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Field workers need answers, NOW


How pathetic is this post?  In a world filled with technology tools to distribute content this does not seem like it is very interesting.  The often overwhelming number of choices really muddies the waters.  Not to mention the security concerns related to communicating problems and solutions to the field workers and keeping these "nuggets" out of the hands of your competitors. Here are some things to consider:



Topics

  • Take some time, gather some of your key team members, reflect back on the last year and those areas which require the most improvement. Without consideration to how the items are organized simply start jotting them down on a piece of paper or whiteboard. I found it most effective in a group setting to ask everyone to contribute three of their own on a 3 x 5 index card. Have the moderator collect the cards and then put them on the whiteboard for further discussion and adjustment.

Frequency

  • Establish some frequency and stick with it. The aforementioned topics are essentially the lifeline of a field answer solution, you will have struck gold when members of this community begin contributing and responding to each other's contributions

Themes

  • Organizing topics into larger groups, or themes, can sometimes help you balance the type of messages that you are distributing. For instance, with the Last Mile Worker blog, I mix in business, client, workforce, training, process, and technology topics.

Tools

  • For tool selection consider the point of origin of your content. In many cases the content is homegrown or liberated from a partner vendor. Does your content need to be completely private? Would you ever want to share or include your clients in these discussions? I've used many tools over the years including YouTube, Vimeo, traditional blogs, and internal content systems such as Microsoft SharePoint.  The tool is really not that important it is just a means to an end.  What is most important is the convenience for field worker to consume and contribute information. Currently we are using Microsoft Teams in the office 365 technology stack.



The key here is to create a culture that cherishes knowledge. Our best service people are often those which have made the most mistakes yet corrected them before leaving the job. Imagine a world where you can take that valuable insight and perspective and share it amongst all of your workers.  Your organization would be unstoppable.



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Next post:  characteristics of a field worker

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