There have been endless changes and updates to hybrid working software in recent years, propelling the space from niche status to one of the preferred ways of working globally. But if you stacked all the desks of the in-office, hybrid, and remote workers in the world on top of each other, they would be a fraction of the height of one of the most under-represented modern workforces - the deskless.
The deskless workforce now includes 80% of the workers across the globe, and yet they have been dramatically overlooked when it comes to technology, tooling and ways of working. As it stands, unless you're in-office or in a dedicated hybrid location information is relayed in ways that are often inefficient, non-standardized, unoptimized and even non-compliant. But who are the deskless? Why is it now more important than ever to empower them? And last but not least, how can it be done?
The deskless workforce isn't just a bundle of industries that are otherwise too small to categorize. By definition it includes any and all employees who don't operate from a designated position, which actually includes large swathes of important verticals.
From frontline workers and factory staff all the way through to project-based workers, shop floor employees and a good chunk of the hospitality industry, all of them fall under the umbrella of the deskless. The recent data on deskless workforces speaks volumes, with sixty percent of deskless workers feeling openly unsatisfied with the technology they’re provided - A clear opportunity for providers to bring the deskless up to the level of hybrid and in-office workers when it comes to business communications.
This is because the reasons for this dissatisfaction are plain to see - The software tooling that the deskless have to use is slow, inefficient, hard to understand and hard to use. When it comes to hardware, deskless workers are provided with devices which they are completely unfamiliar with that are not ideal for their work environment. On a practical level this leads to employees using their own devices to go about their work, which ultimately increases the risk of data breaches and decreases the amount of compliance (but this doesn't need to be an issue...more on this later). But the problem isn't just about compliance, there is also a much, much bigger picture to consider.
The big question is what happens when deskless employees can't communicate, collaborate or work efficiently? It leads to low engagement and decreased productivity which contribute to an estimated loss of $8.9 trillion for the worldwide economy. Because of this, being able to deliver solutions that cater to mobile workforces is a big differentiator for any provider.
It's clear that there is a desperate need for technology that doesn't just empower the deskless, but does so in a way that caters to their exact needs. After all, you shouldn't be presenting a fixed solution to a mobile problem, no matter how flexible you think it is. Businesses with deskless workers have been making do with solutions that aren't specifically tailored to them for years, and by filling that technology gap we may see the deskless become the new hybrid.
Businesses have started to realise just how much of an impact a disconnected workforce has on their bottom line, and they're now trying to find the best ways to enable them. And by understanding the needs of the deskless and by addressing this sizable demographic directly, UCaaS Providers can increase their value and expand their propositions whilst Carriers can increase their addressable markets and reduce margin pressure. But where can you start?
Remember when we talked about deskless workforces using their own mobile devices on the job and how much of a nightmare that was for security and compliance? Ironically that's also a part of the ultimate solution that gets the deskless communicating in a way that works for them and their businesses.
With mobility being at the core of the deskless day-to-day, nothing less than a 100% mobile solution is necessary. And as workers continue to be given tooling that they don't want to, or simply can't, use you can be the one providing businesses with a solution as ideal as it is simple.
Whether you're a UCaaS Provider or a carrier, you now have the capability to give deskless users a fully native, fully mobile UC solution, powered by Fixed Mobile Convergence. On top of this, and thanks to the development of eSIM and dual SIM technology, deskless workers can now even use their own devices whilst keeping the business business and the personal personal. All that's left for you to do is brand, launch and grow.
Looking to know more about providing a mobile UC solution? Get in touch with us today.