Nearly every enterprise today understands the value of providing connectivity and mobility solutions to its employees. According to a Gartner survey, nearly 80% of workers were using collaboration tools for work in 2021. Such tools are especially important for frontline workers doing field work or in warehouses to stay connected, access critical information and to make decisions on the go.
In fact, according to a Harvard Business Review report, 86% of organisations believe their frontline workers need better technology-enabled insights to make good decisions at work. And yet, about one-third of employees and managers surveyed in a Microsoft study, said they don’t have the right tools to work effectively.
How technology can empower frontline workers
Businesses therefore have an incentive to provide frontline workers with adequate technology solutions for staying connected and engaged. This includes tools for communication, collaboration and monitoring that can work well on the field.
Consider the case of a manufacturing business where an office-based control room may have to coordinate operations with on-field workforces at a number of sites. Some of the site-based engineers may be working alone or in dangerous working environments where mobile phones may not be usable.
In such scenarios, push-to-talk (PTT) solutions may be a better option, as it can allow managers to communicate with on-site workers instantly and notify them of updates or changes in plans, without being limited by coverage. It can also be a way to signal SOS notifications to locate staff immediately in the event of emergencies and thereby ensure that the on-field workers are safe. To ensure that the devices used for communication don’t get damaged in environments with heavy machinery, it is also important to equip workers with rugged handsets and mobile phones which are durable and able to withstand rough usage.
Similarly, in the transportation and logistics sector, PTT technology can be advantageous for companies to track their vehicle movements and communicate with fleet operators. During transport of fragile or high-risk goods, it is critical for the fleet operators to have real-time, reliable communication with drivers and command centre officers. PTT solutions allow operators to do just this and also to make geolocation-based calls and emergency alerts.
The right solutions for keeping your workforce connected
Singtel's Connected Workforce solution provides push-to-talk capabilities on your team’s smartphones, giving you a more efficient way to stay connected. It facilitates seamless coordination and lets you avoid additional walkie-talkie devices. Using its single-touch PTT voice calls and instant multi-channel broadcasting, managers can coordinate their teams better and communicate in real-time. They can also manage multiple teams, encourage collaboration between groups, track locations of remote workers and much more using an online control portal.
With just a push of a button, managers can initiate 1-to-1 or group calls. The ability to send photos, videos and multimedia over PTT also comes in handy for remote troubleshooting, such as when an on-site engineer or warehouse technician has to work together with a manager at the office in real time.
Along with PTT, businesses in these can also take advantage of mobile devices catering to frontline employees, such as the Samsung Rugged Devices Galaxy XCover 5 Enterprise Edition, Galaxy XCover Pro and Galaxy Tab Active 3. These allow workers in sectors such as construction and last-mile delivery sectors to use their devices for communication, collaboration and for completing their tasks efficiently without having to worry about damaging their devices.
To explore more solutions to empower your workforce, head over to the Singtel Business eShop portal.
