If you’re in charge of managing a frontline team, communication might be your most vital investment. Ensuring there’s clear communication between management and your frontline employees is the best way to improve efficiency, enhance job satisfaction, and keep employees safe – all things that will save you money as well.
If you’re looking for the most effective way to implement a frontline communication platform in your workplace or wondering what metrics you can use to measure the impact of communication tools, keep reading to find out more about why frontline communication matters.
Why Is Frontline Communication Essential?
Communication is essential in every work environment, no matter what the industry is. But when it comes to frontline teams, there’s a higher level of priority for communication.
Unlike other types of workers, frontline teams aren’t sitting at a desk or in an office, and they can’t just head over to the next cubicle to communicate an important message. Instead, frontline employee communication is usually across multiple locations or levels, which increases the need for a dependable communication platform.
Even though frontline communications are essential across various industries, not all frontline worker communication platforms are the same. Some teams communicate through a mobile app, while others communicate through text messages. Even outside of work hours, there are numerous ways that managers communicate with their frontline teams – but if the platform or method isn’t effective, it might be costing you.
If you’re looking for the best frontline worker communication platforms out there, you may be surprised how high your ROI can be when investing in a high-quality and efficient platform.
How Staying Connected Saves You Money
According to a survey from HR Dive, 40% of frontline workers stated that the communication they received from management was out of touch, and 42% said the messages they received were often irrelevant.
Effective frontline communication looks like sending clear, relevant messages directly to those who need to stay informed. With the right communication platform, you can ensure that messages and alerts get to the right people – but effective communication can also save you money by improving the culture of the work environment and keeping employees safe. Here are some of the ways staying connected can lead to a high ROI:
Fewer Emergencies
A survey conducted by Verkada showed that over half of frontline workers don’t feel completely safe at work. More so than other workers, frontline workers are susceptible to serious workplace injuries – and the risk is even higher for lone workers.
A communication platform that provides a clear and effective way to send panic and emergency alerts leads to fewer emergency incidents. This is significant since a study on workplace safety showed that direct costs during an emergency only took up a small portion of the overall cost of an incident – and that businesses spent over $2 on indirect costs for every $1 spent on direct costs.
Stronger Employee Retention
One of the biggest investments in a business is the cost of training and onboarding new employees – a cost that significantly outweighs that of retaining employees – but the cost of training isn’t the only problem with high employee turnover.
High employee turnover within an organization not only leads to a decrease in employee morale, but it can also cause a decrease in efficiency and productivity. When workers were surveyed about employee retention, it revealed how essential a consistent communication platform is. 61% of workers who considered looking for a new job stated poor internal communication as a factor in their decision.
Higher Rates of Engagement
In many ways, employee engagement is the key to increasing productivity, improving employee wellbeing, and increasing profitability. In short, employee engagement is what drives growth within an organization.
Employee engagement is typically defined as how connected and committed employees are to their work. Research by Gallup found that when employees are engaged, safety incidents are decreased, turnover increases, and sales increase. According to the same research, two of the key drivers of employee engagement are caring managers and ongoing conversations – both of which can be improved by having a consistent frontline communication platform.
What to Look for in a Frontline Communication Platform
For communication to be effective, frontline workers have to know exactly what channel or platform to use. According to SafetyCulture, more than 1 in 4 workers said there wasn’t a go-to channel for updates, leading to many workers missing important messages.
If you’re ready to find the right frontline communication platform for your team and get the ROI you’re looking for, here are some key features to look for in a communication platform:
Workflow Integrations
The best frontline communication platforms aren’t just for sending messages – they also collect data, provide location services, and help remove manual tasks. Your frontline communication platform should be able to integrate with the other tools you use in your organization for a simplified, streamlined process.
User-Friendly Interface
Complicated platforms are more difficult to use and more difficult to train other employees to use. A communication platform with a user-friendly interface is the key to ensuring employees are engaged with the platform and can understand all the features.
Compatibility Across Numerous Devices
There are many ways frontline workers communicate – whether they have an app on their phone or they have a two-way radio. To keep all workers connected across various teams, your communication platform needs to be compatible with numerous devices.
Get the ROI You Need with Relay
If you’re looking for a communication platform that’s worth the investment, Relay offers an all-in-one communication solution that combines the most essential features for frontline teams.
From emergency alerts to real-time translation, Relay does it all. Instead of having to invest in translation services or multiple devices for emergencies and day-to-day use, Relay provides you with the whole package.
The Relay Dashboard allows managers and administrators to have all the workflow management tools they need in one place. Through Relay’s communication platform, managers can communicate with their teams in real time, building trust and increasing employee engagement.
Designed for frontline teams and trusted by thousands of businesses across the world, the Relay platform can help you unlock your productivity and increase profitability in your business.
Ready to see how Relay can benefit your team? Get pricing today!
