Artificial intelligence is everywhere right now. (We’re looking at you, ChatGPT.) So it comes as no surprise that it has made its way to every level of the workforce, even to the frontline workforce. Frontline AI is powering a new era of workforce management, engaging employees, and elevating insights.
Frontline Workforce Management Today
Workforce management is how companies coordinate employees to maximize productivity and business outcomes. But companies often have different workforce management strategies for desk-based employees and frontline employees.
Without a company email address, frontline workers were often managed as their entity rather than as a part of the larger workforce. They are more often shift-to-shift or hourly workers who had a different set of workplace communication methods, like break room bulletin boards or face-to-face conversations. But that leaves the frontlines detached and disengaged.
Now, mobile workforce management tools have allowed companies to create a blanket workforce management approach for all employees. And within these platforms, AI can do what it does best: gather data, recognize patterns, and deliver insights so companies can make better decisions. This means leaders can take specific actions based on frontline intelligence and improve frontline workforce management.
What is a Frontline AI Performance System?
Historically, managers have been disconnected from their frontline teams, unsure of what they want or need. And they’ve often been left out of mainstream company communication. It’s led to low engagement, poor productivity, and high turnover. It’s also a missed opportunity for companies to glean valuable data that can help create a stronger frontline workforce.
But mobile solutions for frontline workers have ushered in the frontline age of AI. AI can process every data point (behaviors, tasks, engagement, productivity) to constantly produce insights. A frontline AI solution allows leaders to make better decisions based on deep data that will yield a fine-tuned, efficient, productive frontline workforce.
Here’s how frontline artificial intelligence works.
When employees use a dedicated workplace solution, like Beekeeper, data is collected at every interaction. The platform can organize that information to recognize patterns and predict future behaviors or outcomes.
Embracing AI In Frontline Industries
Across industries, AI has primarily been used at top levels of the workforce.
The Boston Consulting Group found that 80% of leaders have used AI on a regular basis while only 20% of frontline workers have. But more usage equates to greater comfort, so frontline and AI strategies should complement one another.
Like most new workplace technology, there’s a misconception that AI is intended to replace humans. But it’s designed to support frontline employees and make work more efficient and less redundant.
Things are shifting, and frontline workers are gaining more exposure to AI in the workplace.
Here are three ways to get people to embrace AI frontline technology:
- Be transparent about the tools you’re using. Start by talking to the frontline about artificial intelligence to alleviate fears of the unknown.
- Show managers how frontline AI will increase their visibility and give them the insights to better lead their teams.
- Find a mobile-first, AI-powered performance system to reach everyone in your organization and pave the way for frontline success.
Retention, Turnover, And The Role Of AI
The calculation is easy: frontline workers who don’t get what they need are disconnected. That leads to low morale and high turnover.
Now, imagine there is an analytics dashboard that can deliver real-time insights, reveal how employees are feeling, track productivity levels, and empower managers to make process improvements that engage their frontline teams.
Having that capability will allow companies to create the experience that employees want and need in their jobs which will lead to happier employees and higher retention.
A Glimpse into the Future: AI and Personalized Employee Experiences
In frontline industries, companies have been struggling with an ongoing labor shortage, particularly in retail and hospitality. It has demanded greater attention to the employee experience, beginning with recruitment, recruitment tracking and onboarding.
The future of AI and automation in the workforce is supporting this trend. Beekeeper, a solution designed to empower frontline teams, is now incorporating AI into its mobile platform to take collected data and turn it into valuable insights in several ways.
AI-Powered Sentiment Analysis
For data designed for action, Beekeeper tracks employee morale without the need to distribute regular surveys. Technology can measure employee sentiment while staying compliant with GDPR. Employers gain the insights to respond to the data and can redesign strategies to shift internal trends that engage the frontline.
Analytics Dashboard to Drive Productivity
What’s happening with each worker and what’s getting done during their shifts? Are employees engaged and productive? Real-time data track employee productivity and task completion. Employers can check their analytics dashboard to get the latest insights and make informed decisions to reshape processes that optimize productivity and reduce downtime.
Deeper Insights for a Better Employee Experience
With Beekeeper, onboarding is a swift, automated process that ramps up time to productivity for each new hire and sets the tone for the entire employee lifecycle. Employers can leverage AI tools like chatbots to automate pivotal moments and create continuous data touchpoints. Based on the information, managers can tailor strategies to enhance the experience for each frontline worker.
Frontline AI: The Future is Here
As companies aim to strengthen their workforce, drive productivity, and keep operations running smoothly, they’re adopting new technologies to continually optimize business processes. The frontline is constantly generating data, and AI is letting companies finally translate that data into actionable insights that will create a stronger frontline experience.
