Viva Engage vs Yammer: The Evolution

The landscape of employee collaboration and communication tools has evolved significantly over the past few years. One of the notable shifts in this arena is the transition from Yammer to Viva Engage within the Microsoft 365 suite. If you've been wondering, "What is Viva Engage in Teams?" or how it relates to Yammer, this article is your one-stop guide.

A Brief Look Back: Yammer's Legacy

Yammer began its journey as an independent product, striving to revolutionize internal corporate communication. The idea was simple: create a social media platform exclusively for businesses, providing a space for open communication, community building, and knowledge sharing. When Microsoft acquired Yammer in 2012, it became integrated into the Microsoft 365 suite, bolstering the suite's offerings for corporate communication.

Over time, the Yammer brand solidified its reputation as an efficient community app, much like other social media platforms, but with a twist—focused purely on employee engagement and collaboration within an organization. The familiar interface of feeds, likes, comments, and the "leadership corner" gave a sense of open dialogue between employees and management.

Yammer's Evolution: From Communities App to Viva Engage

The Yammer Communities app in Microsoft Teams became a staple for many organizations. Yet, as workplaces evolved and the importance of employee experience platforms grew, Microsoft saw an opportunity to reimagine Yammer. Enter Viva Engage.

While some might think Yammer was merely rebranded to Viva Engage, the transition is more profound. At its core, "What is Viva Engage?" can be summarized as an evolution of Yammer. It retains the essence of community building from Yammer, but Viva Engage is designed as a more comprehensive part of the Microsoft Viva suite, focusing holistically on enhancing the employee experience.

Viva Engage vs. Yammer: Distinguishing Features

• Integration with Microsoft Viva Suite: While Yammer stood predominantly alone, Viva Engage is deeply integrated with other parts of the Microsoft Viva suite. This includes functionalities like Viva Topics, where employees can access a knowledge repository, and Viva Connections, creating a unified employee experience.
• Advanced Analytics: With Viva Engage, organizations gain access to advanced analytics, helping them understand employee engagement and interaction patterns. This is a step up from the traditional metrics Yammer provided.
• Mobile Experience: Both Yammer mobile apps and the Viva Engage app in Teams offer a seamless mobile experience. However, with the latter, the integration feels more cohesive, allowing users to stay connected on the go within the broader Microsoft Teams mobile environment.
• Engagement Enhancements: Answers in Viva Engage make it easier for employees to ask questions and receive approved content as responses, ensuring accurate information sharing.

Retaining Yammer's Essence in Microsoft Viva Engage

It's essential to note that while Viva Engage presents a new approach, it retains several features that made Yammer beloved. The community-building aspect, the freedom to pin Viva Engage (or previously, Yammer) to the Teams admin sidebar, and the opportunity for open dialogue remain intact.

Yet, with it, the focus expands beyond just communication. It is about crafting a holistic employee experience platform within Microsoft Teams. This means more than just chats and posts—it's about knowledge sharing, community building, and offering tools that genuinely enhance the daily work experience.

It's extremely important to give your employees the ability to spin up Viva Engage communities independently. We've written a comprehensive blog article dedicated to just that - the benefits of the self-service creation of Viva Engage.

Conclusion: A New Era of Collaboration

To say that Viva Engage vs. Yammer is a battle of tools would be a misunderstanding. It's more of an evolution, a step forward in Microsoft's vision for a unified, enriched employee experience. As we transition from the Yammer brand to embrace what Viva Engage offers, it's exciting to think about the future possibilities.

Both tools had their time and place. Yammer laid the foundation, and Viva Engage is building upon it, promising a future where collaboration is intuitive, meaningful, and deeply integrated into our daily work routines within Microsoft 365.

So, the next time you ponder the difference between Yammer vs Viva Engage, remember: it's a journey of growth, innovation, and a commitment to improving the way we connect, collaborate, and thrive in today's digital workspace.