There’s been a lot of buzz around Microsoft’s platform Kaizala recently. Although it’s not a new offering, the integration of Office365 into more and more workplaces is helping to build interest around the app, particularly for internal communications.
Familiar in its ‘WhatsApp style’ interface, Kaizala offers opportunities for collaboration, chats and sharing. If you have a device and phone number, you can sign up.
It’s an attractive solution for organisations looking to engage front-line workers and multi-location teams. The potential to engage communities across your business is big. But as with any technology, there are downsides too, so it’s worth really evaluating your IC goals to gauge whether Kaizala is the right fit
I’ve been reviewing the app with my scarlettabbott colleagues, as well as taking questions from our internal communications clients. You can catch the full Kaizala breakdown in this video.
Yes. There are analytics dashboards in the backend which allow you to see how many people are signed up and using the platform. You can also measure the amount of likes and commentary particular pieces of content have had.
Much like WhatsApp, you can create chat groups, inviting specific people to participate. These could work to bring together the leadership team, a sales team or even based around hobby and interest groups within your organisation.
Can you rename the app to something more in line with the organisation’s brand?
No. Currently Kaizala is the name and it can’t be customised. Much like Yammer or Teams, those words are attached to the platform and can’t be changed.
Yes. It appears that admins – or those in charge of O365 in your organisation, such as IT, do have access to the backend data that powers the conversations in Kaizala. This is useful. With apps like WhatsApp, your data is stored elsewhere on an external server and isn’t easily accessible. Having this data close within the business is definitely an advantage. Curious about whether WhatsApp would be a better fit? I talk about this in another video.
This is really important. Kaizala’s success as a business communication tool will depend a lot on how it works with other platforms and document sharing. To truly facilitate collaboration, it needs to play nicely with the programmes you use every day. Programmes like word and excel or documents you share in SharePoint and Teams. If Kaizala can act as the glue between those platforms, it could be very successful.
I cover more Q&As in the video but, as with all technology, there’s always more to discover and learn.
If you have Kaizala questions and want to explore the internal communications potential, get in touch.
