How LAGO Swimming Paradises Improved Communication for 400+ Employees Across 15 Locations with Speakap

Learn how LAGO Swimming Paradises improved internal communication across 15+ locations with Speakap.

Hospitality

About LAGO Swimming Paradises

Sector: Leisure and recreation (swimming paradises and fitness centers)
Locations: 15 branches in Belgium
Number of employees: ± 400 permanent employees and additional seasonal staff

LAGO Swimming Paradises is a well-known chain of swimming paradises and fitness centers in Belgium, providing recreation and wellness services across multiple locations. With employees working different hours—morning, afternoon, evening, and weekends—communication was becoming a real challenge.

Challenge: Fragmented communication within a diverse organization

LAGO Swimming Paradises runs a pretty impressive operation—15 swimming paradises and fitness centers spread across Belgium, buzzing with activity from morning to night. But keeping their 400+ employees connected and informed? That was another story:

WhatsApp groups for each location and team. Good for memes, terrible for work-life balance.
Emails. Easily ignored, especially by frontline employees who don’t sit at a desk all day.
Physical briefings. Great, if you happen to be working the right shift when they happen.

LAGO’s employees work a mix of morning, afternoon, evening, and weekend shifts. They needed a way to reach everyone—anytime, anywhere—and make sure employees felt like part of one big team, not just a bunch of scattered groups. And the way they had done things so far wasn’t going to help them achieve this.

The solution: Speakap as employee engagement app

After looking at different tools, LAGO went with Speakap to get everyone on the same page and make communication less frustrating.

What made Speakap the right fit?

Easy access: Employees could use it without needing a company email.
Quick communication: No more waiting for people to read emails or sit through briefings.
Push notifications & translation: Crucial for a diverse workforce.
Separation of work and personal life: Clear separation between work and personal life, replacing WhatsApp as the official communication tool.

LAGO tested the app at two locations first. Once it worked well there, they expanded it everywhere. Short, focused training sessions made it easy for employees to get on board. Plus, an ambassador program helped employees teach their coworkers how to use it.

Results: A strong and engaged employee community

Switching to Speakap made a big difference, fast:

86% Activation Rate: Most employees signed up and started using Speakap.
30% Daily Engagement: A good chunk of the team uses the app every day.
75-80% Monthly Usage: Almost everyone checks in at least once a month.
Faster Interaction: Questions and updates are handled within minutes, not hours.

At LAGO, Speakap is used daily for various purposes, including:

Internal announcements and news updates, such as new initiatives, safety instructions, and schedules.
Birthday and anniversary celebrations, making employees feel appreciated.
Project and event coordination, keeping employees informed about new campaigns and activities.
Direct line with management, with executives posting a minimum of five messages per year, enhancing engagement.
Spotlighting employees, for example, congratulating colleagues on achievements or personal milestones.
Crisis communication, sharing urgent updates immediately via push notifications.

LAGO’s CEO shared a Christmas message as a video through Speakap. It got 60+ reactions and 219 views, showing how engaged employees are with the platform.

Additionally, Speakap has improved communication between locations. Whereas employees previously mainly interacted within their own branch, they can now easily connect with colleagues from other locations, strengthening collaboration and knowledge sharing.

Conclusion: A modern, efficient, and people-centric communication solution

Speakap has made it easier for LAGO Swimming Paradises to keep over 400 employees informed, no matter where they are or what hours they work. Employees feel more connected to their teams and the company, with updates and messages reaching them when they need it.

Speakap has transformed our internal communication. We now have an interactive platform where everyone is heard and where employees truly feel part of the LAGO family.

Kim Maetens HR Support Manager at LAGO Swimming Paradises

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