AI in the workplace: Sunrun’s communication transformation

According to the National Bureau of Economic Research, 26% of workers already rely on generative AI tools like ChatGPT to perform their jobs more efficiently. To examine how organizations are using AI in the workplace, Miriam Connaughton, Chief People and Experience Officer at Simpplr, led a panel discussion about productivity benefits and maintaining human authenticity. 

She spoke with Wyatt Semanek, Director of Corporate Communications at Sunrun, and Carolyn Clark, Vice President of Communications and Employee Experience Strategy at Simpplr. The nation’s largest residential provider of solar and storage systems, Sunrun relies on Simpplr to connect with its 11,000 employees across more than 20 states. 

Sunrun faces unique communication challenges. About 85% of their employees work directly with customers, and 66% don’t have desks. This means Semanek’s team needs effective systems to reach employees wherever they are working — from rooftops to customer living rooms. Let’s explore the key insights from their Reworked webinar about AI in workplace communications.

Practical applications of AI for internal communications

Generative AI in the workplace serves primarily to enhance productivity. It gives employees answers faster and sorts information quickly so they can move on to other tasks that need to be handled manually. As deadlines tighten and workloads grow, more teams are turning to AI for support.

“I think a lot of folks are feeling like we’re getting asked to do a lot more now, maybe with fewer resources or with a lower headcount,” said Semanek. “So we’re looking for ways of finding how we can utilize tools and technology to make up that gap.”

Both internal communicators and employees seeking information can benefit from well-implemented AI systems in the workplace. Sunrun’s experience shows how this operates in practice.

Case study: Smart intranet search provides guidance in the field

Semanek’s team has developed an extensive knowledge base within their Simpplr-powered intranet, called Current — an electricity pun and nod to their solar panels. The platform shares announcements with 11,000 employees across the country but also makes it easy for workers to find answers.

Specifically, the smart intranet search embedded into Current uses AI to answer employee questions so they spend less time searching and more time responding to customer questions or troubleshooting installs. 

“The customer experience is very much tied to the employee experience,” says Semanek. “Folks can use the Current mobile app when they’re up on a rooftop or in a customer’s home. They can ask a question, and the system will provide answers or create steps to overcome any hurdles. That is just a huge unlock for our business, providing efficiency gains for us to deliver a great customer experience.”

The analytics on Current demonstrate ROI by quantifying employee engagement and usage. High adoption rates across field teams, like solar panel installers and sales representatives, prove the platform’s value in real time. Personalized responses to daily common questions reduce time spent searching for answers, translating into measurable productivity gains and stronger returns on their technology investment.

“Just last quarter, we had more than 1,600,000 views of content in the platform, compared to 600,000 before Simpplr.” — Wyatt Semanek, Director of Corporate Communications, Sunrun

The responses through Current allow for knowledge discovery and content personalization. The diversity of answers reflects the various questions and challenges that come with working in the solar panel industry. If the Current app wasn’t valuable, employees wouldn’t use it. 

Balancing AI and human creativity in communications

While there are several use cases for bringing AI into the workplace, it needs to be carefully managed so companies can maintain a human-centric approach to communication. More than 50% of consumers hate automated phone menus. Employees likely share similar feelings about AI-generated internal communications that lack a human touch.

Clark explains how she takes a first-draft approach to AI. She writes her own first draft, getting her thoughts on paper, then uses AI to review the information and identify any missing pieces. 

“I use generative AI less to actually generate and more to look for gaps,” she said. “I want to know if there’s any bias that I might have missed that could change how my message is received.”

Simpplr’s Writing Assistant helps internal communicators and content creators fine-tune messaging with clarity and consistency, reducing time spent on editing so they can focus on crafting content that reflects company voice and strengthens culture.

Other users take the reverse approach and ask AI to write a first draft, then they review it with a human eye. Both processes intend to keep human creativity central to content generation. This allows brands and internal teams to maintain an authentic voice and avoid generic content that tends to sound dry and robotic.  

This process also allows the communications team to use internal terms and catchphrases that might not be commonly known outside of the organization. You can speak your “company’s language” and ensure your content reflects your culture. 

Building trust and governance for AI in the workplace

Employee acceptance rarely happens immediately. Sunrun didn’t achieve 1,600,000 quarterly content views overnight. It took time to demonstrate Current’s value and explain how it works. Organizations implementing AI in the workplace should plan to help employees build confidence using it.

“Trust comes from storytelling,” Clark said. “Your storytelling doesn’t have to be the inner workings of the AI behind the scenes. Rather, you can explain that AI makes recommendations based on what someone previously clicked on or according to their profile, department, and team.”

It’s good to be vigilant when it comes to AI, but knowing how it works and where the answers come from can build confidence and trust. 

Semanek says that along with storytelling, finding the right stakeholders was key to increasing adoption of Current. Just because the C-suite has buy-in doesn’t mean the rest of the employees are on board. He says that getting middle managers to see the value of the AI-powered intranet was key. These leaders shared the value of the tools with lower-level employees and won them over. This increased total company usage. 

Establishing AI policies for sensitive information

As you build employee acceptance, protecting sensitive information requires equal attention. Your organization should collaborate with IT, Legal, and dedicated AI teams to create safeguards. Demonstrating your company’s mindful approach to AI can increase adoption. In doing so, your team members will feel more confident that the AI used in the workplace is safe, accurate, and reliable.

You don’t want your intranet to become another platform employees ignore. Storytelling and building trust will help win over team members and increase the value of the platform.

“Show people practical, helpful ways that it can solve things for them and demystify it. It’s not scary, and once they start adopting it, you get that flywheel effect.” — Miriam Connaughton, Chief People and Experience Officer, Simpplr

Key considerations for using AI in the workplace

Generative AI has skyrocketed into the American workforce. There’s no doubt that most American workplaces are considering using AI tools, if not using them already.

McKinsey & Co. reports that GenAI usage jumped from 33% in 2023 to 71% in 2024. The adoption of standard AI saw a similar increase in trends

Organizations need to be strategic when implementing AI in the workplace.  Consider these guidelines:

• Establish a clear stance on AI aligned with  company values. When employees see that your approach reflects company principles, they’ll have greater confidence in the implementation process.
• Develop comprehensive data protection protocols. Strong guidelines for sensitive information not only safeguard your organization but demonstrate to employees that you take their privacy seriously.
• Carefully assess potential AI partners. Select vendors with proven records of responsible AI development. Choosing reputable partners prevents negative experiences that can damage employee trust.

Investing in the technical side of AI — selecting trusted vendors and establishing governance — sets the necessary foundation. Once these essentials are in place, your team can focus on the more creative aspects, such as developing personalized content and building human connections throughout your organization.

“I hope to create targeted, individualized messaging,” said Clark. “I spend all this time, this creativity, this humanity on crafting something that I want to make an impact on. My ultimate goal is to make sure people understand what I need them to understand, which is typically how to get their job done and the vision of their organization.”

Internal communication teams often try to strike a balance between consistent communication and individualized messaging. AI-powered employee experience platforms can be valuable tools for achieving those goals on a large scale. 

Amplify internal communications with Simpplr

Generative AI is not a replacement for human communicators but a partner that elevates messaging to make it clearer and more effective. AI also doesn’t naturally improve internal communication across companies. It needs human teams working behind the scenes to increase adoption by providing value to employees.

Sunrun’s success with Simpplr’s AI-powered platform is a great example of this balanced approach. The use of human-based content creation and strategic adoption initiatives made Current a valuable internal communications solution. 

With Simpplr AI, communicators can quickly draft, polish, and personalize content for different employee segments — without leaving the intranet. AI-assisted summaries, rewrites, and suggestions helped the team focus more time on strategy and less on repetitive tasks, resulting in faster, more targeted communication across the company.

AI in the workplace continues to accelerate. Internal communications professionals can adopt these tools to streamline their messaging and increase productivity. The core of all internal communication, however, still centers on human connection. These personal touches are what make your content engaging, effective, and memorable. It will also build a stronger company culture and allow your teams to move into the future stronger than ever.

Listen to the full discussion between Semanek, Clark, and Connaughton on the Reworked webinar, Gen AI for the digital workplace: Strategies from internal comms experts, to explore additional insights and hear audience commentary.

Ready to find out how Simpplr can transform internal communications at your company? Request a demo today.