The modern workplace consists of many employee personas. For companies to empower and engage every team member, they need to understand the different ways in which professionals operate. Alongside the traditional office worker, business leaders must now support many remote, hybrid, and frontline employees.
Unfortunately, while many companies are developing new strategies to assist their versatile and distributed teams, the frontline worker is often overlooked. Around 17% of frontline workers say they never connect with their head office, despite their importance to businesses. Frontline workers are often the face of an organisation and crucial to productivity and, therefore, success. It’s crucial that they are empowered to be as efficient as possible as they drive customer experience.
So, how do companies keep frontline workers connected to the wider business? The right strategies, technologies, and processes can make all the difference.
Step 1: Invest in Collaborative Tools
Perhaps the most effective way to engage frontline employees and ensure they maintain a strong link with all of their colleagues is to invest in the right collaboration tools. Collaboration platforms are quickly emerging as the new “hub” of work in an environment where employees often operate across distributed landscapes in remote, hybrid, and frontline settings.
Collaboration tools allow companies to access new methods of connecting with their colleagues, sharing information, and collecting knowledge through the cloud. Around 80% of employees in all business positions use collaboration tools to maintain high levels of productivity and customer service.
Many team collaboration tools on the market today can also include specific apps, add-ons, and features specially designed to support frontline workers. Some have their own “push to talk” options for walkie-talkie-style conversations. They can even work alongside scheduling and workforce management tools to help business leaders gain insight into where team members are at any given time. Plus, these solutions ensure every frontline worker can take part in crucial meetings, conferences, and company discussions.
“At Spectralink we’ve really taken to heart the plight of frontline workers. Our experience alongside our channel partners on the field showed us there was an important gap in the level of service and collaboration provided to desk-based workers and their counterparts on the shop floor, in the factory or warehouse,” said Julien Bertheuil, Managing Director EMEA at Spectralink Corporation.
“This is what led us to develop a native Microsoft Teams integration with all our DECT handsets in early 2022.
“Frontline worker are now able to access the same collaboration tool as their colleagues, driving productivity and improving, customer service and job satisfaction.”
Step 2: Support Multiple Forms of Communication
Part of keeping frontline workers connected to the wider business environment understands how they prefer to communicate with colleagues and business leaders. Not every frontline worker will be able to sit down and type out an email, particularly if they’re using a smartphone as their main device. They may prefer to access different methods of communication, like SMS, instant chat, video, and fast-paced audio calls.
A good way for business leaders to ensure they’re enabling and empowering their frontline workers is to ask them about their communication preferences. Pay attention to how frontline staff prefer to interact with their colleagues with analytics and adoption insights, and ensure staff have a range of ways to get in touch.
It’s also worth making sure business leaders are aware of the communication preferences of their teams when they’re planning meetings and crucial discussions. While a full video conference may be difficult for frontline workers to attend from a PC, they should be able to dial in using any device they may have.
Step 3: Invest in the Correct Hardware
Speaking of devices, frontline workers can’t stay connected to their teams if they don’t have the correct hardware. DECT and Wi-Fi phones are often essential for frontline workers who need to stay connected and in tune with their colleagues wherever they are. However, it’s important for business leaders to make sure they’re investing in the right solution for their teams.
