This image was created with the help of Microsoft Copilot.
A cross‑employee dialogue on how to transform internal communications data into meaningful and measurable insights. (Illustration created by AI)
CAS Business Intelligence & Analytics

From Guesswork to Real Impact in Internal Communications

von Jayoung Locher-Woo

Employee feedback, engagement, channel effectiveness, and adoption lie at the heart of effective internal communications to create value and support business performance. But when do these data points stop being mere data and start driving real business impact? The real challenge is measuring them objectively and at scale. This is where Business Intelligence tools like Microsoft Power BI come in, turning data into insight, and insight into action.

The Goal of Internal Communications

Did you know that internal communications goes far beyond sharing updates or publishing news? It weaves across multiple channels and plays a key role in shaping how employees understand strategy, priorities, values, and expectations. The mission of internal communications is to make the why clear, so employees are not just informed, but genuinely engaged and able to influence organisational performance. Here is my mantra.

Well-informed employees are more engaged, and engaged employees are far more likely to contribute effectively to the organisation’s success.

Moving Beyond Gut Feeling with Microsoft Power BI

Did the last campaign work? It felt like it did.
Was the town hall successful? People seemed engaged.

Sounds familiar? Many communication decisions still rely on gut feeling, but instinct doesn’t scale when you’re communicating with thousands of employees. This is where Microsoft Power BI helps. By bringing together data from multiple sources into intuitive dashboards, it allows us to add context and gain a holistic view. For this, you don’t need to be a data expert. What matters most is asking the right questions.

Real‑Life Use Cases in Daily Internal Communications

Viva Engage is one of our key internal communication channels, with a focus on increasing adoption rate and engagement. In order to formulate the effective questions in a structured way, three core elements are considered, namely, data, metrics, and outcomes.
  • Data: Active user data, log‑in frequency, content views, interactions (likes, comments, shares), and usage data segmented by location, function, or role
  • Metrics: Adoption and active usage rates, frequency of interactions per user, growth over time, and engagement depth across organizational segments
  • Outcome: Identify adoption gaps, understand usage patterns, and enable targeted actions (e.g., onboarding, users training, leadership activation) to increase sustainable channel adoption
Once these elements are clear, Viva Engage dashboards can be built in Microsoft Power BI by connecting the relevant data to visualize key metrics. These insights then translate into meaningful outcomes, enabling more informed and effective communication decisions. An example of a possible dashboard is shown below.
Power BI helps me see what really lands—what’s read, liked, and discussed—so I can focus efforts where they matter most and move beyond gut feeling to evidence‑based decisions. (Source: my own Microsoft Power BI dashboard)
Power BI helps us see what really lands – what’s read, liked, and posted. Then further efforts can be focused on where they matter most to make evidence‑based decisions. (Source: our Microsoft Power BI dashboard for Viva Engage)
More real‑life use cases can be tackled this way.

 Campaign effectiveness

  • Data: Combine Intranet news views, Viva Engage interactions, and survey feedback
  • Metrics: Measure message reach, identify top‑performing channels, and spot engagement drop‑offs
  • Outcome: Optimize future campaigns based on evidence rather than assumptions

Leadership communication (e.g. Town Hall) impact

  • Data: Town hall attendance, live Q&A participation, post‑event feedback, and follow‑up engagement across channels
  • Metrics: Measure participation rates, interaction levels, message reach beyond the live event, and sustained engagement over time
  • Outcome: Assess whether leadership messages resonate, identify gaps in understanding, and refine leadership communications based on evidence

Final Thought

When reliable data meet professional judgment, internal communications can shine by moving from guesswork to clarity, credibility, and real impact. The key is to start with clear questions: what do we really want to understand? Form there, focus first on a small set of KPIs that influence behavior and outcomes. Build confidence step by step by connecting existing data, rather than waiting for a perfect setup. Keep dashboards simple, avoid overcomplication. And most importantly, don’t be afraid to get started.

When data brings clarity, internal communications creates real impact.

Perfection isn’t the goal, momentum is.

Still exploring alternatives? There are several BI solutions on the market, and outsourcing analytics can also be a valid option, especially when resources are limited.

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Jayoung Locher-Woo

Jayoung Locher-Woo is an internal communications manager and passionate about data analytics. She loves to combine human judgment with hard facts, turning numbers into meaningful insights. Her goal is to make better decisions using available data. This blog was written for the CAS in Business Intelligence & Analytics at HSLU.

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