Highlights from our Fireside Chat 🔥 with Rachael Nemeth (CEO, Opus), Pete Ginsberg (CEO, Onaroll), and Michael Jacober (CEO, Blanket) on the pressing need for "frontline-first" technology.
On accessibility
Too often, when we think about workforce software, especially in, in the last year, we think about desktops and laptops and tablets, and we forget about the majority of the world, which doesn't have access to those devices. So, "not accessible", is still a word I have to use to talk about the state of workforce software." ~ Rachael Nemeth
What is the frontline tech stack?
"The frontline stack starts with a piece of hardware and then the software is that they do engage with. Instagram, Facebook, SMS, these are part of the frontline tech stack. A majority of the workforce, I would say at this point is probably on some kind of scheduling or messaging tool. But a lot of of shift workers revert back to the things that they feel most comfortable with. That happens to be SMS. The thing that they interface with for a majority of their day inside and outside of the workplace." ~ Michael Jacober
On unbundled software
"I think continuing on the trend of unbundling, it's gotten easier and easier and faster and faster to build software. So all of a sudden you have experts in pretty narrow areas building something way better than someone could build in a more broad fashion. So yes, it's unbundled, but it's hyper-focused and therefore more relevant and more powerful." ~Pete Ginsberg
"By thinking that there could be one technology that's one size fits all, is actually a disservice to the people who we build for. It might be that there is one kitchen that is perfectly suited with a training packet and paper checklists, but that solution doesn't work for the next workplace. So the advantage of being able to pick the right solutions for your team at the right time are critical. As we think about adding more properties, the need for new, different kinds of solutions as your business evolves must change. It actually ends up being lower cost to use frontline software because you can bundle low-cost solutions things together in the way you you'd like." ~ Rachael Nemeth
On leveraging mobile technology
It's inevitable that people want to use their own devices. They feel comfortable on their own phones. I think if we look at the next five years, t's just going to be a given that employees are going to be using their own devices to perform tasks at work. It's an uphill battle if you're trying to fight against it." ~Michael Jacober
