Technology is a necessity for front-line workers, but they shouldn’t need to worry about whether they’re using the right mobile device or app for each task they’re assigned. That’s why Zebra has long engineered digital collaboration tools that close the communication and information gaps for front-line workers with a “single pane of glass” that enables them to clock in, manage their task lists, communicate and collaborate with one another, and quickly address customer needs. Increasingly, our customers tell us they want to shift from putting these capabilities into the hands of a subset of their workers (as they have in the past) to empowering their entire front-line workforce with modern digital tools.
Zebra provides a full set of devices, software applications, and partnerships with leading solution providers to bring this vision to life in a way that is truly unmatched in the industry. For example, our premium Workforce Connect™ software platform enables you to use location data to facilitate presence-based push-to-talk (PTT), messaging and data communications among workers on a Zebra mobile computer or some other Android™ or iOS mobile device. You can even integrate Workforce Connect with PBX for a secure, full telephony solution that makes it easy for workers to connect with colleagues, partners, and customers using a single, unified mobility solution. And our robust Reflexis software suite puts task and workforce management at the fingertips of front-line associates. We continue to innovate and acquire new software solutions and partner with software solution providers to ensure every asset and worker at the edge is visible, connected, and fully optimized.
More front-line workers use Zebra devices in their day-to-day workflows than any other, and they are now using these devices to run more apps than ever before. One popular application gaining significant traction on the front line is Microsoft Teams, and we have worked with Microsoft to optimize the experience using Teams (and specifically, its Walkie Talkie feature) on our industry-leading Android mobile computers. You can read more about which Zebra mobile computers will now support the Teams Walkie Talkie app, along with how our Reflexis Workforce Scheduler can now connect to the Teams Shifts app, here.
During a recent conversation I had with Nicole Herskowitz, who currently leads product marketing for Microsoft Teams, she shared what drove Microsoft to add these new PTT capabilities to Teams and why collaborating with Zebra to bring Walkie Talkie to market to Zebra mobile computers was important to our joint customers.
Nicole also talks about the growing use of Microsoft Teams by front-line workers.