10 Metrics Every Company Should Track in Internal Communications

Internal communication plays a crucial role in keeping everyone in your company on the same page, from executive leadership to entry-level employees.

Without it, any business will become disjointed, with employees feeling they don’t know what’s happening in the organization, what its goals and ambitions are—and if they don’t feel a sense of connection or belonging it leads to lower productivity and increased attrition. Not something any company would want.

So, effective internal communication is key. We also know from countless pieces of research, such as this global survey of C-Suite executives, that employee comms influences employee experience, which in turn has a massive impact on customer experience. 

But how do you know if your internal communications are effective? How do you measure their impact?

That’s where tracking internal communication metrics comes in. Monitoring the right metrics can help you understand how well your messages are getting across and how they’re influencing your team.

It can also highlight areas where your internal comms strategy could use some work. We know from successive Gallagher State of the Sector reports that lack of analytics and measurement remains one of the top five challenges for internal communicators around the world.

This is nothing new. Measurement has been a problem for internal communicators for many years, but getting to grips with it has never been more important as business leaders demand evidence of how well communications are performing relative to business goals—and if you can’t track and measure the performance of your communications you have no way of proving they’re achieving business goals.

As Ragan Communications said, it's one thing pushing out company communications but: "Is anyone reading your messages. That's what matters.

So, to be able to assess the impact of your communications, measurement is everything, and it needn't be so hard, especially with platforms like Poppulo with our powerful and easy-to-use analytics functionality which is used by many of the world's leading companies.

We've also produced an acclaimed guide to help internal communicators with measurement, written by comms measurement expert Angelia Sinickas, founder and CEO of Sinickas Communications:The Ultimate Guide to Measuring Internal Communications.

In this blog, we’ll cover 10 key metrics every company should track to ensure effective internal communications.

Importance of Assessing Internal Communication

Before diving into specific metrics, let’s discuss why tracking internal communications matters. Effective communication within a company doesn’t just ensure that everyone is well-informed. It also promotes collaboration, boosts morale, and aligns employees with the company’s goals. Without regular assessments, you risk wasting time and resources on communication channels that don’t work or aren’t utilized efficiently.

Metrics give you a clear picture of your company’s internal communication health. They provide tangible data you can use to measure the success of your strategies, make informed adjustments, and demonstrate the value of communication efforts to leadership.

Just how important this is can be seen in the case of the UK and US energy company, National Grid, where communication analytics—through Poppulo—have played a key part in achieving company goals.

Commenting on the importance of measurement and analytics, National Grid’s Senior Manager of Content and Channels, Sally Jackson said:

“Poppulo has changed our lives. We can get the right information to the right people when they need it, we know what’s working and what’s not, and we have the analytics to derive really important insights into the behaviors and preferences of our colleagues.”

You can find out more here.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for Internal Communication

Every company’s internal communication goals will vary depending on its size, industry, or culture, but some core KPIs are universally valuable. Here are 10 essential metrics every company should monitor.

1. Open and Click-to-Open Rates (CTOR)

What it is: This is one of the most basic ways of understanding how many employees are opening, reading and clicking on links in internal emails, newsletters, or other messages.

According to Hubspot: “The open rate measures the percentage of recipients who opened your email, which helps you gauge the performance of your subject line and preview. A click-to-open rate (CTOR) measures the percentage of unique recipients who clicked on a link after opening your email. Most prefer measuring engagement against CTOR because this metric only accounts for the recipients who opened and read their emails.”

Why it matters: Open and Click-to-Open Rates give you a basic sense of how many people are engaging with your content. If rates are low, it could mean that employees don’t find the communication valuable, or perhaps your subject lines aren’t grabbing their attention.

It could also mean the information is being communicated in a “spray and pray” fashion, sending the comms to everyone instead of targeting them for increased relevancy to specific audiences.

The ability to target comms and then measure if they’re resonating with the right audience is a core benefit of using Poppulo, as you can see here in the case of the London Council of Tower Hamlets––where communication played a critical role in driving organizational transformation.

2. Message Response Times

What it is: This tracks how quickly employees respond to internal messages, emails, or surveys.

Why it matters: Slow response times can indicate disengagement or message overload. Monitoring response times can help you identify which types of communication are effective and which aren’t resonating.

3. Employee Turnover Rates

What it is: This tracks the number of employees leaving the company over a set period.

Why it matters: Monitor employee turnover rates to assess the impact of internal communication on employee satisfaction and retention. While high turnover rates can be due to many factors such as general working conditions and culture, they may also suggest communication breakdowns or a lack of employee engagement with the organization generally.

According to the 2024 Institute of Internal Communications report, employees were more likely to stay with companies whose internal communications were regarded as being excellent.

Internal Comms must work closely with HR to closely monitor turnover rates and adapt communication strategies accordingly

4. Employee Advocacy Scores

What it is: This measures how likely employees are to recommend your company as a great place to work.

Why it matters: High advocacy scores are a sign of engaged and happy employees. Poor communication can lower advocacy, as employees may not feel they are part of the organization, or are valued, or informed about the company’s direction.

On the contrary, excellent communication—particularly authentic and trustworthy communication from the CEO and senior leaders—can inspire evangelical company advocates, who can play an outsized role for the company, especially for attracting the best talent and enhancing the customer experience. This is especially true nowadays when most potential employees check out company reviews on sites like Glassdoor and Indeed.

Methods for Gathering Data

Gathering meaningful data on your internal communication isn’t as simple as just looking at numbers. To get a full picture of your internal comms’ effectiveness, you need to use a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods.

5. Pulse Surveys

What it is: Short, frequent surveys that capture real-time feedback from employees. Many organizations now opt for regular pulse surveys instead of relying on an annual employee engagement survey, as there can be quicker turn-around action if problems become evident during the year.

Why it matters: Pulse surveys are a great way to get a snapshot of how your employees are feeling about communication within the company. They can help identify areas of improvement or success, quickly.

6. Feedback Sessions

What it is: These are formal or informal sessions where employees can give direct feedback on internal communications.

Why it matters: Feedback sessions allow employees to voice their thoughts and feelings about how information is being shared within the company. This can provide insight into communication gaps and areas that need more clarity.

7. Channel Audits

What it is: A thorough examination of all the communication channels used within your organization (email, digital signage, company mobile app, intranet, etc.).

Why it matters: Audits help you understand which channels are performing well and which aren’t. Are employees ignoring your email updates but engaging on your Slack channels? A channel audit will tell you.

Analyzing Internal Communication Effectiveness

Once you’ve gathered data, it’s time to analyze what it all means. Analyzing your internal communications metrics allows you to make informed decisions about what’s working, what’s not, and what needs to change.

8. Understanding Employee Engagement Levels

What it is: Measuring how well your internal communications engage employees in company news, events, goals, and culture.

Why it matters: Engaged employees are more productive, happier, and less likely to leave. Effective communication is a key driver of engagement and, critically, a sense of belonging for employees.

Check out this guide to find out more about how ‘belonging’ is the single most important driver of employee wellbeing, and the enormous business impact of wellbeing.

9. Identifying Communication Gaps

What it is: Pinpointing areas where your communication efforts are falling short.

Why it matters: Communication gaps can lead to confusion, mistakes, and decreased morale and lower productivity. Regularly tracking internal comms effectiveness can help you spot these gaps before they become bigger issues.

10. Tracking Employee Sentiment and Satisfaction

What it is: Measuring overall employee happiness and satisfaction with internal communications.

Why it matters: Communication plays a major role in how employees perceive the company. High satisfaction indicates strong internal comms through leadership messaging and culture, fostering a sense of belonging and shared values—while dissatisfaction could point to workplace problems and poor culture, information overload, a lack of transparency, or other issues.

Leveraging Technology for Effective Communication

In today’s digital world, companies have a wealth of tools and technologies to help improve internal communications, such as Poppulo, the leading employee communication platform, whose client base is a roll-call of A-list companies around the world. If you'd like to learn more about what we do for them that we could also do for your organization, we'd love to talk to you. Just let us know!

Communication Tools and Platforms

What it is: The various platforms you use to communicate with employees, such as email, signage, Microsoft Teams, intranets, or dedicated internal communication mobile apps.

Why it matters: Having the right tools in place ensures that your messages are delivered to the right people at the right time and accessed efficiently. But more than just selecting the tools, you need to track how employees are engaging with them to ensure they’re effective.

Data Analytics for Insights

What it is: Analyzing data from your internal communications to understand employee behavior and preferences.

Why it matters: Data analytics, like Poppulo analytics, provide concrete insights into how employees engage with internal comms, allowing you to refine your approach and ensure it’s aligned with employee needs and expectations.

Best Practices for Improvement

Once you’ve analyzed your metrics and identified areas for improvement, the next step is refining your strategy. Here are a few best practices to help you get the most out of your internal communication efforts.

Setting Clear Communication Goals Aligned to Business Strategy

What it is: Establishing specific, measurable objectives for your internal communications strategy, which must be aligned with the overarching business strategy.

Why it matters: Having clear goals helps you track progress and ensure that your communication efforts align with company objectives. If they’re not aligned with company goals they are pointless and a costly waste of time and money. For more on this check out Poppulo’s hugely popular The Ultimate Guide to Internal Communications Strategy.

Enhancing Training and Development

What it is: Providing training for employees on communication tools and best practices.

Why it matters: If employees don’t know how to use your communication platforms effectively, they won’t engage with them. Offering training can improve usage and engagement.

Encouraging Two-Way Feedback

What it is: Creating opportunities for employees to provide feedback on internal communications.

Why it matters: Two-way communication ensures that employees feel heard and valued. It also provides valuable insights into how you can improve communication efforts.

Conclusion and Future Considerations

In 2025 and beyond, tracking and analyzing internal communication metrics will only become more critical as businesses continue to evolve. With a hybrid workforce, a growing reliance on technology, and increasing employee expectations, internal communications will be the glue that holds everything together.

So, why track internal communications? The answer is simple: to continuously improve. By gathering data, analyzing key metrics, and leveraging the right tools, companies can build a more engaged, informed, and productive workforce.

Internal communication metrics are the key to unlocking the true potential of your workforce, ensuring that every employee feels connected and empowered to contribute to the company’s success.

Essentially, effective internal communication isn’t just about sending out messages; it’s about understanding how those messages are received, acted upon, and ultimately, how they impact your organization’s overall goals. So, if you’re not tracking these metrics yet, it’s time to start.