What comes to your mind when you think of business communication? Office employees engaged in phone calls, typing formal emails and boardrooms full of team discussions. However, these forms of communication are valid only for desk workers. How do businesses enable seamless connectivity to their non-desk workers? Employees that work at remote locations such as construction sites, mining sites, warehouses, or employees that are constantly on the move such as fleet drivers. Are modern-day business communication methods applicable to the frontline employees and the field workforce?
Field workforces operate in harsh terrains and hazardous sites. They sport bulky protective gear and handle heavy machinery for most parts of their shifts. When working in such environments, field workers seldom have the time to check their emails or type a stream of text messages.
What Are the Various Modes of Field Communication?
1. Cellular Phone Calls
In today’s hyper-connected world there is hardly anyone who does not own a mobile phone. According to Statista, there are more than 6 billion smartphone subscriptions worldwide in 2022. Most node.js development companies provide their field workforce with mobile devices to stay connected on the go.
The Challenge: Field jobs are labor-intensive and demand complete physical focus. Moreover, field environments are unpredictable and dangerous compared to secure office spaces. Your field employees need instant means of SOS communication in times of emergency. Unfortunately, cellular phone calls are not the best option where instant connectivity is needed. Phone calls require your employees to dial numbers, wait for the line to connect, wait for the receiver to answer the call, exchange pleasantries and finally deliver the message. This is not the fastest communication method, especially when lives are at stake.
2. Two-Way Radios
Two-way radios are not new to the field workforce. Walkie-talkies, Land Mobile Radios (LMRs), etc. have been used by field workers since olden times. These devices offer instant press-button connectivity and are devoid of the tedious direct dialing hassles. Given the high-risk zones that field workers and frontline employees work in, push-button connectivity is the fastest way to stay connected.
The Challenge: Our present-day world is dominated by cellular networks. When you compare radio communications with cellular communications there is a drastic difference between the audio quality and coverage. Two-way radios, which offer instant Push-to-Talk connectivity, which is just ideal for the remote field workforce also have limitations of their own.
- Two-way radios have limited coverage based on specific geographical areas.
- Radio communication presents a lot of static noise affecting the call quality.
- Radio networks are not secure as many users can use the same frequency as your organization.
- Businesses have to purchase separate licenses to operate two-way radios in various regions of the world.
PTT Over Cellular (PoC): Making Instant Field Communication Possible
A report suggests that a survey of 400 companies with 100,000 employees each cited an average loss per company of $62.4 million per year because of inadequate communication to and between employees. Businesses that have a remote workforce must ensure that their employees are well-connected and engaged. The advancements in technology have made it possible to merge the Push-to-Talk capabilities of two-way radios with smartphones to enable push-button connectivity over cellular networks. This means the advantages of cellular phones and walkie-talkies are clubbed into your smartphone devoid of the above-mentioned challenges.
All you need to do is download an efficient PTT app on your smartphone to turn it into a walkie-talkie. Your employees need not carry bulky dedicated radio devices for communication on-site. Furthermore, your business can effectively cut back on costs involved in purchasing these dedicated walkie-talkies or two-way radios and all the associated licensing costs.
NuovoTeam: PTT App For the Field Workforce
NuovoTeam is a Push-to-Talk app that offers PTT over cellular capabilities for businesses. Designed especially for field workforce and frontline employees, this app turns your commercial Android, iOS or rugged smartphones into walkie-talkies.
In work environments where instant communication is the key to ensuring business success and employee safety, NuovoTeam offers:
- Push-Button Connectivity: Instant 1-1 push-button connectivity over the cellular network.
- Group Communication: Public and private channels for group communication.
- Desktop PTT: PTT calls can be leveraged from any machine that has a Chrome browser to keep the office staff connected with the field workforce.
- SOS Communication Channel: Employees can initiate an SOS alert that includes a 10-second PTT message followed by auto-sharing of the employee’s current location.
- Location Reports: Privacy focussed location sharing to keep a track of the remote workforce.
- Live Voice Playback: You can play and replay the previously sent and received PTT messages to ensure no message is ever missed.
- Multi-Media Messaging: You can send text messages, images, videos or files in diverse formats.
Closing Lines
If you are in search of a seamless mode of communication for your field workforce then implementing a Push to Talk (PTT) app for your business might be the ideal choice for you. Picking a PTT app that offers easy 1-1 and group connectivity can streamline your remote field communication.
