2023-08-10 10:57:48
Front line workers represent the face of organizations and make up the majority of the workforce. Gartner estimates that there are 2.7 billion frontline workers, more than double the number in front-office jobs1. The current macroeconomic climate, characterized by labor and supply shortages, has placed great pressure on these employees to take on more work as organizations increase the efficiency of their operations.
Microsoft’s recent Labor Trend Index shows that digital tools can help ease that workload. More than 60% of the workers who are on the front line must perform repetitive and routine tasks that detract from their highest priority work time and do not have the necessary resources to carry out their functions efficiently2. In addition, one in two employees of front line claims to be out of stock, and 45% say they are likely to consider changing companies in the next year2. An investment in technology that enables these workers to grow is a tremendous opportunity for business leaders, as it will lead to positive results for employees, customers, and the bottom line, if approached correctly.
Today, more than 60% of the Fortune 500 companies use Microsoft 365 to train their frontline workers. Microsoft is committed to investing in innovative solutions to help you thrive. With AI transforming productivity in most jobs, the Microsoft study shows that 65% of these workers are optimistic and think that AI will help them in their work2.
Therefore, it is relevant to introduce new tools and incorporate new functionalities, including bringing the power of next-generation AI to the front line of work in three key areas:
Smart operations Seamless communication Reliable experiences
These innovations will increase efficiency, improve the customer experience and streamline decision making.
smart operations
Whether it’s for an inspection, installation, or maintenance request, frontline service managers want to spend their time helping their team manage exceptional service, not inefficient tasks like copying and pasting information from one system to another. Microsoft tries to empower the productivity apps these managers use every day with robust data and intelligence from business apps. This helps streamline the frontline experience and increase the efficiency of operations.
Copilot in Dynamics 365 Field Service with Outlook and Microsoft Teams integrations brings the power of first-generation AI to frontline professionals. Managers who receive a large number of customer notifications in Outlook or Microsoft Teams can use Copilot in Dynamics 365 to streamline order creation through relevant details previously received via email or chat, streamline the organization with recommendations derived from data such as travel time, skills and availability, as well as generate response suggestions for customer messages summarizing what the next steps would be without switching applications.
The Dynamics 365 Field Service app in Microsoft Teams will enable frontline technicians to access key ordering functionality in their workflow. They will now be able to see upcoming work orders at a glance on the main Teams dashboard, share full order details, and easily access Dynamics 365 Remote Assist with one-click troubleshooting with real-time remote experts, should the need arise. extra help to complete your work.
Maintaining a holistic view of operations can be time-consuming for front-line managers with a large, spread-out workforce and irregular hours. Very soon, with Microsoft 365 Copilot, it will be possible to request and extract information for these managers, taking advantage of data from the Shifts application through its new extension, in addition to the user and company information to which they have access, such as the chat history of Teams, SharePoint, emails and much more. This will allow them to quickly get a list of important items specific to their equipment and location to streamline time-consuming tasks like assigning shifts and onboarding new employees.
Fluid communication
Business culture is built from a connection to the company’s mission, and it begins with a solid communication foundation. When organizations establish an easy way to have seamless communication, frontline workers feel informed and connected. With a single communication platform to reach everyone, you don’t have to leave the digital space to connect with frontline employees.
Communications in Viva Connections they allow communicators to compose, schedule, and send important announcements—such as urgent messages, feature-specific updates, or security policy changes—to frontline workers. They can quickly and directly send the message through Viva Connections without having to leave Teams. Messages are delivered to frontline employees through push notifications on their mobile devices and reminder cards on their Teams home dashboard. To build a sense of belonging and purpose across the entire workforce, targeted campaigns in Viva Engage They help create and promote company initiatives focused on frontline employees.
Trusted experiences
Many of our frontline workers work across multiple devices and often turn them in at the end of their shift. To allow them to be proactive from the moment they log in, Windows 365 Frontline makes it possible for the power of the cloud to reach these employees as well, securely accessing their personalized Windows experience on any device, no matter where they are working from.
Protecting data on shared devices while ensuring a smooth user experience can be challenging. A digital identity allows frontline employees to access and navigate the technology they need to perform their jobs, whether on a shared device or their own.
For organizations using Intune, you can use Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure Active Directory) to get a single sign-in and sign-out experience for Teams, Outlook, Power Apps, and more. en shared devices for Android and iOS. This way, frontline employees can quickly and safely clean your device for use the next shift. And the organizations that use OUT o VMware Workspace ONE as their device management solution they can now also link Android devices in Microsoft Entra ID with shared device mode.
Microsoft believes that technology can be a powerful force in reimagining how work gets done. By investing in innovative solutions for frontline workers, you are helping to drive positive change for them, which will also be reflected in customers and the bottom line. innovations through Dynamics 365, Microsoft 365Windows 365 FrontlineIntune, and partner device management solutions push the boundaries of what’s possible and work toward a better future for everyone.
[1] Gartner, Hype Cycle™ for Digital Workplace Applications, 2022, August 2022.
[2] The Employment Trends Index study was conducted by an independent research firm, Edelman Data x Intelligence, among 31,000 full-time or self-employed workers in 31 markets, of whom 6,019 were frontline workers, between February 1 and December 14. March 2023. This survey lasted 20 minutes and was carried out online, either in English or translated into the language of the rest of the markets. In each market, 1,000 employees were surveyed, and all global results have been added together to provide an average. Each market is provided with the global average. Each market was sampled to be representative of the full-time workforce by age, gender, and region, each sample included a mix of work settings (in-person, remote vs. non-remote, in-office and off-site) , etc.), sectors, company sizes, seniority and employment levels. The markets studied include: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Spain, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Poland, the United Kingdom, the Czech Republic, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Taiwan, and Vietnam.
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