Microsoft Teams and Frontline Workers: Overcoming Roadblocks to a Successful Deployment
As we discussed throughout this blog series, Microsoft Teams offers a full suite of integrative solutions designed to help improve the efficiency and safety of frontline workers (FLWs) in the manufacturing industry.
If you’ve followed our series, you may have decided that deploying Teams for your frontline workforce could benefit your entire organization. But how do you prepare for something that impacts so many key people and processes?
Microsoft Teams for Frontline Workers: Where to Start
Between stakeholders needing convincing and users needing training and support along the way, the digital implementation of a new tool is no overnight fix. You need a plan to ensure there is a streamlined, cost effective and enthusiastic Teams deployment process for your manufacturing FLWs.
Here are some planning considerations and solutions to technology roadblocks we’ll cover in this final post:
Determine the specific needs and requirements of your FLWs (hint: our previous posts can help determine which Teams-compatible tools and services are most relevant to your workers’ needs).
Assess current technology infrastructure and compatibility with Teams. Ensure a stable and fast internet connection for all FLWs, whether they’re on the plant floor, offsite or in the office. Set up and configure Teams, integrating it with existing tools and systems and customizing it to meet the needs of your manufacturing company.
Establish a clear plan for deployment, adoption, training and support. Create an adoption and change management plan. Train FLWs on using the technology to support their job duties while also ensuring they can troubleshoot common issues. Develop a support plan for FLWs to get help when they need it.
Set up security, data privacy and compliance policies. Identify which devices and platforms will be used in which instances. Determine user roles and access rules. Set up security, data privacy and compliance policies. Consider Microsoft Intune to manage and secure devices and applications.
Communicate the business value of adopting Teams in the manufacturing environment to your stakeholders before, during and after deployment.
Monitor the use of Teams and integrated technology to continually identify areas for potential improvement, making updates and changes as needed.