Survey of 10,000 Yammer Users Reveals Benefits of Enterprise Social Networking
Recently, we surveyed our users to better understand the effect Yammer is having on organizations. 10,000 users participated in the survey, and the vast majority of respondents found that Yammer helps people collaborate more easily and better engage with their coworkers. The survey also found that Yammer helps employees share information across their organizations, resulting in valuable time and cost-saving benefits.
The survey results revealed benefits in six key areas:
- Team communication
- Productivity
- Knowledge sharing
- Employee onboarding
- Company culture
- Employee engagement
Open communication improves team communication. Historically, teams have relied on email and meetings to communicate, but these have proven insufficient. Yammer, which facilitates spontaneous, real-time discussions, helps teams stay up to date on the latest projects and priorities. More than three-quarters of surveyed knowledge workers indicated that Yammer helps teams communicate more efficiently. Team communication is streamlined, because all team members have exposure to the discussions happening in the feed.
Increased collaboration leads to increased productivity. Yammer enables knowledge workers to collaborate more effectively and share information more fluidly. With increased access to their colleagues, employees using Yammer are saving valuable time by reducing the time it takes to find information and complete tasks. 69 percent of respondents said that Yammer saves them time. With the extra time, employees can take on additional projects, making them more productive overall.
Talking to your colleagues gets you answers. Rather than searching a knowledge management database, Yammer allows employees to query their colleagues directly, generating more relevant answers in less time. 65 percent of surveyed users said that Yammer helps them find answers to their questions faster. Through the informal knowledge exchanges that Yammer facilitates, employees can quickly identify the content they need to perform their jobs.
New hires quickly become old pros. Yammer connects old and new employees alike. New hires are leveraging the collective power of their colleagues to help them better navigate the organization right from the get go. 67 percent of survey respondents said that Yammer helps new employees get up to speed faster. When using Yammer, new hires can reach full productivity in less time, reducing the overall cost of ramping up a new employee.
Team building builds company culture. Yammer enables ongoing relationship building by facilitating frequent exchanges amongst employees. According to the survey, 83 percent of respondents indicated that they feel better connected with their coworkers because of Yammer. Fostering a strong company culture, Yammer helps employees develop and maintain close connections with one another.
Online connections improve employee engagement. Employee engagement is a top priority for companies because of its impact on the bottom line. Employees who demonstrate a high level of engagement are more productive and less likely to leave the company. 66 percent of surveyed users say they feel more engaged at their company because of Yammer. By providing direct access to leaders and giving all employees a voice, Yammer strengthens the connection workers feel to their employers.
A new way of working has caught fire in organizations around the world, and Yammer is right at the center of this workplace revolution. Based on the survey we conducted, users are finding value in Yammer across the board. 85 percent of respondents said that their company benefits because of Yammer. With that, the vast majority of surveyed users also advocated for a company-wide Yammer deployment. 84 percent of respondents said that their organization should roll out Yammer to all employees. By providing all users with access to Yammer, companies can maximize the organizational benefits that enterprise social networking yields.