Even before COVID-19, the mobile workforce trend was on the rise. Now more than ever, the ability to provide mobile workforce support through a high-quality, easy to use mobile workforce app is essential. But, what is mobile workforce management and why does it matter? Let’s answer that.
What is Mobile Workforce Management? (MWM)
Mobile workforce management (or, MWM management) refers to the software and services needed to manage mobile workers. MWM tools provide critical support services like tracking, training, development, productivity management, and communication.
All of these essential services help mobile workers to stay up-to-date and achieve success. To truly understand mobile workforce management, you must first know what’s considered a mobile workforce.
The definition of mobile working is “work that can be done outside of the office”. This is not limited to working from home; the mobile workforce includes any employee who works outside of a physical location. Mobile working includes home services, construction, and utilities workers, as well as deskless workers like retail employees and gig workers.
Most mobile workforce software solutions include tools for:
- Performance and task management
- Schedule creation
- Real-time mobile communication
- Tracking employees from job site to job site
- Interactive employee training and development
- Mobile content management
- Offline content management
- Digitization of business processes and operations
The mobile workforce and management market is incredibly vast; It’s crucial that employers choose the right mobile workforce application for their field or service. After all, this app is what employees (and employers) will lean on to get through training, develop skills, communicate reliably, and cultivate a strong presence in their field.
Explore PlayerLync’s MWM software solutions to find out what makes our mobile workforce management applications unique and effective.
Challenges of Managing a Mobile Workforce
Mobile working software makes managing a mobile workforce a whole lot easier, but unfortunately, there are still some challenges. Here are the four primary challenges to managing a mobile workforce that we’ve discovered.
- Finishing and building a team
- Accessing current information
- Staying connected
- Evaluating progress
Finding and Building a Team
Finding and keeping a team of quality employees can be tough in any industry, but it’s especially hard with a mobile workforce. It can be very difficult to find success in a job where there often isn’t an experienced coworker in the room to answer questions, especially for new employees.
MWM seeks to solve the problem of employee retention by incorporating interactive employee training and development that is meaningful and increases employee confidence. This mode of training is made for individual learning, which allows for schedule flexibility and the ability to look back on these resources anytime they’re needed.
Access to Current Information
Immediate access to resources that can answer questions (like one has in an office setting) is integral to the success of your mobile workforce. This information needs to be accessible anytime, anywhere, on any device.
Having all the information and technology employees may need at their fingertips will empower them to be their best, and also provides managers with the information they need to effectively oversee mobile workers. Our modern learning platform is created to bridge these gaps and make sure the flow of information is never broken.
Staying Connected
A common complaint among mobile workers is feeling isolated and feeling like they have no support from their team. To combat this problem, implementing checklists that help employees engage in processes and focus on productivity is a great place to start. Another important part of establishing connections is making sure employees can communicate with each other.
This may seem obvious, but it’s often overlooked. Mobile workers can’t chat around the water cooler, so ensuring they have ways to communicate with one another is important to cultivating a feeling of community. Increased communication will also lead to the sharing of tips and team collaboration. PlayerLync’s communication channels are secure and easy to use.
Progress Evaluation
When it comes to remote workers, progress evaluation is tough. It’s impossible for a manager to know what every employee’s day looks like or what disruptions and difficulties they encounter. You should always define good performance and how you’ll measure it from the start.
If you’re armed with the right mobile WFM that supports your team and tracks progress, you can trust your employees to get the job done and evaluate their progress using software like ours.
Benefits of Mobile Workforce Management Software
The benefits of a mobile workforce far outweigh the challenges when the right mobile workforce software is used. Collaboration and decision-making is made easier, while customer expectations and employee satisfaction are higher. Here are the top benefits of mobile workforce management software that we’ve identified.
- Agile collaboration
- Data-based decisions
- Training is more valuable
- Customer experience is better
- Employees are more engaged
Collaboration is Agile
Training employees through mobile workforce management brings new technology into the equation. No matter what industry you’re in, connecting your staff and giving them the tools to collaborate and help each other from any location requires current tech.
Not only does this make collaboration and communication easier, but it shows your employees that you care about technology and the ways that it can simplify their day-to-day responsibilities. The goal of our software is to make your life and your employees' lives easier with collaboration tools and many other simplification tools. Explore our solutions today.
Decisions Are Based in Data
Empower yourself to make smart business decisions based on data by using your mobile workforce management app. Actionable data insights help you find the best solutions tailored to the needs of your company. Our software links performance measurements to operating results and offers mobile workforce tools and resources to help you streamline tasks and create easily-tracked digital processes.
Mobile Learning Makes Training More Valuable
It has been proven that day-long training sessions are not very engaging and, therefore, not very useful. After all, what’s the point of a training session if none of it sticks?
Instead, train your employees using our software for mobile learning which lets them train anytime, any place. Employees can even take resources out into the field so that they’re available on the job. This way, even if they forget something, they have the resources to find that information right when they need it.
Mobile training combined with our modern learning platform lets you track progress and receive employee feedback, providing you with valuable data to make smart decisions going forward. Furthermore, when employees see you take action on the feedback they’ve provided, they feel heard and supported and this cultivates a positive workplace culture.
Customer Experiences are Better
Mobile working solutions actually create higher customer expectations. How so? Our WFM mobile app helps employees deliver better customer service across the board, which fosters better customer experience.
This is because employees can look back on important materials from training at any time using their mobile device. If they aren’t sure how to answer a customer question, or about the specifics of an important procedure, the answer is right in their pocket. High quality customer service can’t be achieved without happy employees who are treated well and given all the tools they need to succeed.
Employees Are More Satisfied And Engaged
Your employees are your most valuable asset. The right mobile workforce management system will provide you with the tools to properly train employees and establish expectations. This not only helps them perform better, but ensures that they are more satisfied with their job.
Higher levels of job satisfaction lead to better customer service and higher engagement, as well as increased employee retention. When choosing your MWM, remember that a high quality system has the potential to benefit all parties involved.
Mobile Workforce Management Tips
Managing a mobile workforce is not the same as managing employees in an office or other physical location. Here are a few tips to help you succeed:
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Support From Day One
When you hire a new employee, utilize your training and development software. This is the optimal time to instill best practices, offer support, and make sure they feel valued from day one. The positive effect that employee satisfaction has on customer experience, workplace culture, and retention rates cannot be overstated. -
Encourage Mental Health Awareness
Ensure that your mobile workforce knows the importance of taking care of their mental health. Mobile workers are more susceptible to diminished mental health simply because they tend to spend more time working alone and away from their physical community.
You can foster a healthier work atmosphere by encouraging short breaks and offering support. Use your MWM to provide additional career opportunities and training and to discover employee contributions and milestones to celebrate.
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Emphasize Employee Communication and Feedback
Employee communication is key to cultivating a tight-knit team. Encouraging employee feedback that you take seriously and act on creates trust, and a culture that values employees thoughts and well-being.
Placing emphasis on communication and employee feedback will make your team strong and loyal, so make sure your mobile workforce management provides the tools to accomplish this.
Explore PlayerLync’s Mobile Workforce Management Solutions
Mobile workforce management comes with some challenges, but it also offers many benefits and opportunities to improve your mobile workforce culture, employee satisfaction, and customer satisfaction. Remember, not all mobile workforce management software vendors are the same.
The choice you make for your MWM solution will have a measurable impact on the success of your business and its overall trajectory, so it’s important to do your research to make the right choice.
If you're ready to transform the way you manage your mobile workforce and implement a high-quality, easy-to-use platform, contact us to learn more about PlayerLync’s MWM solutions.
