How Internal Communication Platforms Can Improve Remote Team Collaboration

Remote work isn’t going anywhere (and honestly, most of us aren’t mad about it).

What started as a temporary shift has quickly become the new normal for countless businesses around the world — and the numbers say it all. By 2025, the U.S. is projected to have 36.2 million remote workers, marking a staggering 417% increase from pre-pandemic levels.

And while there are many upsides to this remote revolution (hello, no commute!), it hasn’t been without its challenges. Chief among them? Communication.

If you've ever sat through a Zoom call that could have been a Teams message or tried to decipher the tone in a cryptic email, you know what I'm talking about.

When teams aren't sharing the same physical space, communication gaps can grow wider, misunderstandings more frequent, and collaboration more complicated. That’s where internal communication platforms step in to save the day.

In this blog post, we’ll explore how internal communication platforms help remote teams collaborate more effectively, why Employee Experience Platforms (EXPs) are becoming essential for building connection and culture, and what to consider when choosing the right solution for your organization.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• Remote work changes how teams communicate, creating challenges like information silos and misinterpretation, but the right internal communication platform can bridge these gaps by enabling clear, real-time, and asynchronous collaboration.
  
  
• Employee Experience Platforms (EXPs) go beyond basic communication by fostering engagement, recognition, and a strong company culture, helping remote employees feel connected to the organization’s mission and to each other.
  
  
• Selecting an internal communication platform isn’t just about features; it requires alignment with your team’s size, culture, and existing tools, and supporting a thoughtful rollout to ensure adoption and lasting impact.

In this blog, you'll find:

💬  The Communication Challenge in Remote Work

❓  What Are Internal Communication Platforms?

📲  Enhancing Communication with Employee Experience Platforms

🤝  How Internal Communication Platforms Improve Remote Collaboration

🧭  Choosing The Right Internal Communication Platform For Your Team

📌  Final Thoughts

The Communication Challenge in Remote Work

When everyone is in the office, collaboration is as easy as leaning over a cubicle wall or bumping into a colleague at the coffee machine.

But in a remote setup, those organic interactions disappear. What we’re left with is intentional communication, and that needs structure.

In fact, 86% of employees and executives cite ineffective internal communication as the main cause of workplace failures. And in distributed teams, that risk only increases.

WHAT OFTEN GOES WRONG IN REMOTE TEAMS:

• Information Silos: Important updates get lost in personal inboxes.

• Slow Response Times: Different time zones and inconsistent tools make it harder to stay in sync.

• Miscommunication: Without body language and facial expressions, messages can be misread.

• Collaboration Fatigue: Jumping between apps, email threads, and documents can wear anyone out.

The good news? Internal communication platforms are designed to address all of these pain points — and the benefits are more than operational.

Companies with effective internal communication are 25% more likely to have lower employee turnover, making these tools a strategic investment in both productivity and retention.

But as organizations evolve, it’s becoming clear that solving communication challenges alone isn’t enough to keep employees motivated and connected, especially when working apart.

What Are Internal Communication Platforms?

Before we dive deeper, let’s define what we mean by internal communication platforms.

Simply put, internal communication platforms are tools that help teams connect, collaborate, and share information within an organization. Think of them as digital offices where conversations happen, decisions are made, and work gets done.

Some popular examples include Slack and Microsoft Teams, but there are many others, each with its own strengths. These platforms typically offer features like:

• Instant messaging

• File sharing

• Video conferencing

• Task management

• Announcements and company-wide updates

• Integrations with other productivity tools

But it’s not just about features. It’s about how those features come together to foster collaboration, transparency, and connection.

Still, many companies find that while these tools help with day-to-day communication, they don’t fully address the broader employee experience — engagement, recognition, and culture — that’s vital in remote or hybrid environments.

Enhancing Communication with Employee Experience Platforms

While internal communication platforms focus on day-to-day collaboration, Employee Experience Platforms (EXPs) take things a step further by enhancing how employees engage with their workplace overall.

These platforms combine internal communications with features like recognition, feedback, pulse surveys, and company culture tools.

Workvivo, for example, acts almost like a social network for your company. It not only helps teams stay informed but also fosters a stronger emotional connection to the organization's mission and values.

In our remote-and-hybrid-first world, investing in an EXP isn’t just a “nice to have,” it’s quickly becoming a strategic necessity to ensure employees feel truly connected and motivated, beyond just the basics of communication.

When paired with traditional internal communication platforms, EXPs can amplify engagement, boost morale, and reinforce company culture in meaningful ways.

How Internal Communication Platforms Improve Remote Collaboration

Let’s get into the good stuff. How exactly do these platforms improve remote collaboration?

1.      Real-Time Communication

Sending emails can feel like sending messages into the void. Internal communication platforms offer instant messaging that feels a lot more like a real conversation.

You can:

✅   Ask a quick question and get a prompt response

✅   Brainstorm ideas in real time in a chat thread

✅   Use emojis and GIFs (because fun matters too!)

This immediacy helps keep momentum going, especially in fast-paced projects.

2.     Centralized Information

One of the biggest productivity killers is not knowing where to find things. Was that update in an email? A document? A meeting recording?

Internal communication platforms keep everything in one place. You can search past conversations, pin important messages, and store files where everyone can access them.

It’s like having a digital filing cabinet that everyone shares.

Modern EXPs like Workvivo, for instance, offer a central location for all company content, tools, and resources. Instead of juggling email attachments or jumping between apps, employees can access everything they need — from corporate documents to key applications — with just a click.

It’s a streamlined way to keep both desk-based and frontline teams connected and in the know.

3.     Asynchronous Communication

Not everyone works at the same time, especially on global teams. Internal communication platforms support async communication, allowing team members to leave messages, updates, or questions that others can respond to when they’re online.

This flexibility reduces pressure and empowers people to work when they’re most productive.

4.     Better Project Management

Many platforms come with built-in tools or integrations for task management.

That means you can:

✅   Assign tasks

✅   Track progress

✅   Set deadlines

✅   Share updates

All without leaving the platform. This transparency helps everyone stay on the same page and reduces redundant check-ins.

5.     Building Company Culture

Let’s not overlook the human side. Culture is harder to build remotely, but not impossible.

Internal communication platforms give you space for watercooler chats, birthday shoutouts, pet photo contests — you name it.

Channels dedicated to non-work topics help remote teams bond and feel like a team. Some companies use Workvivo to create fun, engaging spaces for employees to connect around shared interests like fitness and sports, pets, Star Wars, and more!

Truly thriving remote cultures often require the additional engagement features that EXPs bring, creating ongoing opportunities for recognition, feedback, and shared values that keep people connected emotionally, not just operationally.

4 TIPS: Choosing The Right Internal Communication Platform For Your Team

With so many options out there, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. But choosing the right internal communication platform doesn’t have to be complicated. The best tool is the one that fits your team’s unique needs and company culture.

If you're not sure where to begin, check out our guide, Top 8 Internal Communication Platforms for Businesses in 2025, for a side-by-side breakdown of the most popular tools and what makes each one stand out.

In the meantime, here are 4 key things to consider:

1.   Your Team’s Size & Structure

What works for a 10-person startup might not work for a 500-person organization spread across time zones.

Look for platforms that support your current team size and can scale with you, whether that means robust admin controls, multi-department functionality, or tailored user permissions. Flexibility matters, especially as your org chart evolves.

BONUS TIP: Think about how your company might grow. Choosing a platform that scales with you will save time, training, and headaches down the road.

2.  Integration Capabilities

The best internal communication platform doesn’t stand alone; it works with your full tech stack.

Whether you're using project management tools like Trello or Asana, document storage like Google Drive or SharePoint, or HR systems like BambooHR or Workday, your platform should integrate seamlessly to reduce toggling, centralize communication, and streamline everyday tasks.

Platforms like Workvivo go even further by replacing outdated, clunky intranets with a mobile-first hub that centralizes news, knowledge, and tools all in one place. With native integrations to Microsoft 365, Zoom, Google Workspace, and 40+ HR and payroll platforms, everything your team needs is easily accessible and connected.

With the inclusion of features like document collaboration and conversational AI, you’ve got a communication ecosystem that not only works together, it also works smarter.

3.  User Experience + Ease of Use

Here’s the truth: if it’s clunky, your team won’t use it. A clean, intuitive user experience is key to platform adoption.

Look for intuitive design, mobile accessibility, and personalization options. Employees should be able to find what they need without friction, whether that’s messaging a teammate, sharing a file, or jumping on a quick call.

Many platforms offer free trials or demos. Take advantage of those to test with a pilot group before rolling it out company-wide.

A clean user interface isn’t just about looks, it reduces training time, support tickets, and frustration.

4.  Support For Company Culture

This is the one people often overlook, but it matters more than you think.

The best internal communication platforms don’t just facilitate work; they foster connection. Look for tools that allow for employee recognition, social spaces, interest groups, and fun elements like polls or shoutouts.

Platforms like Workvivo shine here, turning internal communication into a space where culture comes to life through shared values, real-time feedback, and a digital sense of belonging.

Whether it’s celebrating wins, sharing personal updates, or connecting over common interests, platforms that support culture can help your remote team feel more like… well, a team.

And remember, selecting the platform is just step one. How you implement it (i.e., training, change management, stakeholder buy-in, and continuous support) makes all the difference.

Whether you manage that in-house or collaborate with a partner like LineZero — North America’s leading consulting firm specializing in employee experience strategy and platform implementation — a thoughtful rollout is what truly turns tools into transformation.

Final Thoughts

Remote work doesn’t have to feel distant. With the right internal communication platform, your team can stay connected, collaborate smoothly, and even have a little fun along the way.

Remember, it’s not about replacing human interaction. It’s about enabling it in a digital world.

So whether you’re managing a growing startup or a globally distributed enterprise, investing in a solid internal communication platform is one of the smartest moves you can make.

And to take things even further, consider how an Employee Experience Platform (EXP) can elevate internal connection — turning communication into engagement, and engagement into culture.

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