Viva Engage - Providing a digital channel for two-way conversation
The key differentiator between Viva Engage and other internal communications channels is that Viva Engage allows for two-way conversations. Employees can provide feedback, ask questions, share their opinions, connect with leaders, and engage in meaningful conversations in an informal way.
It’s also a platform to receive immediate information from subject matter experts in times of emergencies or crisis, a place where people can ask and immediately receive answers, and where company news can be amplified – with the ability for people to ask questions and engage in conversation.
SWOOP Analytics contacted about 40 people we believe to be among the world’s experts in managing and facilitating Viva Engage networks as part of the research into our 2024/25 Viva Engage Benchmarking Report.[1] One question we asked our experts was:
What is the role of Viva Engage in your digital channels strategy?
The resounding answer was that Viva Engage facilitates two-way conversation, which helps break down organisational hierarchies and silos, and builds connection across different departments.
For Leonie Challacombe, Principal Advisor (Digital Culture) at Queensland state government Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR), Viva Engage is not just a communication channel but a key part of the digital workplace. She said Viva Engage enables people to connect, collaborate and learn from colleagues while building digital skills and capabilities in a hybrid working environment.
“Unlike other channels, Viva Engage allows us to have two-way conversations with our employees, where they can provide feedback, ask questions, and share their opinions,” Leonie said.
“This makes our communication more open, inclusive, and engaging, and helps us understand the needs and expectations of our workforce.”
TMR uses Viva Engage to create Communities of Practice, where employees can share best practices, ask questions, and learn from each other. It is also a platform to recognise and celebrate the achievements and milestones of employees, creating a culture of recognition and appreciation.
Fiona Roberts, Senior Digital Engagement Manager at Westpac New Zealand, said a key part of the bank’s channel strategy has always been to provide places for everyone to participate, and Viva Engage fits the bill.
“It’s always been important that our employees can provide feedback, can feel connected with others, can actively share or engage with material, can ask questions, and can stop and have fun, and we know this makes for a healthier, happier and more productive workplace.”
Westpac New Zealand always intended Viva Engage to be a place to build a local community where every employee at the bank has a voice, everyone can be heard, and traditional organisational and hierarchical divides no longer exist.
“We’ve achieved that, and over time, it’s become our primary channel for communication, in many instances replacing email, to enable more connection, and feedback, noting that there have been times when it’s been our only channel to communicate with our employees at times of emergency, including earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, mass shootings and the COVID-19 pandemic,” Fiona said.
She said the bank is purposeful with how it uses Viva Engage, and when.
“Whilst we still have other communication channels including email, and intranet, there’s been a deliberate move away from those, and of pushing news and information, to using Viva Engage to create and crowdsource news and information and campaigns that engage people,” she said.
“Using it at the right time and in the right way though, for campaigns and initiatives, is key to its success. For example, when we need our people to share their knowledge, we would lead with Viva Engage, versus a campaign that’s more informational and requires more static channels.”
Microsoft Viva Engage Adoption and Training Consultant Bernie Murtagh says Viva Engage is at the core of a modern digital channels strategy.
“It serves as the central hub where employees can engage in meaningful conversations, share insights, and collaborate on new ideas at scale,” she said.
“Viva Engage compliments other digital tools by providing a platform specifically designed for social interaction, bridging the gap between formal communication and the need for a more personal, engaging workspace. It not only maintains, but actively nurtures organisational culture through real-time interactions and visible leadership engagement.”
Bernie says the “secret sauce" of Viva Engage is its commitment to two-way, transparent communication, setting it apart from more traditional broadcast channels like newsletters, live events, email, and SharePoint sites.
“In today’s ever-changing work environment, transparency and open dialogue are increasingly valued, and Viva Engage delivers both effectively,” she said.
For Jorn Nurkka, Senior Communication Advisor at Danfoss, Viva Engage is an integrated and important channel in the engineering giant’s internal communication strategy. It is primarily used to share local news and updates.
“This is where employees and managers can share updates, get help and find useful information that makes their work life easier,” he said.
“Viva Engage is also the place where we share all important information to the organisation by using the Announcement possibility, and thereby trigger a notification in Teams. This has proved to be a very effective way of reaching many employees fast”
Amplifying messaging through Viva Engage
Kevin Crossman, IT Manager and Content Collaboration Service Owner at Juniper Networks, said while urgent messages are still sent via email, Viva Engage is used as a secondary, or reminder, channel for some messages from corporate communications.
“In IT we post messages in Viva Engage in addition to email for awareness, and also to allow for questions and follow-up,” he said.
“Minor announcements are posted exclusively to Viva Engage.”
Evita Puccio, Senior Communications Manager, Internal Engagement, at Bendigo and Adelaide Bank, says the key principles for its channel strategy is to keep communication simple, foster conversation, be targeted and relevant, accessible and inclusive, and encourage authentic storytelling.
“Viva Engage is a core component of our channel mix that upholds each of these principles,” Evita said.
“We coach and empower our leaders and teams to use Viva Engage to tell their own stories and uplift their communication capabilities.”
She said the way her colleagues consume news and information is evolving, and Viva Engage helps the internal communications team amplify key campaigns and priority messaging using social media tools and mindset, with things like short, catchy posts, gifs and infographics.
Leonie from TMR also spoke about using Viva Engage to amplify messaging from other channels. Part of TMR’s digital channels strategy involves tailoring messages to different audiences by using topics, hashtags, and communities.
“We also use Viva Engage to amplify and reinforce messages from other channels, such as email newsletters and the intranet.”
At Air Canada, Viva Engage is a pivotal part of its omnichannel communication strategy. Andrew Clarke, Manager, Employee Social Media Communications at Air Canada, explains,
“It ensures all employees can access company news and information anytime, anywhere, according to their preferences,”
“While participation in Viva Engage is voluntary, the platform is available to everyone, providing opportunities for making connections, collaborating, and engaging with colleagues across the organisation.”
As well as amplifying messages, Sean Zintl, Global Intranet & Channels Manager at Sage, says Viva Engage has become a key channel for in-the-moment updates, targeted at larger audiences. Importantly, using Viva Engage to communicate means the subject matter experts can immediately be brought into conversations, skipping the need for the internal comms team to search for answers to questions.
“It means our wide and varied network of subject matter experts can talk directly to the teams and colleagues that support our business objectives, as post information about topics that other colleagues can more easily discover, react to and comment on,” Sean said.
“And giving these content creators direct access to a publishing platform means the internal communications team no longer has to support a myriad of requests from a variety of stakeholders, and can focus on priority objectives to support our strategic aims.”
At Schneider Electric, Viva Engage is used for employees to collaborate, for cross-pollination of ideas, best practices, and skills, and for the employee communications team to amplify content, said Cecile Kozinski, Global Brand and Communications, Channel Owner – SPICE+ and Viva Engage.
Schneider Electric’s employee communications team publishes news articles and videos on the intranet, and then uses a vanity account to post an Announcement on Viva Engage with a link to the intranet page.
“This amplification has proved to increase the impact of our communications and the engagement of our employees.”
Sally Jackson, Senior Manager, Content and Channels, at National Grid said there were three main functions of Viva Engage at the energy group – giving colleagues a voice, allowing leaders to listen to employees and connect, and for cross-department collaboration.
“Viva Engage creates a space for user-generated and more informal content for our colleagues, away from more formal channels like our intranet and company emails, allowing colleagues to have a voice too,” Sally said.
“Secondly, it gives leaders an opportunity to interact with colleagues and listen. It doesn’t replace face-to-face interactions and townhalls, but it is part of the mix and another way to reach audiences quickly who may be geographically dispersed. ”
“Thirdly, it allows for collaboration outside of departments and project teams. This and the second point have become even more important post-COVID for our desk-based workers who often work in hybrid working environments and see each other in person less.”
What tool when?
Sean Zintl from Sage said there still remains some confusion amongst colleagues about when to use Viva Engage and when to use Microsoft Teams.
“Our general rule of thumb is – if you know who you’re talking to directly – use Teams,” he said.
“If your audience is wider or more opaque, use Viva Engage. It’s still not always clear cut, but as colleagues engage with one another on various channels, they quickly get a sense of where best to go.
“Overall, Viva Engage occupies a central position in our channel strategy as it enables broader and faster collaboration across teams and functions.”
[1] The experts contacted by SWOOP Analytics for this research are people who have been top performers in our previous benchmarking studies and recipients of a SWOOP Analytics Award for Outstanding Collaborative Performance or nominated by peers for the annual SWOOP Analytics Community Manager Award.
