.
When we summarize the quarter and business results, I'll get our vice president to do the wrap-up himself. In one episode, the HR director interviewed the vice president - we try to keep it interesting for our people. We have featured guest speakers from our Worldwide Services team and invited employees to share their own stories including those about the customer, team or about themselves, such as how they address work-life balance or achieve their personal and professional goals.
In each email, along with the current week's podcast, we include links to the previous episodes, for people to replay or catch up on those episodes that they have missed. We also include a transcript, for the benefit of employees across Asia, who do not have English as a first language. The transcript is also useful for people who don't have time to watch the video.
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This article was originally published in Strategic Communication Management.
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