Companies with frontline employees that are traditionally considered “offline” businesses are undergoing a digital transformation much like their online counterparts. At Mobile World Congress 2017 in Barcelona, this digital communication and culture shift was heavily discussed. The conversation centered around how organizations can stay ahead of the digital curve and continue to attract tech-savvy employees.
In a globalized, networked economy, enterprises with a large non-desk workforce are expected to keep up with the shift from analog to digital communication. People already use numerous messaging and social media apps in their personal lives, but how do companies blend these communication habits with their existing corporate culture?
One of the major concerns voiced during The Digital Enterprise and Employees panel was security. If your team is using the same devices and communication apps for their professional and personal lives, they may not realize the risk of exposing proprietary information. Encryption is a good place to start, but isn’t failsafe when it comes to security concerns on an enterprise level.
Another topic that was addressed pertains to improving onboarding and employee engagement with new communication systems. The bottom line— if a new communication tool doesn’t offer a great user experience or a mobile client, it simply won’t be adopted by today’s workforce. Management buy-in is also critical to integrate these tools seamlessly with the company’s culture. Andy Zmolek, an Android Ecosystem Evangelist at Google, pointed out, “If there’s no culture and guidance, internal communication platforms become a place where people go and waste time.”
Employees today are hesitant to participate in involved training or lengthy onboarding for new enterprise tools. Given the quality of the apps they use in their everyday lives, there’s a high bar to meet for enterprise communication systems. When apps like Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram reign in your workers’ personal lives, you have to present an internal communication platform that gives them a similar experience.
Establishing a clear vision and goals before launching an internal communication strategy is essential. Without this preparation, you risk poor adoption rates and your staff reverting back to the status quo, leaving you in the same place you started.
The upside to implementing an effective digital communication network is simply too substantial to pass up. Increased productivity, engagement, and operational efficiency all contribute your bottom line and will give companies a leg up in the digital economy.
