Deskless employees are the backbone of the retail economy, comprising 497 million workers globally. But despite commanding such a huge number, the majority of them lament that they only receive a sliver of information from their management teams.
This is largely because companies are not using the right communication solutions for deskless workers. As result, these workers feel underappreciated, forgotten and unrecognized. It's no surprise that only 10% of deskless employees feel deeply connected to their companies.
If your employees feel this way in any of your stores, your company is probably losing thousands of dollars already in productivity and customer satisfaction. You're also giving your competition an easy time to beat you. But things don't need to be this way.
While working with several retail outlets across the country, we have identified challenges that retail stores face when communicating with frontline employees. So if you're looking for the best communication solutions for deskless employees, here is what you should know.
Versatility Matters
Contrary to what many retail managers assume, communication strategies that work for on-site workers do not always apply to deskless employees.
For example, email is commonly used for branch managers. But frontline employees don't always own corporate email IDs. And that's not all.
Many on-floor managers also have limited access to email. Therefore, companies need to find alternative solutions that are versatile enough to accommodate all employees.
It's Not Just About Physical Reach
We've seen many companies marketing mobile-based communication strategies as a magic bullet for deskless employees. However, a non-customizable application that broadcasts information at regular interval can only do so much. And this is why.
While physical reach is important, the messages sent to your frontline employees must be relevant and efficient enough to accommodate their busy schedules.
Your floor employees for instance may want to see updated campaign strategies during their 30-minute lunch break while others may want updates on store performance while on their way to the next shift.
OS-Agnostic Solution With Offline Support Is Crucial
Over 85% of employees today own and use smartphones for professional purposes. As such, companies that invest in a mobile communication solution that supports any device are more likely to reach the majority of their employees regardless of their job titles, and geographical locations.
File Sharing Is Key
File sharing is extremely important in today's workplaces. Employees want to have useful resources and industry related memes on their mobile devices. They also want to enjoy the freedom to provide their views and be heard.
But as mentioned earlier, most deskless workers don't have corporate emails. Retail companies should therefore adopt employee communication solutions that make file sharing easier and internal communication seamless.
Don't Underestimate Employee Feedback
To monitor if your communication strategy for deskless employees is actually working, it's wise to conduct regular reviews. Mobile communication apps should therefore let these employees to give their feedback.
PlayerLync is one of the most robust training and communication solutions for deskless employees. It offers retail stores the versatility needed to connect all employees with management via mobile devices.
We continue to invest in research and product development to ensure our solutions are addressing current concerns. To learn more about communication issues affecting the industry and our solutions, read our guide: The State of Internal Communications For Frontline Employees.
