Why Today's HR Teams Rely On Mobile To Increase Engagement

Engage your workforce in a whole new way with mobile technology

It’s indisputable -- Americans can’t be away from their cell phones without getting anxious.

Because our attention focuses on this tiny screen, businesses are struggling to connect with their audiences. It’s no wonder two-thirds of our workforce aren’t fully engaged, says a recent Forbes article.
 

Luckily, most industries have picked up on the fact that roughly one-in-five American adults are “smartphone-only” internet users and have used it to their advantage. Doctors’ offices and hair salons send text message appointment reminders, and retailers use QR codes to initiate customer service or create contests -- anything to get that level of engagement up.

So, why hasn’t more of the HR community moved to mobile? Emails go unread and phones go unanswered, drastically decreasing employee engagement. HR must chase people down for time-sensitive documents or are inundated by employees asking the same questions over and over again.

Mobile technology is proving to be the answer to employee engagement. Let’s take a look at a few ways HR uses mobile to maximize employee engagement:

Using text messaging, HR can empower prospective employees to opt-in to job alerts segmented by title, request applications, and even fill in basic forms on their phones. Texting also allows HR to communicate with candidates directly and update them on status.

Bringing on new hires can be stressful and if not properly executed, will create problems down the road. Plus, new hires have questions and maybe nervous about their role. Relieve your overworked HR manager by shifting the weight of onboarding towards mobile. In fact, pre-schedule text message “drips” with personalized welcome text messages and reminders to bring important documents on their first day. Save these campaigns for future use so you don’t have to reinvent the wheel each time someone comes onboard.

By creating a living, breathing portal, employees can text in, receive a URL, and click to access any company resource. Whether it’s benefits, dress code, updates to company policies or the company handbook, mobile makes it easy for anyone to access information anytime, anywhere. And when employees opt-in to text messaging, HR can then communicate any changes to policies or updates on open enrollment immediately.

Text messaging is the way we all communicate now. Use it! You can push links to any type of content to your trainees -- videos, slides, surveys, polls -- via text message. This is especially helpful when dealing with employees that don’t have corporate email addresses.

Another way training professionals rely on text messaging is through “drip” campaigns”, where you can send snackable micro-lessons to boost learning, push quizzes and share results. And when employees are on the road or unable to download an app, they can click a link and view content instantly.

"Take advantage of the fact that everyone is glued to their phones! Mobile technology makes sure your content is not only being read and absorbed".

Adopt mobile technology platforms today to strengthen relationships with each employee and increase engagement across the board.

Molly Larsen is Marketing Technologist at Engage by Cell. She has been writing in the San Francisco tech industry for a few years. Connect Molly Larsen Visit www.engagebycell.com/