7 Asynchronous Communication Tools That Boost Employee Engagement

Lisa Ardill

Content Editor at Workvivo

3 Mar 2023

Asynchronous communication is a big part of the new way we work.

It can boost efficiency, wasting less time and working hours preparing for (and sitting through) in-person or virtual meetings that eat up the workday. It can also streamline team collaboration and improve the work environment. When people can engage at their own pace rather than respond immediately, they can focus more peacefully on deep work.

The trouble is, we all still live in a world that’s quite accustomed to the old, very synchronous way of working.

It remained the norm for many, even during the pandemic, as synchronous video conferencing became the immediate alternative to in-person meetings (even though the average employee spends 31 hours a month in unproductive meetings!).

Modern tools can enable asynchronous communication, and with careful adoption, you can guide your work culture toward an async-friendly future.

Below, learn about seven powerful asynchronous communication tools – along with when (and where) to use them.

What is an asynchronous communication tool?

An asynchronous communication tool is any digital tool designed for people to communicate without the expectation of a real-time response. These tools allow people to share information, impart knowledge, and give direction without all parties engaging at the same time.

Here’s an ultra-simple example of the difference between synchronous and asynchronous communication. Take a phone call, for example. When you speak with someone on the phone, there’s an expectation of real-time response. It’d be rude for the person on the other end to just ignore your message and then reply at some later time – right?

But a voicemail or a text message is different. While you can reply instantly to a text message, you aren’t usually expected to. Finding the message later and responding on your own timetable is usually acceptable.

Why your async tools should be top-notch

In today’s remote-work world, your people are going to communicate asynchronously. That’s just a fact. Remote teams already aren’t in the same physical space (and most don’t want to go back, at least not full-time), so the concept of walking over to someone’s desk for an ad hoc face-to-face just doesn’t quite translate.

Once we come to grips with the new reality of async communication, it makes sense to invest in high-quality async tools that deliver an intentional, healthy experience. In fact, investing in strong employee communications solutions (synchronous and asynchronous alike) should be a priority for every CIO and IT team.

Benefits of asynchronous communication tools

Why all this focus on asynchronous communication and the tools that facilitate it? Because when done well, async comms can be a true improvement, not just a stop-gap or compromise.

Maintains efficiency for distributed teams

Distributed teams can take some getting used to, especially for workers well entrenched in the in-office paradigm. If you’re expecting instant responses, not getting them can be frustrating: your focus gets derailed, and productivity drops.

A culture shift toward async comms is required, but so are the right tools. With those tools in place, team members can send messages effectively and then move on to other tasks, maintaining efficiency and reducing frustration.

Reduces meeting fatigue

Meeting fatigue was real before the world went remote. Moving those meetings to online something similar – and then increasing their frequency to accommodate for less in-person interaction – doubled down on that fatigue.

We aren’t saying meetings are all bad. But some meetings should definitely be emails – or other asynchronous formats, like a video or screencast that people can watch on their own time.

When you reserve meeting time for things that actually require a visual video presence and real-time discussion, people will come to those meetings with less fatigue and be more likely to fully participate.

Allows for flexibility in schedules

Asynchronous tools allow for flexibility in schedules because people don’t have to be in the same place (physical or virtual) at the same time. Yes, there are still moments when you need an answer right this second – but there are also lots of times when you don’t.

Communicating asynchronously allows people to work at the times that suit them best (or in their natural time zones) without the fear of missing a crucial notification or message.

Encourages employee engagement in different ways

Let’s be honest: every single one of us has sat on a video call pretending to look engaged while our minds were a thousand miles away. Most of us have even snuck other work during those long, seemingly pointless video sessions.

Moving what you can to async generally improves employee engagement. Consuming different forms of communication, each tailored to the most appropriate medium, is more pleasant than consuming everything as an email or a call.

When to use asynchronous vs. synchronous tools

Not every communication situation should be asynchronous. And we say that as people who are deeply passionate about an asynchronous tool!

Both methods have strengths and weaknesses, and there are great tools for each method. Here are some use cases for each.

Asynchronous communication is better for:

Time differences (different time zones, shifts, or schedules)
Providing lots of information at once
Maintaining clarity and avoiding misinformation
Information shared over a distance where direct, in-the-moment interaction is unnecessary
One-way information (watch this video, read this document, etc.)

Synchronous communication is better for

Time-sensitive tasks/information
Deliberating
Brainstorming sessions
Two-way conversations (e.g., hands-on training)

Let’s look at seven of the best asynchronous tools for various uses and situations.

1) Workvivo: Social intranet for an elevated employee experience

Workvivo is a social intranet, a central hub for your workplace knowledge and asynchronous communication. In addition to housing your evergreen content (like training materials or policy documents), Workvivo is also a social feed. It allows employees to post updates, share accolades about coworkers, and interact with one another. Your business can use this feed to share company news and announcements as well.

You can also use Workvivo’s intranet to store and manage data, such as customer and sales data, in a central location.

Workvivo places everything in a centralized hub, so employees always know where to look for news and information. Compared to email or messaging apps like Slack, which can become cluttered and difficult to navigate, an intranet retains a structure so that information stays accessible and organized.

Best of all, Workvivo integrates with your other tools (HR software, productivity software, CRM, collaboration tools, and more). In this way, Workvivo becomes the center of gravity for employees, the glue holding your suite of tools together.