How CoolIT's employee comms fueled rapid growth and cultural connection

The tech company launched strategic internal newsletters to drive engagement, enhance visibility, and foster a strong culture across its global workforce.

The challenge: CoolIT Systems is a 400-person company known for its liquid cooling technology — widely used to boost energy efficiency around the world, like at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where “their technology enabled the use of heat generated from Equinix’s PA10 data center to warm the Olympic Aquatics Centre’s pools and a 430m² greenhouse.”

In early 2024, a CoolIT staff engagement survey showed one clear piece of feedback: employees wanted more communication from executives and a better understanding of the company’s growth and direction. The company needed a way to:

• Create better awareness: With permanent and temporary employees across Calgary, Taiwan, China, Costa Rica, the UK, and the U.S., the team needed a consistent and engaging way to stay informed.
• Power clearer communication: Employees needed essential and highly technical information presented in a clear, concise format, making it easy to digest and act on.

The solution: In exploring options, CoolIT’s COO, Pat McGinn, read “Smart Brevity: The power of saying more with less” and decided the methodology — and Axios HQ software that brings it to life — would help them curate, consolidate, and share the vital information their staff were asking for.

• The Weekly Pulse became their newsletter to all staff. “It’s the heartbeat of CoolIT’s internal communication culture, fostering transparency, participation, and recognition across the company. The Smart Brevity format helps us distill complex updates into actionable content that resonates,” said Tara Munro, Senior Executive Assistant.
• Monthly department newsletters emerged — natural extensions of “The Weekly Pulse” — giving teams a platform to share key updates, project highlights, and innovations. "We worried about having enough content for weekly sends, but once we started, we had more updates than we could fit. Other departments began sticking their hand up to write their own. This cemented Axios HQ as our go-to tool for sharing information, fostering transparency and engagement.” 

How it worked: The team coordinates content and key initiatives with departments as they arise. Topics like budget updates during planning season or People Team insights during reviews align with specific times of the year. Departments often reached out proactively to share highlights, critical updates, and upcoming initiatives, knowing “The Weekly Pulse” kicks off every Monday as a must-read for employees.

• Smart Brevity condensed information into concise, actionable updates, while Axios HQ ensured the newsletter remained consistent and reliable.
• Employees trusted it as their go-to source for vital updates, driving alignment across the company.

“Collaborating with Axios HQ was instrumental in the success of CoolIT’s communications strategy. Their training sessions, webinars, bootcamps, and regular updates via newsletters provided the team with a clear understanding of the Smart Brevity methodology. Frequent check-ins from a dedicated account manager ensured an open line of communication, offering actionable tips, best practice suggestions, and ongoing guidance. This comprehensive support enabled us to seamlessly integrate the software, amplify the impact of our newsletters, and ensure long-term success.”

📊 Key comms and business results: 

• Stronger comms performance: Open rates hit 88% and click rates 9%, on average. “Our communications now drive employee engagement, participation, and alignment with company goals. Real-time feedback shows employees appreciate them, too.”
• Better workforce collaboration: "There’s a noticeable shift in how teams interact. Employees now have a deeper appreciation for the work happening across departments. You hear more conversations recognizing others' contributions and celebrating their wins."
• Broader brand awareness: "Our LinkedIn presence has grown by 3,000 followers in eight months, as employees became more engaged with and eager to share company news."
• Operate more proactively: “The Smart Brevity style resonates — that has become very clear. We're choosing to use it in our newsletters and also our town halls and our PowerPoint presentations. By structuring communications around key Axioms, we deliver information in clear, focused categories. This approach helps keep employees informed, ensuring they understand why decisions are being made and how they connect to the bigger picture.”

💭 Tara Munro, Senior Executive Assistant: “I experience the impact of these communications every single day. They spark meaningful conversations, inspire pride through Kudos submissions, and foster a sense of connection across teams. As we work towards growing the organization by at least 40% over the next 12 months, effective communication will remain at the forefront of our strategy. Smart Brevity and Axios HQ empower us to deliver timely, meaningful updates that ensure everyone stays informed, engaged, and aligned.”

CoolIT earned Axios HQ's 2025 Best-in-Class award for All Staff Comms. See our other award winners:

• 2025 Best-in-Class Change Management Communications
• 2025 Best-in-Class Community Engagement
• 2025 Best-in-Class Culture Creator
• 2025 Best-in-Class Team of the Year
• 2025 Smart Brevity Champion