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If you're an HR Director, Communications Director, or Talent Acquisition Specialist who manages a mobile workforce, you know how challenging good communication can be.
Deskless workers often work in remote settings or visit different locations throughout the day, so you may go long stretches without seeing or verbally communicating with some of your employees.
Because of this, communication channels that work for office and onsite employees aren't practical for mobile workers.
The good news is that several communication strategies can be used for successful mobile workforce management. Let's break down how to best communicate with your team when they are all in different places.
Why is Good Communication Important for Mobile Workers?
Deskless employees are the unsung heroes of many businesses. They often do the heavy lifting and don't get the recognition they deserve. Leaving mobile workers to fend for themselves out in the field can lead to dissatisfaction with their job and decreased productivity.
While improving employee morale should be a high priority for any business, it's two-fold.
Mobile workers are the face of your company. They interact with your customers and clients, and if they are unhappy, there's a good chance your customers will receive poor customer service. This means disgruntled employees directly impact your bottom line.
In contrast, good communication leads to better employee performance and customer satisfaction.
In fact, organizations with engaged employees experience 21% more profits. And one of the best ways to improve mobile employee engagement is through better communication.
Let's explore effective communication strategies for your mobile workforce.
4 Communication Strategies For Managing Mobile Workers
From updating mobile workers on changes to company benefits to celebrating organizational milestones, communicating with your workforce is critical to building a successful company.
Use these communication strategies to keep workers happy and engaged and profits flowing.
Set Clear Expectations
Communication between managers and their mobile workforce should always be clear, direct, and consistent.
Be sure to set expectations by laying out specific guidelines everyone needs to follow while working remotely, such as when they should check in or who is responsible for which tasks.
Creating detailed job descriptions also helps keep everyone on track by outlining expectations and responsibilities for each position.
Setting these expectations will make communication much smoother and ensure everyone is on the same page. It will also positively impact the customer experience and keep them coming back for more.
Utilize Technology and Tools
Effective communication strategies are essential when it comes to managing a mobile team. Using technology to develop practical communication channels, managers can create an environment where remote workers feel supported and connected — no matter where they are!
Need to let a catering team know there was a storm, and the power is out? Or update a visiting healthcare worker on their patient's medical needs?
A texting tool like goHappy is an excellent use of technology that offers you, your HR team, and your managers the ability to keep mobile workers in the loop at all times.
Easily send text messages to an individual employee or your entire team and feel confident knowing it was received and read.
Stay Connected With Your Team
Managers of a mobile workforce must stay connected with their team members despite not being physically together.
Regularly checking in with them will help build trust and foster better relationships among team members — this also allows managers to gauge morale levels and address any possible issues before they become a problem.
Setting up face-to-face or virtual happy hours can help create an environment where people feel comfortable connecting. It's a great way for coworkers who usually work separately from each other to get to know one another better!
Ask for Regular Feedback From Mobile Workers
Remote workers rarely get the chance to communicate face-to-face with managers verbally. This makes it difficult for mobile workers to offer feedback about their role and overall experience with your organization.
However, mobile workers have a lot of value to add to your company. They are the ones on the ground and can offer feedback on everything from being more time efficient to improving customer experience and even saving your business money.
Asking for feedback will show them how much you respect their experience.
goHappy offers a quick and easy way to gather feedback via instant messaging. The Feedback Module is sent directly to each worker's mobile device (even flip phones!), where they can immediately reply to a feedback survey.
You, your managers, and your HR team can monitor the results in real-time from your custom Dashboard. No waiting for feedback to be collected, collated and presented on a convoluted spreadsheet.
Use goHappy to Manage Your Mobile Workforce
Successful mobile workforce management comes down to effective communication strategies. You could spend years trying different tools to help you stay connected with your remote workers with little success.
Many businesses have increased employee engagement and productivity and decreased mobile employee turnover thanks to goHappy.
goHappy is a powerful, easy-to-use instant messaging tool that keeps frontline employees and mobile workers connected to their managers and team.
Use goHappy to send necessary company information like updates to payroll and benefits. And nice-to-know news like company wins and employee successes to keep workers excited about your organization.
Are you ready to employ better communication strategies for your mobile workforce?
Book a demo today and discover how goHappy can help your mobile team stay connected, engaged, and happy!
