Improving Communications for Frontline Workers with a Centralized Hub

Keeping frontline workers informed and engaged isn’t always easy. But with a targeted and centralized communication hub, you can ensure they stay connected and feel like part of the team.

Frontline workers are a critical component of any company. They’re at the vanguard of new products and campaigns, and they’re often the first contact point with clients. But this can mean they’re sometimes the last point of contact with the company, especially when it comes to comms.

And it’s not always easy to reach out to them, thanks to different locations, different time shifts, even different types of jobs. Strong communication encourages employee engagement—and engagement within the workforce is beneficial not only for employee satisfaction, but also for business growth.

Ensuring that frontline workers are informed and engaged is the key to an efficient, organized, and profitable business. In this article, we’ll discuss how a centralized communication hub that’s easily accessible can make the critical difference in frontline employee communication.

What are the main challenges when communicating with frontline employees?

Why do so many companies struggle with keeping frontline workers connected to company news? Well, with many frontline workers traveling or in the field, and with a large portion doing their jobs without a company-issued device or even a professional email, there are obvious general barriers to smooth, seamless communication. This situation can result in a number of more specific obstacles, which can include:

Scattered comms channels.

Because there’s no easy access to a company computer or emails, frontline information is shared across multiple communication channels, such as paperwork, intranets, bulletin boards, WhatsApp groups, walkie-talkies, etc. For years, within the Seris Security group, there was a significant gap between the brand and its employees, due to rare and outdated communication. Find out how Seris Security met this challenge.

In short, there’s no centralized or consolidated information stream, and no single tool to provide an access point. According to one study by Lighthouse Data, frontline staff are 1900% more likely to say their employer is not open and transparent if they don’t have access to the right technologies to do their work. So having the right tool matters! Interested in this type of stats? Read this article on internal communications statistics.

Difficulty reaching a specific audience.

Despite the widespread use of digital communication tools, reaching and engaging specific populations in global teams remains a significant challenge.

For example, in the retail industry, the merchandising team may receive updates on new product arrivals and display guidelines, while the customer service team may receive updates on new promotions and customer feedback. Targeting one segment of the frontline workforce is almost impossible in these scenarios.

The risk of information overload.

While it’s important to keep employees informed, bombarding them with too much information can be overwhelming and counterproductive. This can make it difficult for employees to focus on the most important information and take appropriate actions.

If there is no filtering mechanism, frontline workers, for whom not all office information is relevant, can easily become overwhelmed with a flood of irrelevant updates.

Language barriers.

In global teams, one message to all won’t be effective. A language not understood properly by the frontliner can result in it being overlooked or ignored.

For example, if safety protocols are only available in one language, workers who don’t speak that language may not be able to understand or follow them properly.

This is especially true for large, international companies with dispersed employees and scattered production centers. Without some form of translation, a large percentage of the company is going to be left out.

Unmeasurable results.

Using multiple sources, it is often unclear whether messages have been read or reached the intended audience. There’s no way to monitor open rates or receive receipts, and no mechanism by which to test knowledge retention or awareness. The effectiveness of communication, in this scenario, remains an unknown.

Frontline staff are 1900% more likely to say their employer is not open and transparent if they don’t have access to the right technologies to do their work.Lighthouse Data

Sociabble is the communication solution for frontline workers

So what’s the answer, then? Well, what it comes down to is sending the right message, to the right people, at the right time. And this can be accomplished with the right centralized digital communication hub—which is precisely what Sociabble is designed to be.

Sociabble is a total employee communication solution, and via its platform, frontline workers stay connected and engaged with crucial company information no matter where they are, and they’re able to feel like they’re part of the team.

This is accomplished thanks to a number of included platform features, such as:

An easy-to-use branded mobile app for everyone.

Thanks to Sociabble’s intuitive mobile-native app, frontline workers can access company information just as easily as their colleagues with desk stations. There’s no need for the additional WhatsApp groups, or Facebook chats.

Use of the platform and onboarding are simple too, meaning that employees can start using it right away, and dispose of the old communication tools immediately.

Targeting and segmentation.

Sociabble allows companies to distribute targeted messages that can be tailored for a specific audience and their needs, along virtually any criteria.

If the retail workers of all the stores in a specific country need to receive an update about new work regulations, they can be easily targeted, with pinnable content and read receipt options to ensure that the content is being read.

Automatic and scheduled notifications & alerts.

With this feature, companies can send targeted messages at the right time, regarding important subjects like changes in shift schedules, or new safety protocols.

By scheduling notifications and alerts, companies can ensure that everyone is informed and prepared, regardless of time zone differences or holiday schedules.

Built-in translation.

Sociabble allows instant, real-time translation in more than 70 languages, of any content, empowering employees to translate posts and comments into their preferred language.

For example, new HR procedures can be translated into multiple languages so that workers who don’t speak the primary language can still understand them and adhere to the new practices.

Analytics for measuring the impact of your internal comms.

Sociabble provides robust analytics and reporting tools that offer insight into the reach and impact of internal communications. Additionally, push notifications and read receipts ensure that important messages are read, with the platform measuring the impact by topic and audience.

Admins can analyse and fine-tune their communication strategy to ensure that frontline workers are engaging with the medium and message.

Want to learn more about how Sociabble can help your company reconnect with its frontline workforce? You can sign up for a free demo here.