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3 Reasons to Incorporate Mobile Communication Technology on the Construction Job Site
For decades, the construction industry has relied on the same communication practices: job site updates are delivered in morning huddles, and site orientation is hosted in-person on day one of a worker’s contract. While these practices worked well in the past out of necessity, there are dangers in adhering to the “status quo,” and the results can be costly.
Relying on in-person or word-of-mouth communication leads to a number of inefficiencies. For starters, being unable to track conversation and project history creates worker confusion, delays and a need to re-do work, ultimately costing your team time and money. Sharing company and project updates only while physically in a group is inconvenient for you and your team. The construction industry is fast-paced, and regularly stopping work throughout the day to share in-person updates impacts your bottom line. Not to mention, workers who miss these in-person updates are even less equipped to complete the task at hand. Luckily, there’s an app for that.
Breaking the “status quo” and implementing a new communication practice may seem intimidating, but it’s easier than you think. Today’s workers are digital natives, and they’ll likely be quick to adopt and appreciate the benefits of mobile communication while on the job. Here are three reasons mobile communication technology should be a part of your construction job site:
Mobile communication is efficient
We live in a digital world where technology is (literally) at our fingertips. A mobile communication platform improves your team’s productivity by providing an outlet to instantly share project, job site and training updates. In the construction industry, time is money, and any delay in work impacts your bottom line.
With a mobile communication platform, project managers can share updates on a project’s status and schedule, keeping field workers in the loop and on track to complete work on time and within budget. In an instant, you can inform your crews of a shift in plans due to a material delivery delay or design changes, allowing them to shift gears and start working on the next scheduled activity without additional delays.
Mobile communication is always accessible
Historically, project orientations are delivered to workers on day one at a new project site. By flooding workers with information, it’s likely some will be forgotten over time. Our memories aren’t perfect, and making a judgment call based on memories can sometimes lead people to make incorrect decisions (known in psychology as the availability heuristic). But, repeatedly delivering hours of training to your workforce is unproductive and typically not financially feasible. It’s crucial to provide safety training as close to when the information is needed as possible to keep your team safe. Mobile solutions have you covered.
With mobile communication technology, field workers always have training and job site materials in their back pockets. After initial onboarding and orientation, workers can reference materials at any time, ensuring that the team always has accurate and up-to-date information. Using mobile technology like MindForge, you can also record and send out instructions to people that missed the huddle. Additionally, project leaders and safety teams can assign relevant training content just before workers need to perform tasks. With this information top of mind, workers are more equipped to perform high-quality work and complete assignments safely.
Mobile communication is, well, mobile
From upper management to superintendents, safety officers and field workers, all members of your team can be in tune with a project’s status whether they’re on or off-site. Mobile solutions help your entire team stay connected from across project sites. For example, site leaders can assign project assignments or parking instructions before workers even arrive at the job site in the morning, cutting down on unproductive time throughout the day.
With mobile technology, project leaders can keep their workforce in the know, and workers are given greater visibility of the job site without ever physically speaking in person. Safety officers can deliver effective and virtual training modules, helping them easily monitor workers’ training completion and cut down on travel time from site to site. And, workers can monitor for project updates without ever leaving the task at hand.
From behind the desk to on the job to everywhere in between, MindForge’s mobile communication platform helps all levels of your organization deliver good communication on the job site and stay connected, up-to-speed and equipped with the information they need to be as efficient as possible.
Learn more about how MindForge can improve your job site communication.