New Inkling Study Illustrates Shortcomings of Technology Deployments in Field Workforces

SAN FRANCISCO, May 3, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Inkling, the mobile-first enablement platform for deskless workers, today announced survey results that reveal most organizations are still under-serving their field employees. The commissioned study, "Are Enterprises Failing their Deskless Workforce?," conducted by Forrester Consulting on behalf of Inkling, found that two-thirds of decision makers report that their store employees struggle to find necessary information to adequately perform work tasks. The US study also revealed that 75 percent of decision makers acknowledge that their employees frequently ask about procedures that are documented, while 73 percent indicate that critical information is scattered across many disparate locations.

Conducted online, the study surveyed 201 business and IT decision makers responsible for workforce documentation and productivity to evaluate how US organizations currently disseminate key work information. The results remain conclusive: despite the technology revolution of the past two decades, an entire category of workers has been left behind. The study warns, "Continuing to under-serve this significant portion of the workforce will result in reduced employee productivity and satisfaction, ultimately hindering the business' ability to win, serve, and retain customers."

"These research results show that we're not yet addressing field employees with modern technology that drives productivity," said Matt MacInnis, founder and CEO of Inkling. "In the retail segment in particular, employee productivity needs to improve if the cost structure is going to be competitive against online channels. We need to fulfill the promise of mobile technology: front-line and field workers, aligned around common priorities, and executing efficiently. It's critical to driving employee engagement, not to mention bottom-line performance."

With a recent jobs report from the US Department of Labor stating that employment in general merchandise stores has declined by 89,000 since October 2016, the need for this shift is urgent. Retailers recognize the need to make their employees more productive. According to a study by Boston Retail Partners, 40 percent of retailers have implemented associate-level mobile programs, and another 40 percent plan to do so this year.

While the majority of retailers continue to grapple with bringing their deskless workforce into the 21^st century, those that have successfully deployed modern mobile technology have experienced gains. According to Forrester Consulting research, "Companies that invest in engaging, interactive, real-time content can raise employee experience and productivity levels. Decision-makers credit digitized, interactive, mobile-friendly content with a 36% increase in paper savings, a 26% increase in employee productivity, and 31% increase in better customer experiences…Deskless workers are no longer left out of the loop when content is uniformly updated. Timely distribution of information to deskless workers along with their colleagues in traditional workplaces provides consistency of communication regardless of employees' roles. Correct, contextual information contributes to maintaining quality standards for goods and services."

Inkling's field workforce enablement platform offers an alternative to traditional means of distributing essential work information by connecting frontline workers and managers to the people and information they need to do their jobs—all on mobile. With Inkling, district and store teams can respond rapidly to in-store challenges and opportunities by using both their understanding of corporate priorities and their awareness of the local environment. As a result, employees spend time on the most impactful activities, eliminating wasted work and reducing labor spend. To see how Inkling helps organizations with a widespread deskless workforce gain a competitive edge and reduce the reliance on antiquated technology, view a product demo.

For more information about the commissioned study, conducted by Forrester Consulting on behalf of Inkling, download "Are Enterprises Failing their Deskless Workforce?"

Study Methodology
In this study, Forrester conducted an online survey of 201 organizations in the US to evaluate how current documentation processes are affecting deskless workers. Survey participants included decision makers in operational and workplace documentation creation roles. The study began in December 2016 and was completed in January 2017.

About Inkling
Inkling is a mobile-first enablement platform for deskless workers. Secure and scalable, Inkling connects distributed workforces via mobile for an upgrade to both labor productivity and the customer experience. Inkling improves coordination, efficiency, and execution at every level with group messaging and task management for field employees and managers, real-time notices and instructions from headquarters, and instant feedback on status and issues. Based in San Francisco, Inkling is backed by Sequoia Capital and partners with some of the world's biggest brands. To learn more, visit inkling.com.

SOURCE Inkling

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