New frontline technologies can help teams streamline their work and better serve their customers, but only if that tech is implemented carefully. Rush, and you end up with disrupted workflows and frustrated frontline workers. Manage change effectively, however, and you ensure a quality employee experience and top-notch customer service.
While it's essential to consider the business benefits of new frontline technologies, success ultimately depends on how well you connect and communicate with frontline workers. As it turns out, empathetic communication is one of the cornerstones of effective change management — particularly in frontline organizations in which teams complete most of their work in the field.
Tricia Taylor, Senior Director, Corporate Communications and Change Management at Coca-Cola Bottlers' Sales and Services, shared practical change management strategies in an episode of our Frontline Innovators podcast. Having led multiple teams through intense transitions, Taylor knows exactly how important effective, compassionate communication is to managing change. Here are six strategies that have worked for her — and will work for other frontline leaders.
1. Communicate in the Ways Frontline Workers Need and Want
Frontline workers are busy and typically on the move, and they get signals and information from countless sources during and between each service call. When implementing new frontline technologies, organizational leaders must cut through the noise and get the right information to them when and how they need it.
Rule number one: Know your audience. What information does your team need to stay connected during a tech transition? In what ways — text, email, one-on-ones, phone calls — do they prefer to communicate with their managers or leaders? When do team members want to hear information about tech implementation — during the decision-making process, planning, or training?
If you’re struggling to answer these questions, ask your team. Workers can do their jobs more efficiently when they receive information in ways that make sense to them. Talk to them to see what they prefer, then adjust your communication methods to connect with them directly.
2. Think of Communication as Multidirectional
Many experts say that two-way communication is key to staying connected with frontline workers. But it’s even better to think of communication channels as multidirectional. Change doesn’t happen from the top down.
Rather, everyone works together to make change happen. Therefore, communication channels need to be built to enable team members at all levels to share feedback, stay connected, and ask questions of others at all levels.
Establishing multidirectional communication pathways and regular checkpoints for discussions gives frontline teams ample opportunities to share their thoughts and get what they need to succeed in the field with new frontline technologies.
3. Engage Super Users
Prosci research found that when projects like tech adoption initiatives are backed by effective sponsors, they’re 79% more likely to succeed. Leaders and managers can sponsor new frontline technologies by creating aligned messaging, reinforcing tech usage, answering questions, and troubleshooting alongside teams.
On-the-ground sponsors — aka super users — are even more effective. These users believe in the technology and can show other frontline workers how it affects their day-to-day work. Super users can also facilitate communication between field teams and leaders, helping everyone stay connected during transition periods.
4. Create Open Dialogue
According to Forbes, creating open dialogue during change helps relieve uncertainty and build trust, ultimately resulting in a smoother transition. You can foster inclusive discussion by conducting focus groups and asking frontline workers what questions they have, what they need to do their jobs, and what concerns they hold about new frontline technologies.
Balance what you think is important with what you know to be important to them. You might be concerned with finding efficiencies to save costs, but they might be worried about how the technology will impact their work or take-home pay. Listen to their concerns and cover both topics to emphasize meeting in the middle.
5. Use a From-To Model
Preparing frontline leaders for change management is key, as employees look to their managers for clarity and trust — especially during times of transition. Korn Ferry research shows that 37% of employees feel directionless without managerial oversight, while 80% are more likely to stay in their roles when they trust their manager.
By preparing frontline leaders for change management, you equip the entire team to adapt to new frontline technologies. The best way to do so? The from-to model. As you train frontline managers to roll out new technology, be sure to explain:
- The “from”: Walk through their day-to-day experience to signal that you’re paying attention to their role and ensure you understand the nuances of their experiences.
- The “to”: Transparently outline how new frontline technologies will change their daily work. Dig into the details, answer questions honestly, and set clear expectations to build trust and buy-in with your frontline managers.
6. Equip Frontline Leaders
The from-to approach can help you model how you want your frontline managers to engage their teams — but you can’t stop there.
Immediate frontline managers are the most trusted by workers, so you need to give them the tools and flexibility to manage change themselves. As such, provide managers with:
- 3–5 key messages about the new technology and how it will impact frontline work
- 2–3 questions to ask their team members to help filter communication back to senior leadership
Preparing frontline leaders for change management in this way helps foster many of the tactics above: multidirectional communication, open dialogue, and worker-centered discussion.
Adapting With Ease
Change is inevitable in frontline work. Contact centers, field service companies, transportation businesses — they all need to adapt to constant fluctuations and evolutions in the ways they work. That’s why effective change management must be a central part of any frontline business.
With Skyllful’s platform, leaders can instill change management principles into their everyday work, giving frontline workers real-world, hands-on training right in the field. It’s a one-stop shop for building skills, adapting, and developing competency — while keeping productivity high.
Contact Skyllful today for a free platform demo. And listen to our Frontline Innovators podcast to learn more strategies for managing change from expert Tricia Taylor.
Frequently Asked Questions: Takeaways From the Frontline Innovators Podcast With Tricia Taylor
1. Why is communication central to change management in frontline work?
Communication creates connection, and when frontline teams feel connected to each other, their managers, and the business, they’ll likely be more open to change. Communicating transparently about how new frontline technologies will impact workers’ daily experiences helps build trust and prepare teams for adjustments.
2. What is multidirectional communication?
Multidirectional communication is when leaders create systems that enable communication between leaders, managers, and frontline workers in every direction. Frontline workers can ask questions and share concerns with leaders, just as leaders and managers can share information with those workers. This approach helps develop transparency, accountability, and adaptability.
3. How can leaders equip managers to handle change with their frontline teams?
Preparing frontline leaders for change management involves giving managers both key messaging about new technology implementation and questions to ask teams to garner their feedback. Equipping managers with the right talking points and questions helps generate confidence and multidirectional communication.
4. How can Skyllful’s platform help teams adapt to change?
The platform offers hands-on, in-the-field training modules that help frontline workers build competence and confidence with their digital tools before ever touching the live system. By bringing training directly to workers, the platform builds up workers’ capacity and ensures smooth transitions to new technologies.
Change is inevitable in frontline work: To keep pace with evolving business and customer needs, frontline organizations must constantly adapt and implement new frontline technologies to streamline their work.
