Short on Time Summary
Microsoft is just getting started with Viva. We have rounded up the latest developments for the platform with new ways to collect and action employee feedback, improve internal communication and connect employees with leaders. Here we discuss Viva Pulse, Answers in Viva, Leadership Corner and more.
What are the business benefits of Microsoft Viva?
Since its launch in 2021, Microsoft Viva has been built on the idea that when employees thrive companies flourish. Viva brings together a range of EX capabilities with the potential to transform your organisation’s culture and the way work gets done.
The platform is made up of several interconnected components designed to support work-life balance, make OKRs front and centre for employees at all levels and redesign workflows for efficiency. Microsoft Viva enables you to cultivate an inclusive work environment where employees are empowered to achieve their personal and professional goals.
With a highly engaged workforce, you can outperform the competition and achieve key business goals faster. Forrester’s Total Economic Impact study revealed that Viva delivers a 3x return on investment. When Viva was implemented, time from onboarding to full productivity was 50% faster and employee attrition decreased by 20%.
Last year we released an article exploring how Microsoft Viva can improve employee experiences. If you are unfamiliar with Viva’s existing capabilities, it provides an overview of the modules available in 2022 – Insights, Connections, Topics, Learning, Engage, Goals and Sales.
In this article, we have collated information about the recent and upcoming additions to the Viva suite so you can plan for the future. We hope you find this useful.
People insights
Viva Pulse
Pulse is Viva’s dedicated employee feedback collection solution. It will be available in preview in June and the roll out will begin in July 2023. When employees feel like their opinions are valued, they work harder and produce higher quality work.
Using regular and confidential surveys, leaders can quickly collect and analyse data collected directly from their employees via Teams. Utilise the rich library of templates and research-backed questions or create your own questions about things that matter to your team.
Feedback can be an early signal of problems. Pulse gives managers the chance to respond to blockers and redirect their focus to where it’s needed most. You can gather valuable day-to-day feedback on projects, team dynamics, wellbeing and more.
Viva Glint
Turn insights into actions with Viva Glint. This is the latest announcement for the Viva suite and is expected to launch in July 2023. The powerful combination of sentiment analysis and data collected from Insights helps you become responsive to changing employee needs.
Some of the key features include natural language questions, summarised comments and trends from aggregated data. AI insights also proactively surface opportunities, strengths and risks. Glint equips managers with the tools to capture employee feedback then respond with meaningful action. This will motivate and inspire your employees, resulting in higher engagement and commitment.
Knowledge and learning
Answers in Viva
Microsoft is bringing knowledge sharing and social Q&A together as an extension of Viva Topics. Answers in Viva matches employee questions to expert answers in real-time, contributing to a 75% reduction in the time spent looking for knowledge and resources.
Put collective knowledge to work by crowdsourcing answers and using gamification features to reward contributions. Leverage AI to highlight the best approved responses and recommend similar questions for a streamlined experience.
Communication and connection
Leadership Corner
Creating a cohesive workforce where everyone is working in alignment requires an open dialogue. Leadership Corner is positioned in Viva Engage, connecting leaders with their employees’ needs in the app where they are already building relationships.
Leaders can share personal insights, guide conversations, host events and more to facilitate authentic interaction. Events such as ‘Ask Me Anything’ are interactive alternatives to top-down communication. Leaders can then utilise the built-in dashboards to measure the impact of their messaging and evaluate what works well.
Viva Amplify
Viva Amplify is a new tool that will improve your internal communication practices. Employees across the business can access recommendations and guidance to write more effectively. This ensures communications resonate with the target audience.
Amplify is supported in SharePoint, Teams, Outlook and the rest of the Viva suite for a fully integrated experience. Use it to publish to multiple channels simultaneously with options to optimise content for each specific channel. All aspects of a campaign can be managed in the same place, from drafting to publishing and measuring their impact.
People in Viva
1 in 3 people feel uncomfortable introducing themselves virtually. People in Viva aims to shift the focus back to building social capital and curating a professional network at work.
It will play an important role in establishing a people-first environment that encourages diversity, inclusion and team building.
AI-powered capabilities unlock potential connections based on shared relationships, interests, expertise and goals. You can also share your working location for better scheduling, so hybrid workers can maximise their in-office time. Team Profiles are another useful feature, incorporating data from Viva Goals and Topics to provide context about teams.
Get started with Microsoft Viva
The Viva Suite license includes all of the modules mentioned above and is available at £6.80 per user per month. If you want to configure your own EXP, there is flexibility to choose the modules you want at individual prices. Viva Sales, the only role-specific module so far, is licensed separately.
Microsoft Viva recognises that employee voice and workplace relationships should be at the centre of an engaging employee experience. Keep up to date with the latest announcements from Viva by following us on LinkedIn and subscribing to our monthly newsletter.
Whether you would like to increase your confidence with Viva’s tools or want to know how the platform can help your business succeed, we’re here to help. Book a meeting with our team to get the most out of your Viva implementation.