Text Messaging: Enhancing Employee Happiness with Feedback

Modern business relies on technology in all its forms. From the multi-line telephone switchboards and intercoms of mid-century Corporate America to the advancements of email, instant messages, AI, and other modern-day tools, technology has continuously shaped the way organizations operate and communicate. While cutting-edge tools like ChatGPT and machine learning dominate news cycles and business chatter, the humble text message has proven to be a highly effective communication tool. Today we’re talking about how and why text messaging might just be the best communication tool you haven’t considered.

The Effectiveness of Text Messaging

Text messaging is powerful in a number of key ways. This is especially true for remote workforces, where employees are dispersed across multiple locations. Text messaging levels the playing field for these distributed workforces, ensuring everyone has access to company information, regardless of where and when their work gets done.

• Immediacy and Accessibility: Text messages provide a quick and accessible way to reach workers, especially remote workers like those in the trucking and logistics industry who do their jobs from the road. Texting is also highly inclusive, allowing everyone to engage with little effort — no need for bothersome app downloads and complicated sign-ins.
• Direct and Unfiltered Communication: Text messages offer a direct and personal channel for employees to share their insights and concerns, breaking down barriers to communication and serving up practical solutions. Especially when accompanied by anonymity like WorkHound offers, texting offers users a chance to process and type out their thoughts, without the pressure of having to verbally articulate their feelings through a candid conversation. This is particularly helpful when it comes to having conversations with superiors, allowing workers to feel more at ease when sharing.
• High Open and Response Rates: Text messaging drives high open and response rates, beating out phone calls and emails. Think about it: It’s almost always easier to reply to a text than it is to take a phone call. With a text you can reply at your leisure, and you don’t have to worry about being available right when the person is calling. Everybody texts.

How Text-Based Employee Feedback Improves Employee Happiness

By creating a direct and immediate line of communication between workers and management, text message feedback helps leaders build healthy, high-functioning workplaces — especially if the workplace is measured in miles. A text-based approach allows remote employees to easily share their thoughts in a familiar way, feeling as connected to the company as their office-bound counterparts. Drivers, logistics personnel, and other remote workers do not have the luxury of face-to-face interactions like their in-office colleagues. Text messaging provides a direct line from leaders to remote workers. This acts as an equalizer, ensuring remote employees know their voices are heard and valued even from afar.

With the addition of anonymity, as WorkHound offers, frontline workers feel free to share honestly, commenting on topics or situations that they otherwise might not feel comfortable talking about. With these deep, clear insights from the field, leaders can solve problems faster, tackle workplace issues sooner, and better support their employees, directly impacting employee happiness and driving improved retention.

Building Trust Through Consistent Feedback

One of the biggest ways text messaging drives employee happiness is by building trust between employees and management. By constantly capturing feedback through text messages, leaders build a continuous feedback loop that ensures managers stay informed about workplace happenings and can act quickly to resolve pressing issues. Seeing their feedback in action, employees come to trust company leaders, knowing that their thoughts and contributions are meaningful to their employer. With consistent communication through text, employees are also reassured that their opinions are always valued, not just during annual reviews or sporadic surveys.
Moreover, regular feedback allows managers to keep a pulse on the workforce’s sentiment. With WorkHound feedback leading the way, leaders can easily spot what’s going well and what needs attention. This proactive approach demonstrates a genuine commitment to employee well-being, further solidifying trust and loyalty within the organization. Employees who feel heard and appreciated are more likely to be engaged, motivated, and satisfied with their jobs.

Improve Employee Happiness Today

Text messaging is a powerful tool that offers immediate, direct, and accessible feedback. By fostering open communication, building trust, and encouraging development, text-based feedback systems like WorkHound help create a happier, more engaged workforce.

Ready to see the benefits of text message feedback in your organization? Book a free demo and strategy session with us today and discover how our text messaging solutions can transform your workplace, improve employee satisfaction, and drive positive change.