Your frontline workers are making decisions right now without the information they need. The nurse who doesn’t know about the updated protocol. The warehouse team that’s unaware that shipping priorities changed three hours ago. The production supervisor still working with yesterday’s quality targets.
While organizations invest heavily in data analytics and strategic planning, a startling disconnect persists: the employees most responsible for customer experience, operational safety, and day-to-day execution are often the least informed about company priorities.
To explore this growing issue with frontline communication, we talked to Jen Snelders, Head of Product at Skykit. With over 16 years of experience solving complex enterprise challenges across industries, Jen brings a unique perspective on how technology can bridge the gap between information-rich headquarters and information-tapped frontline teams.
“I’m passionate about this topic because I’ve seen firsthand how transformative it is when organizations successfully connect their deskless workforce with real-time information,” says Snelders. “We’re not just talking about pushing announcements. We’re talking about creating an inclusive information environment where every employee, regardless of their role or location, has access to the insights they need to perform at their best.”
Security + Data Sharing
A: This is one of the most critical questions we hear, and rightfully so. When you’re displaying production metrics or patient data, security isn’t optional – it’s foundational.
Here’s what makes the difference: Skykit operates on a “read-only” model for data visualization. We’re not asking you to give your frontline teams direct access to your ERP system, your BI platform, or your electronic health records. Instead, we securely pull the specific data you want to display and present it in a controlled, visual format.
Think of it like this: you wouldn’t give everyone keys to the server room just so they can check if the servers are running. You’d put up a status board. That’s exactly what we do with your business-critical data.
According to recent research, only 10% of deskless workers are satisfied with their workplace communication, and a major barrier is the lack of secure, accessible channels. Skykit bridges that gap by integrating with your existing systems (whether that’s Power BI, Tableau, ServiceNow, or custom APIs) through encrypted connections. We display what you need them to see, when they need to see it, without exposing the underlying systems.
And we back this up with SOC 2 compliance, which means we’ve undergone rigorous third-party audits of our security controls, data handling practices, and operational procedures. For organizations that need to demonstrate compliance – whether to auditors, regulators, or enterprise customers – that certification matters.
Now, here’s where it gets even more interesting for distributed operations: cellular connectivity. Many manufacturing plants, logistics warehouses, and healthcare facilities have areas where traditional network infrastructure is challenging: remote buildings, temporary facilities, or locations where running ethernet isn’t practical. With cellular connectivity options, you can deploy screens in those environments without compromising security or creating complex network configurations. The same encrypted, read-only data visualization, but with the flexibility to reach every corner of your operation.
For healthcare specifically, we’re HIPAA-aware in our design approach. For manufacturing, we work within your existing security protocols and can operate within closed networks or leverage secure cellular connections. The display infrastructure becomes an extension of your communication strategy, not a vulnerability in your security posture.
Real-Time Speed + Alert Capability
Q: We're talking about real-time data. How 'real-time' is it? If a safety alert needs to go out, how quickly can a manager push that to every screen in a facility?
A: When we say real-time, we mean it. And when it comes to safety, speed is everything.
For data dashboards pulling from systems like Power BI, Tableau, or live APIs, updates typically refresh every 30 seconds to 5 minutes, depending on how you configure the source. For most operational metrics – production output, quality scores, patient wait times – that cadence is more than sufficient to keep teams informed and aligned.
But for critical alerts? That’s a different story. When a safety incident occurs, when a compliance threshold is breached, or when an emergency situation unfolds, managers can push alerts to every screen in their network within seconds – not minutes. This is where digital signage becomes mission-critical infrastructure rather than just a nice-to-have communication tool.
We’ve also integrated with emergency notification systems like Alertus, and we’re actively adding additional emergency alerting partners to ensure digital signage becomes part of your comprehensive emergency response infrastructure. This means your existing emergency protocols can automatically trigger visual alerts across all screens without requiring manual intervention.
Think about a manufacturing plant where a chemical spill has occurred in one section. Within 30 seconds, every screen across the facility can display evacuation protocols, muster point locations based on current wind direction, and real-time status updates.
Or consider a hospital when a severe weather warning is issued, like a tornado approaching. Digital signage can instantly push alerts across every department, directing staff, patients, and visitors to move to interior corridors and shelter-in-place locations. This reaches everyone simultaneously, ensuring no one misses critical safety information.
The key advantage here is centralized control with distributed reach. One person, from one interface, can update every screen across multiple buildings or even multiple sites. That’s the kind of speed that protects people and minimizes the window between incident and response.
Before + After: Skykit Customer Story
Q: Can you give us a tangible 'before and after' example from a Skykit customer? What changed for them once they started visualizing their performance?
A: Absolutely. Let me share an example that really illustrates the impact of visibility.
We worked with a regional logistics company managing multiple warehouse facilities. Before implementing digital signage, their performance communication looked like most organizations: weekly printouts posted in break rooms, maybe a whiteboard in the main aisle that someone updated…when they remembered. Shift supervisors would verbally relay yesterday’s numbers during morning huddles, but by the time information reached the warehouse floor, it was already outdated – and often inconsistent across shifts.
Before
- Team members didn’t know if they were meeting their targets until the end of the week.
- No visibility into how their facility compared to sister sites.
- Safety incidents weren’t trending downward despite training investments.
- Employee engagement scores consistently flagged “lack of information” as a pain point.
Here’s what changed once they implemented Skykit with live business intelligence dashboards:
After
- Real-time dashboards displaying on-time shipment rates, hourly picking efficiency, and current vs. target loads across every facility.
- A “days without incident” counter that became a point of pride and friendly competition between shifts.
- Live order fulfillment tracking that helped teams see the direct impact of their work.
- Recognition boards celebrating top performers and highlighting team achievements.
The measurable outcomes? Within the first quarter, they saw a 12% improvement in on-time fulfillment, a 23% reduction in safety incidents, and employee engagement scores related to communication jumped by 31 points.
But here’s what their warehouse manager told us that really stuck with me: “For the first time, our team could see in real-time that when they hustled, the numbers moved. That connection between effort and outcome. That’s what changed the culture.”
That’s the power of making data visible at the point of work. It transforms information from something leadership knows into something everyone can act on together.
Data Source Integration
Q: What data sources do companies typically connect to these displays? Is it just spreadsheets, or can it pull from more complex systems like an ERP or a business intelligence tool like Power BI?
A: The beauty of modern digital signage is that it meets your data where it lives. We’re not asking you to rebuild your entire tech stack. We integrate with what you already have.
The most common integrations we see fall into a few categories:
Business Intelligence Platforms:
- Power BI and Tableau are huge for us – hese are where most organizations are already building their dashboards and reports. We can display those dashboards live on screens throughout your facilities, no additional development required.
- For healthcare, we often integrate with clinical dashboards showing real-time patient census, bed availability, ER wait times, and departmental KPIs.
ERP + Production Systems:
- Manufacturing clients frequently connect to systems like SAP, Oracle, or Microsoft Dynamics to pull production metrics, quality scores, and inventory levels.
- We can display Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), downtime alerts, shift performance comparisons—anything your ERP system tracks.
Specialized Industry Systems:
- In Healthcare: Epic, Cerner, Meditech for patient flow data
- In Logistics: WMS (Warehouse Management Systems) for order fulfillment tracking
- ServiceNow for IT and operations ticketing status
Cloud Platforms + APIs:
- Google Sheets and Microsoft Excel for simpler deployments or smaller teams
- Custom APIs if you have proprietary systems
- Cloud storage (OneDrive, SharePoint, Google Drive) for document-based content
Real-Time Sensors + IoT:
- Environmental monitoring systems
- Safety equipment status
- Occupancy sensors for room availability
Here’s what matters most: we’re system-agnostic. If your data lives somewhere and has an API, a published dashboard, or even just exports to a file, we can work with it. The goal isn’t to force you into our ecosystem. It’s to amplify the investments you’ve already made in data infrastructure by extending that visibility to the people who need it most: your frontline teams who don’t sit at desks all day.
Research shows that 69% of organizations still rely primarily on email to reach employees, but 54% of deskless workers have limited email access. Digital signage closes that gap by bringing the data directly to where your people work: the factory floor, the nurse’s station, the warehouse dock, the break room. That’s how you turn data into action.
Technical Skill + Time Requirements
Q: A plant manager or hospital administrator is incredibly busy. How much technical skill or time is required to update what's on the screens day-to-day?
A: The short answer? If you can drag and drop a file or update a PowerPoint, you can manage content on Skykit.
We designed our platform specifically for non-technical users because we understand that the people closest to the work – the ones who know what information matters most – are rarely the same people with IT degrees. Plant managers, shift supervisors, HR coordinators, and facilities directors need to be empowered to communicate directly – without becoming dependent on a help desk ticket.
Our content management system is browser-based, which means you can update screens from anywhere. For most day-to-day updates, we’re talking about 2-5 minutes of work.
Need to update today’s production goal? Swap in a new safety metric? Highlight this week’s top performer? It’s as simple as editing a template or uploading a new file.
And here’s what’s really powerful: you can schedule content in advance. If you know that next Wednesday you’re running a town hall meeting at 10 AM, you can schedule that announcement to appear automatically across all relevant screens. No need to remember to update it manually that morning when you’re already juggling ten other priorities.
For more complex integrations (like connecting to your ERP system or building a custom dashboard) yes, that requires some initial IT involvement. But once those connections are established, they run automatically. The data updates itself. Your team just manages the presentation layer.
The reality is that 80% of the global workforce is deskless, and they’re often the ones who need information most urgently. If it takes a computer science degree to get that information to them, you’ve already lost. Skykit removes that barrier.
The Bigger Picture: Why Frontline Communication Matters
The frontline communication gap isn’t just an operational challenge, it’s a strategic vulnerability. When your customer-facing employees don’t understand your company’s priorities, when your production teams can’t see how they’re performing against targets, when your clinicians lack visibility into hospital-wide patient flow – these are business failures waiting to happen.
As Chuck Gose, founder of ICology and internal communications pioneer, recently noted:
“There’s no excuse not to reach your frontline employees anymore. ‘We can’t reach them’ is a decades-old excuse. Tech isn’t a cure-all, but it’s a powerful enabler.”
The statistics back this up:
- 72% of frontline workers say they don’t understand the company strategy.
- 63% of frontline employees report leadership messages don’t reach them.
Yet these same employees are responsible for customer experience, operational safety, and day-to-day execution.
Join the Conversation: Upcoming Webinar
On November 18th at 11:00 AM CT, Jen Snelders and Chuck Gose will share a candid conversation about frontline communication challenges and practical solutions.
In “The Frontline’s Not Looking—And That’s On You,” they’ll explore:
- Why traditional communication channels are failing your deskless workforce.
- How leading organizations are extending critical information to the point of work.
- Practical strategies for creating visual metrics that drive immediate action.
- The unexpected ROI of effective frontline communication.
This webinar is essential for anyone responsible for:
- Internal Communications
- Employee Engagement
- Operations Management
- Workplace Safety
- Digital Workplace Strategy
- Organizational Effectiveness
Frontline attention isn’t something you hope for. It’s something you design for. Join us to learn how to transform disconnected teams into your most informed, aligned AND productive workforce.
Can’t make the live event? Register anyway, and we’ll send you the recording.
