It was in 2009, just before the launch of the first iPhone with 3G connectivity, when Apple first used the phrase: “There’s an app for that.”
It’s been copied, turned into countless memes and parodied many times since, but the truth of it rings more true now than it ever has done before; there are apps for everything. And, at their very best, apps make our lives easier, let us do things quicker and enhance our day-to-day.
This digitalisation is everywhere, fuelled by faster mobile connectivity, cloud computing and big data. Be it the way we shop, watch TV, listen to music, order food, book taxis, manage our calendars, interact with our friends, or control our homes, the chances are, we can do it all from an app on our phones.
And, what’s more, this is something we’ve come to expect. We expect to have tech at our fingertips to help us run our lives. That’s why the average person picks up their phone 270 times a day and people report feeling physically sick if they don’t have access to their phone for a set length of time.
We rely on them for our personal lives and many of us also rely on them in our professional lives. Whether it’s through apps like Slack, Trello or Evernote, ‘white-collar’ workers have a whole suite of tools at their fingertips to boost their productivity and drive their engagement.
But what about the ‘blue-collar’ workers? The waiters, cashiers, receptionists and all the other shift workers? Many businesses across all sectors have been slow on the uptake when it comes to empowering their workers through the smart use of software. But, as this TechCrunch article says, the use of software to empower traditional blue-collar workers can transform businesse
It can drive employee engagement, increase customer satisfaction and make the business more profitable.
This is why:
Better communication. As we’ve already said above, we all like to control our lives from our phones and we expect to be able to do so. If you want to communicate more effectively with your employees it has to be done through their smart devices. With tools like Quinyx, your workers can see when they are working and swap shifts through the app, while innovative survey tools like &Frankly, make it easy for your employees to answer simple questions about how they are feeling. Not only does this make them feel more engaged with their work, it provides you with the information you need to keep your employees happy.
Better engagement. Because you have better communication with your employees, you’ll form better relationships with them and they’ll be more engaged at work. And engaged employees will make you more profitable. In fact, according to a study from Gallup, businesses with engaged employees see a 22% increase in profitability. What’s more, research from Watson Wyatt, found companies with strong employee engagement deliver a return for their shareholders of 64% across a five year period compared to 21% for those with low level of engagement. You’ll also have less sick days and higher levels of employee retention, something that can save you £10,000s on recruitment and onboarding.
Happier employees. The upshot of all of this is your employees will be happier, all through the simple act of giving them access to software that enriches their lives. Take Aviation Security Officer, Belynda Maquis-Mondesir, from London City Airport, who use Quinyx as their workforce management solution, as an example. She says: “Quinyx has a massive impact on my life. Since we’ve started using it I haven’t missed a birthday, an anniversary or family time. It’s impossible to put a price on how valuable that is.”
We’re holding a special webinar with &Frankly on Wednesday, November 22nd, asking the question ‘How can digitalisation boost your employees’ engagement?’ You can register for the webinar by clicking the button below (please note the webinar will be in Swedish).
