What do today’s two billion mobile workers have in common?

While the use cases may vary, the needs of the global distributed workforce remain universal. Whether in hospitality, manufacturing, retail, construction, or healthcare, to name a few, frontline workers need access to mobile communication to:

• Facilitate consistent communication with their manager and leadership
• Be connected to, in collaboration, and engaged with their fellow colleagues
• Receive real-time information about all the operational details pertaining to their shifts as well as what’s happening within the organization as a whole

Beekeeper's VP of Marketing Corey McCarthy had the chance to talk shop about all things communication as a guest on Samsung NEXT’s What’s NEXT podcast. The conversation revolved around what’s missing in today’s workplace when it comes to the distributed workforce: mobile technology.

Mobile Technology to Disrupt the Workplace Divide

Mobile communication is imperative in either case, and certain operational features apply as well, such as shift management and task management.

During the podcast, McCarthy noted that one of the core ways to address the potential technological disconnect between these groups is to build integrations with industry-specific tools.

A mobile communication platform that integrates with the tools both sets of employees are already using streamlines operations by adding a layer of transparency.

With mobile technology, the perception of a workplace divide between these subsets of frontline employees and their office-based counterparts dissolves. Instead, these employees have up-to-the-moment access to the tools and resources they depend on to thrive and excel at work––all delivered in one concise, mobile communication package.

A Better Connected Workplace Means Happier Customers

One of the best ways to see how mobile technology tangibly benefits the distributed workforce is seeing the power of mobile communication directly in action.

Asked about a real-world example during the podcast, McCarthy shared a customer story from the iconic Watergate Hotel in Washington, D.C.

A hotel guest left a book in their car. A valet found it, and through a series of messages between coworkers via Beekeeper, the valet personally delivered the book back along with a note. This guest then came to the front desk to express her gratitude that her book had been returned and with such a personal touch. The front desk employee shared that story on Beekeeper and in recognition of the exceptional guest service provided by this valet.

• Real-time information transfer using mobile communication between guest-facing and non-guest facing personnel to locate the guest and return their item quickly
• Highly-visible employee recognition for a job well-done that inspires the hotel’s teams to give their best when it comes to the guest experience
• A potential rave review online that boosts ratings and bookings

Mobile Communication Unites Your Workplace

Too often, organizations lack a consistent mechanism or channel for employee feedback. This especially affects the distributed workforce, who might not have regular opportunities to connect with leadership.

Mobile communication provides both an increased level of transparency and accessibility for these dispersed workers to voice their ideas and feedback wherever their work takes them.

This way, company leaders have more insight into what’s really happening at all levels of the organization. Bottom-up communication using mobile technology allows for faster identification of problems so that company culture, operational efficiency, and employee satisfaction can grow.

Welcome to the new normal: where technology meets people.

Here are 9 ways to use that technology to improve internal communication with your mobile workforce.