Several fast-growing industries are grappling with the deskless workforceOpens a new window .
For businesses that are trying to connect workers on factory floors or in hotels using VoIP technology, the challenge is considerable and demands new technology.
Deskless workers are employees who don’t sit behind a desk to do their jobs — hence deskless. They need hands-free connectivity to voice-over-internet communication systems and manager teams without compromising their abilities to do their jobs. A fully connected and properly engaged workforce can deliver significant benefits to customers in terms of efficiency.
We are now starting to see breakthroughs in this area, with companies like Cisco and Honeywell developing products that can be embraced in the retail, hospitality and manufacturing industries as well as other sectors in which employees are on the move all the time and frequently need to keep their hands free.
Cisco and Honeywell recently announced alliances with Dallas-based TheatroOpens a new window , which owns a voice-controlled mobile platform that can connect workers to enterprise resources.
The voice-driven Intelligent Assistant system is available either as a software- as-a-service solution or a hardware-enabled software. It gives what Theatro calls a “heads up and hands free†solution that keeps workers connected to supervisors at all times in a mobile environment.
Cisco and Honeywell are known to be interested in expanding Theatro’s existing capabilities into new industries.
Cisco is focusing on innovations in the area of cognitive collaboration – using software, hardware, artificial intelligence, machine learning and networking to develop communications products that can make mobile workplaces more interoperable.
One of the areas needing improvement is integrating hourly associatesOpens a new window – entry-level or minimum-wage workers – with full-time managers.  The workers need voice and digital communication products to do their jobs more efficiently.
“Enabling collaborative tools to penetrate organizations’ employee populations more deeply and more productively is the next frontier in work enablement,†says Donald Tucker, a senior executive at Cisco.
Theatro and Honeywell as also working together to develop more effective hands-free, voice-activated systems that can draw on the data insights delivered by the Internet of ThingsOpens a new window wireless devices.
Theatro’s technology functions as a suite of applications that gives part-time workers access to the tools they need while they remain on the go and potentially having to deal with customers on a constant basis – like in the hospitality or gambling  industries. They need to access business data and resources without having to stop what they’re doing to consult a tablet or computer.
Key takeaways:
- The hands-free working environment is becoming an area of focus for VoIP developers as employers look for solutions for staff who are working in environments where they cannot refer constantly to screens.
- New solutions are drawing on cutting edge technology, including machine learning and artificial intelligence, that will increase the level of connectivity between dispersed hands-free workers and management.
- Part of the value of this technology stems from its capacity to integrate hourly associates – personnel who work part time or on shifts for minimum wages – with more full-time, strategic personnel. A good example would be connecting casino floor workers with central management and security.