The Total Economic Impact™ Of The Poppulo Employee Communications Platform

Employee Time Saved Due To Increased Reach

Evidence and data. This benefit focuses on how Poppulo’s system enhances communication reach, leading to significant time savings for employees. Interviewees’ organizations found that improved communication reach ensured employees received timely and relevant information, reducing the need for follow-up communication and rework. When employees effectively received important updates, it minimized the chances of miscommunication and the need for additional clarifications.

• The senior manager of internal communications at a healthcare company told Forrester: “We used Poppulo as our primary push vendor. Poppulo has been a huge asset in terms of its targeting capabilities.”
• The senior communications business partner at a marketing and advertising firm told Forrester, “[Because of Poppulo,] our teams can now produce much higher quality and much more relevant messages.”
• The vice president of employee experience and internal communications at a packaging company said: “Poppulo has now become our first international communications channel. Our engagement scores grew 13 percentage points between two surveys when we really started using Poppulo.”

Modeling and assumptions. Based on the interviews, Forrester assumes the following about the composite organization:

• The open rate for corporate communications before deploying Poppulo is 31%.
• The open rate for corporate communications after deploying Poppulo is 62%.
• The composite organization targets 110,000 employees with its communications.
• The number of employees opening communications increases by 34,100 after deploying Poppulo.
• The fully burdened hourly rate for an employee is $40.
• Fifty percent of employees’ time savings are reapplied to work tasks.

Risks. The value of this benefit can vary across organizations due to the following:

• Variability in communication effectiveness. Differences in organizational culture and employee engagement can impact how well employees receive and act upon information, affecting time savings.
• Technological integration challenges. Issues with data synchronization, compatibility, and the learning curve of new technology can reduce expected efficiency gains.
• Employee adoption and usage. Resistance to change, lack of training, or insufficient support can hinder widespread adoption, diminishing projected time savings and productivity benefits.

Results. To account for these risks, Forrester adjusted this benefit downward by 15%, yielding a three-year, risk-adjusted total PV (discounted at 10%) of $2.9 million.

Increased Productivity From Content Creation Time Savings And Efficiencies

Evidence and data. This benefit focuses on how Poppulo’s system streamlines the content creation process and leads to significant productivity gains. Interviewees noted that Poppulo’s system provided tools and features that made content creation more efficient. Templates, automation, and collaboration features reduced the time and effort required to create and distribute content, allowing employees to produce high-quality content more quickly and with fewer resources.

• The senior manager of internal communications at a healthcare company told Forrester: “Poppulo has been a huge asset in terms of targeting capabilities. [Our previous efforts] would probably take three to four times longer than what we do in Poppulo. We definitely are more efficient as a result of it.”
• The senior communications business partner at a marketing and advertising firm said: “Poppulo has empowered our internal communicators to be substantially more effective. It has unlocked capacity for our teams to focus on much more value-added work.”
• The global internal communications consultant for corporate affairs at a technology organization told Forrester: “Poppulo allows us to streamline and target our internal communications. It just has saved so much time. Our analytics show we are kicking butt across our peers and the industry as far as our engagement.”
• The vice president of employee experience and internal communications at a packaging company said: “Poppulo has now become our first international communications channel. ... It allows us to target our folks by language. We used to spend about €200,000 a year just having notes translated. ... Our engagement scores grew 13 percentage points between two surveys when we really started using Poppulo.”

Modeling and assumptions. Based on the interviews, Forrester assumes the following about the composite organization:

• The composite organization has 110 employees actively using Poppulo for content creation tasks.
• Each Poppulo user saves 260 hours per year on messaging and other content creation tasks.
• The total hours saved per year for content creation tasks is 28,600 hours.
• The fully burdened hourly rate for an internal communications employee is $60.
• Fifty percent of employee time savings are reapplied to work tasks.

Risks. The value of this benefit can vary across organizations due to the following:

• Variability in content creation needs. Differences in the complexity and volume of content required by various departments can impact the time savings achieved.
• Technological integration challenges. Issues integrating Poppulo’s tools with existing content creation workflows and systems can affect efficiency gains.
• Employee adoption and usage. Resistance to change, lack of training, or insufficient support can hinder full utilization of Poppulo’s content creation features, reducing the expected productivity improvements.

Results. To account for these risks, Forrester adjusted this benefit downward by 10%, yielding a three-year, risk-adjusted total PV (discounted at 10%) of $1.9 million.

Avoided Hiring And Training Costs Due To Decreased Turnover

Evidence and data. This benefit addresses the financial impact of reduced employee turnover for internal communications teams due to improved engagement and satisfaction with Poppulo’s system. Interviewees noted that better communication and engagement with internal communication team members led to higher employee satisfaction and reduced turnover rates. Employees that felt informed and valued were less likely to leave, reducing costs associated with hiring and training new employees. The senior manager of internal communications at a healthcare organization said: “If we were using our old method, we’d need a lot more staff. Poppulo has resulted in more communications with more value.”

Modeling and assumptions. Based on the interviews, Forrester assumes the following about the composite organization:

• The composite organization has 110 employees actively using Poppulo.
• Poppulo helps reduce the corporate communication group’s turnover rate by 5%.
• The cost of hiring a new corporate communications employee is $40,000.

Risks. The value of this benefit can vary across organizations due to the following:

• Variability in turnover rates. Differences in turnover rates across departments and regions can impact the overall cost savings achieved.
• Employee engagement and satisfaction. The effectiveness of Poppulo in improving employee engagement and satisfaction can vary, affecting turnover rates.
• External market factors. Economic conditions and industry-specific trends can influence turnover rates and hiring costs, impacting the realized savings.

Results. To account for these risks, Forrester adjusted this benefit downward by 10%, yielding a three-year, risk-adjusted total PV (discounted at 10%) of $492,000.

Unquantified Benefits

Interviewees mentioned the following additional benefits that their organizations experienced but were not able to quantify:

• More employee engagement. Interviewees noted a significant increase in employee engagement due to more relevant and personalized communications. This engagement was particularly evident in higher email open and click rates, which indicated more effective message reach and resonance among employees.
• Improved communication quality. Internal communications quality improved with more visually appealing and professionally formatted messages. Interviewees noted that this enhancement helped capture employees’ attention and convey messages more effectively, leading to a better overall employee experience.
• Better work-life balance. The ability to schedule emails and automate tasks significantly improved time management for the interviewees’ teams using Poppulo. This feature allowed them to plan and execute communication strategies without needing constant manual intervention, thereby supporting a better work-life balance.
• Consistent messaging. Interviewees noted that Poppulo facilitated a unified communications strategy across departments and regions. This consistency ensured that all employees received the same information, which reduced the risk of miscommunication and fostered a cohesive organizational culture. It also helped maintain a consistent communications tone and style.
• Effective support and training. Interviewees appreciated the support and training resources provided by Poppulo. Their teams could access comprehensive training materials and responsive support, which was instrumental in maximizing the platform’s potential.
• Strong cultural inclusivity. Poppulo’s multilingual communication capabilities fostered inclusivity within interviewees’ organizations. Enabling communication in multiple languages ensured that their employees, regardless of location or language, received and could understand important information. This inclusivity was vital for building a diverse and supportive workplace culture.
• Efficient crisis communication. Poppulo enabled interviewees’ organizations to quickly disseminate crucial information to employees during critical times and proved invaluable for effectively managing crisis situations.
• Enhanced professional development. Interviewees noted that automating routine tasks and improving communication efficiency allowed their organizations’ teams to focus on higher-value tasks and strategic initiatives. This shift enhanced productivity and supported professional development by enabling employees to engage in more meaningful and impactful work.

Flexibility

The value of flexibility is unique to each customer. There are multiple scenarios in which a customer might implement Poppulo and later realize additional uses and business opportunities, including:

• Enhanced multilingual communication. Interviewees appreciated how Poppulo’s AI translation tool significantly improved their organizations’ ability to communicate with employees in their preferred languages. This feature unlocked new opportunities for more inclusive and effective communication across diverse global teams.
• Seamless scalability and integration. Leveraging Poppulo’s employee communications platform with other Poppulo solutions, such as digital signage and employee apps, enhanced the scalability of interviewees’ organizations by ensuring consistent messaging and communication across various platforms.
• Improved targeting and personalization. Poppulo’s ability to personalize employee attributes such as name, country, and language reduced barriers to effective communication among interviewees’ organizations. This targeted approach led to higher engagement rates and more relevant messaging for employees.
• Futureproofed communications strategy. Poppulo’s ongoing innovation and feature development, such as its AI translation tool and AI recommendations, ensure that the platform remains relevant and effective. This futureproofing allows organizations to continually evolve their communication strategies and adapt to changing needs.
• Cost-effective expansion. The ability to expand the use of Poppulo across a growing organization proved cost-effective for interviewees’ organizations. The platform’s scalability and affordability made it a valuable tool for large organizations looking to enhance internal communications.

Flexibility would also be quantified when evaluated as part of a specific project (described in more detail in Appendix A).