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How we built a communication model that engages dispersed teams in the service industry – EBS laundries?
Implementing the Worksmile platform has helped the company to increase the readability level of key information to 52%.
EBS Laundries – in detail:
- service industry
- dispersed structure – 120 laundries across Poland
- over 250 employees
Communication barriers in the service industry with a dispersed structure
EBS laundries is the premier laundry service provider throughout Central and Eastern Europe, overseeing more than 120 laundries in Poland, predominantly situated in the country’s largest shopping malls.
- Demographic diversity (with the majority belonging to the 'silver generation’) and shift rotations hindered effective team-building and the smooth flow of information.
- The lack of a unified intranet further complicated communication, resulting in important company updates often slipping under the radar.
- The physical separation of teams posed a real threat to organisational cohesion, as well as employee satisfaction and engagement.
With a workforce exceeding 250 individuals, the main challenges were:
The company did not have any internal intranet. We wanted to show different teams across Poland that they are part of a bigger whole. We were looking for a solution that would strongly support our training team in showcasing the results of their work and our activities. Fast communication to all employees was also crucial for us.
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The solution: group and mobile app-based communication
EBS launched dedicated groups for each laundry team across Poland, successfully strengthening employees’ sense of belonging and their connection to the larger organisation. This initiative also provided a valuable space for effectively showcasing the training team’s achievements.
Not only did this improve employee communication and local team-building but also facilitated spontaneous interactions between employees from different laundry locations within hobby groups, enriching the overall company atmosphere.
A remarkable 97% of all accounts were activated on Worksmile, with more than 70% of EBS employees regularly logging into the platform.
The vast majority of staff access the platform through the mobile app, perfectly catering to the needs of teams that are frequently “on the move,” handling customer support or engaging in other tasks that keep them away from their PCs.
Impressively, the key metric for notification readability averaged 52%, which is double that of conventional employer-to-employee communication methods, such as company emails, which hover around 21%.
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The key to communicative success – engaged content creators
This voluntary interaction is especially valuable to C-level management, as employees are enthusiastic about commenting on and directly relating to announcements, thus fostering a genuine internal dialogue.
What I personally find beneficial is that Worksmile allows me to engage in conversation with any employee, and anyone has the opportunity to comment on my posts.
The driving force behind Worksmile’s success within EBS Laundries has been the active involvement of content creators, particularly local managers and HR and training staff.
These individuals consistently publish crucial information for their teams, with Administrators averaging around 10 announcements each month on the Worksmile platform. This consistent communication has led to a growing interest among employees, with such announcements seeing an average engagement rate (through comments and likes) of 11%.
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Benefits for the company and its employees
Improved efficiency in internal communication
With Worksmile in place, key business information swiftly reaches dispersed teams, with a notification readability level of 52% validating the effectiveness of these innovative communication tools.
Support for the training staff – presentation of results and effects
Worksmile is an effective platform for supporting the company’s training and development team. It enables regular presentations of the outcomes of various initiatives and development projects to the entire team, thereby enhancing the department's image and facilitating a more accurate assessment of the efficiency of ongoing efforts.
Direct contact between employees and C-level management
C-level management greatly appreciates the opportunity for informal, two-way communication that Worksmile provides. Any employee can actively engage in conversation and respond directly to messages from leadership, which not only fosters a stronger sense of belonging but also enhances the relationship between management and local teams.