According to the 2022 Microsoft Trends Index Report, 96% of leaders believe effective communication is the most critical skill today. Viva Amplify wants to be part of creating outstanding comms in your organization. After all, Amplify was explicitly designed to simplify and enhance internal communication. You can now streamline campaigns across different channels, ensuring consistent messaging every time.

For internal communicators, Viva Amplify is especially valuable when managing large-scale rollouts, such as the launch of Microsoft 365 Copilot. Grab yourself something strongly caffeinated and get ready to delve into how Viva Amplify can support your Copilot launch.

Pssst, I've got an article that talks about how to increase your comms reach with Microsoft Viva.

What is Viva Amplify?

Viva Amplify is a communication management tool that lets internal communicators like you create, coordinate, and distribute campaigns across various organizational channels. It's your one-stop shop for all things internal communications. As part of the Microsoft Viva suite (the employee experience platform), Viva Amplify simplifies sending messages to multiple Microsoft 365 services, such as Microsoft Teams, Outlook, SharePoint, and Viva Engage, ensuring consistent communication and engagement.

A key feature of Viva Amplify is its ability to schedule messages, allowing communicators to plan and coordinate announcements effectively. No more having to set a million reminders to ensure you send that article! Amplify also supports channel management, allowing communicators to target the right audience on the right channels.

Viva Amplify's built-in analytics offers feedback on the effectiveness of communication campaigns, helping teams refine their strategies for better engagement and impact.

Create and manage internal communications campaigns with Viva Amplify

Communicators can use Viva Amplify to create and manage effective internal communication campaigns by following a streamlined, step-by-step process, as this Microsoft guide helpfully outlines.

  • #1: Plan the campaign: Start by identifying what you want to say and to whom you want to say it. This could range from updates on company policies to the launch of a new tool like Microsoft 365 Copilot (more on that later).
  • #2: Create the message: Use Viva Amplify's snazzy content creation tools to create messages for different channels, such as email updates, Teams announcements, or intranet posts. This ensures that each platform receives the correct format.
  • #3: Schedule distribution: With Viva Amplify, you can schedule when messages go live to maximize engagement.
  • #4: Analyze the results: After the campaign is live, you can track its performance in the analytics section, where you can analyze and adjust your strategy. You can also gather data to send to your boss when it comes time to report on a campaign’s success or discuss your yearly accomplishments.

Amplify helps simplify internal communication, ensuring consistency across departments and allowing you to use maximum effort where it's needed. Time to work smarter and not harder!

Using Viva Amplify for Microsoft 365 Copilot launch

In the tech news world, I've eagerly awaited the launch of Microsoft's AI-powered assistant, Copilot, which is embedded into Microsoft 365. Copilot is specially designed to boost productivity by automating routine tasks that don't need human input. For example, you can draft emails, create documents, and analyze data. What are you left with? Time to focus on more complex work that needs your creativity and expertise.

Like with the rollout of anything new, you can set yourself up for success with internal communications. Microsoft has created a Copilot Deployment Kit in Viva Amplify to make the launch a breeze. The kit includes:

  • Campaign flow: Full of pre-written copy that can be edited to suit your organization. It even includes draft messaging and suggestions for an internal adoption strategy. The hard part has been done for you.
  • Resources: If draft messaging isn't something you're looking for, the deployment kit includes plenty of videos and guides to help you come to grips with Copilot and create your own powerful messaging.
  • Reporting: You can easily find out how well messaging has reached employees and whether the campaign has succeeded.

This launch is the perfect way to use Viva Amplify or explore where the software can take you and your internal communications strategy. You don't have to rely on kits long-term, but browsing what is on offer is the perfect way to deepen your team's understanding.

Custom campaigns

The fact that Viva Amplify offers built-in templates for common initiatives like the Copilot launch is helpful, but the tool's flexibility allows you to use it for various internal communications campaigns.

For example, imagine your company is in the midst of an enormous intranet overhaul. The employees are all nervous about what's to come, and you know that as internal communicators, you are responsible for making things go as smoothly as possible. You can use Viva Amplify to create a structured communications campaign. This campaign can:

  • Explain the benefits of the new intranet
  • Provide training resources
  • Schedule regular reminders and updates across Teams, SharePoint, Engage, and email

By coordinating messages through Viva Amplify, the company ensures that employees are well-informed and prepared for the transition.

Although Viva Amplify doesn't (currently) support fully customizable templates, communicators can still prepare bespoke campaigns to address specific organizational needs. Whether you're introducing new HR policies, announcing company-wide changes, or supporting a system rollout, Amplify's intuitive design makes it easy to draft and schedule messages.

Tip for consultancy

If you're an internal comms consultant offering change and adoption services, consider offering bespoke templates for Viva Amplify. For example, you could create a ready-to-use template for the intranet launch we discussed earlier.

Offering templates enhances your value proposition as a consultant and lets your clients seamlessly integrate your expertise into their broader internal communications strategy.

Conclusion

Since its global, general release rollout in 2023, Viva Amplify has been a powerful tool to have in your internal communications arsenal. Whether you're managing the Copilot rollout or creating bespoke campaigns, it will simplify the process by allowing full coordination and consistent messaging across Microsoft 365. I can't wait to see what future innovations will come to this communications management tool.

Are you still looking for more Copilot info? Check out the three new reporting APIs for Copilot.

Thanks for reading,
Jarbas