Ever heard of push-to-talk services (PTT)? It is the mechanism used by popular two-way radios like traditional walkie-talkies wherein a user simply needs to press a button to transmit the message. No complex dialing or typing procedures are involved. This PTT technology has evolved over the years to support businesses with their modern requirements, and we have today what we call the Push-to-Talk (PTT) apps or walkie-talkie apps. But are these the same push-to-talk apps that children use to pretend-play or teenagers use to go camping with? Certainly not. While those push-to-talk or walkie-talkie apps are meant for personal use, there are powerful professional push-to-talk services designed to support various industries’ field communication needs.
What Is a Professional PTT App?
A professional push-to-talk app is a software designed to help businesses turn their smartphones into walkie-talkies. It is a reliable and cost-effective way to enable the field and frontline workforce to stay connected through long distances and harsh terrains. This software can be downloaded on employees’ smartphones like any other mobile app, and it generally has a centralized command console that can be used by the supervisors and managers situated in the headquarters to gain visibility of their remote workforce and stay in touch with them on the go.
It presents a fast and secure mode of communication for employees working in noisy and rugged outdoor environments. Employees can leverage instant connectivity with anyone, anywhere with just the press of a button using professional PTT apps. And unlike traditional walkie-talkies, professional PTT apps do not rely on radio networks, they function over cellular networks to offer high-quality communication over long distances. Businesses can save money on purchasing dedicated walkie-talkie radios and the associated licenses and permissions.
Here Are 8 Things Professional PTT Services Can Do For Your Business
It’s a given that professional PTT apps work on the PTT over cellular (PoC) networks enabling them to cater to modern-day business communication needs. Businesses can bring their dispersed teams closer through instant communication while prioritizing aspects such as employee safety and data security with PTT apps. This is why these apps differ considerably compared to other communication modes, including cellular phone calls, radio-based PTT calls, emails, etc.
Discover 8 things professional PTT apps offer:
1. Centralized Dashboard
Professional PTT apps extend a comprehensive dashboard that acts as your command and control center. It empowers supervisors and managers to gain visibility of their remote teams and stay connected with them on the go. You can track employee locations, monitor attendance and working hours, and gain a broad overview of your team’s performance with summaries and analytics.
Administrators can manage employees, assign role-based access control (RBAC) to grant permissions to users based on their roles and define settings and restrictions for various users and teams using the dashboard.
2. Desktop PTT
Most professional PTT app providers understand that supervisors of various field workforces operate from distant office locations. While using the PTT app on smartphones makes communication extremely easy for field employees, switching between the desktop and the smartphone every time a supervisor needs to connect with a remote employee can be tedious. Businesses must opt for PTT apps that enable their office staff to make PTT calls from their PCs, desktops or any machines that have a Chrome browser installed.
3. Group Communication
The ability to easily add and remove users or create specific public or private channels can make remote communication a breeze. Professional push-to-talk services allow you to create multiple open or closed channels for team-focused communication. You can create groups or channels based on your employees’ locations, departments, hierarchies, project requirements and much more.
4. Crisis Communication
When working in hazard-prone outdoor environments, emergencies must be considered. Businesses must not overlook or undermine the importance of empowering employees with a crisis communication plan. Professional PTT apps are ideal for helping employees save time in communicating crises and obtaining help faster. You can create SOS channels and alerts to notify the crew members and control centers for a speedy response.
5. Corporate Directory Integration
When working remotely, communication does not end with the mere involvement of your team. Employees, especially the deskless workforce, are required to connect with various business verticals to collaborate on umpteen tasks throughout the day. Hunting for phone numbers, navigating complex processes to fetch contact details, and grappling with inefficient SOP software can result in lowered productivity and lost time. Professional PTT apps, enhanced with SOP Software integration, allow businesses to streamline their operations by integrating their corporate directories with the software. This integration ensures that employees can easily access business contacts and follow standardized operating procedures, enhancing overall efficiency and collaboration.
6. MDM Integrations
The number of software and tools used by modern businesses cannot certainly be counted on one hand. With enterprise mobility shaping the business world, enterprises use a plethora of tools such as mobile device management (MDM) software to keep their operating efficiency soaring. Professional PTT apps allow businesses to integrate powerful MDM solutions of their choice with the PTT platform and use them to distribute the PTT app silently to their remote employees’ devices. It adds convenience, speed and simplicity to the enterprise’s IT chores.
7. Encrypted Communication
The walkie-talkie radios used back in the day were widely popular because of their ease of use. But one of the greatest drawbacks of radio communication was the lack of security – a factor that is impossible to compromise on today. With the numerous security threats lurking around, communication methods also need to be secure enough to prevent corporate data loss. PTT apps offer secure and encrypted communication and use cellular networks that cannot be easily intercepted by hackers or strangers.
8. PTT Archives
Deskless workers lack the privilege of working in quiet and secure office spaces. They are almost always on the go, engaged in heavy-duty tasks in noisy environments. It is unrealistic to expect a worker manning heavy equipment and sporting bulky protective gear to answer a phone call or text message. Eventually, these missed calls and unanswered messages create information silos that hamper work efficiency and leave employees feeling disengaged. Professional PTT apps allow users to access PTT histories and replay past PTT messages to ensure no update goes unnoticed.
Closing Lines
Simply picking a walkie-talkie app for your deskless workforce is not enough. Making an informed choice about opting for the right tool that caters to your business needs is what makes a difference. NuovoTeam is a professional PTT app for Android and iOS that offers businesses extensive features to streamline their field and frontline communication.
