Frontline workers keep the world running. They move products, care for people, repair equipment, deliver goods, and keep facilities operating. Their work is mobile, high pressure, and deeply dependent on the performance of the devices and applications they carry every day.
Yet despite their importance, frontline workers continue to face significant mobile technology challenges; the impact on productivity, customer experience, and cost is massive. ControlUp for Frontline Workers helps organizations take a proactive, data-driven approach to optimizing the frontline Digital Employee Experience (DEX).
Frontline Workers Are Struggling with Device Issues
Device issues are widespread and disruptive:
- 80% of frontline workers experience device issues at least once per month
- 82% report connectivity problems with WLAN or mobile networks
- 74% encounter app stability issues
- 61% struggle with poor battery life
- 60% require device reboots
- 38% work with broken devices
- 34% deal with lost or stolen devices
And most surprising: when issues are reported, it takes 30 minutes on average to resolve them, yet most issues go unreported!
These problems directly affect service delivery, employee satisfaction, and operational efficiency. But they also create hidden costs: lost worker time, customer dissatisfaction, unnecessary replacement of devices or batteries, and unpredictable mobility spend.
ControlUp Provides “Mobile DEX” Visibility into the Frontline Experience
Reactive troubleshooting isn’t enough. The goal is to find and fix issues before they impact workers or customers. To support frontline workers effectively, IT needs real‑time, actionable visibility into Mobile DEX metrics like:
- Device health
- Battery performance
- App usage and stability
- Network connectivity
- Cellular data consumption
- Location and status of devices
That’s where ControlUp for Frontline Workers makes all the difference. It empowers IT teams to:
- Proactively detect issues with devices, apps, batteries, and networks
- Monitor performance across warehouses, stores, and field routes
- Export data to Excel, Power BI, or analytics tools for deeper insights
- Accelerate resolution with granular, real-time performance data
- Gain complete visibility and accountability across mobile assets
Going beyond troubleshooting, this is a complete operational intelligence system for frontline mobility.
→ Read a related blog: Improve Frontline Worker Productivity and ROI with the New ControlUp for Frontline Workers
Finance is Feeling the Pain, Too
It’s not just IT that struggles with poor visibility, Finance teams lack timely, accurate reporting to answer critical questions:
- Which devices are being used daily… and which ones sit idle?
- Are we paying for cellular overages we could avoid?
- What’s our ROI on mobile assets, apps, and licensing?
- How many devices go missing each month?
Without robust reporting, companies overspend on hardware, data plans, replacements, and support.
ControlUp delivers real-time intelligence that helps drive smarter procurement and budgeting decisions.
Enable Accountability & Actionable Insights
With ControlUp’s unified reporting and analytics, organizations can:
- Identify underused or unused devices and reclaim licenses
- Track app and firmware versions across the fleet
- Reduce unnecessary battery replacements (eliminating “No Trouble Found” waste)
- Spot devices that exceed cellular data limits and find the root cause
- Locate and recover lost or stolen devices and SIM cards
- Build custom reports showing real‑time mobile usage and health
This drives accountability across IT, operations, and finance.
→ Read our deep dive: Beyond Mobile Device Management Software: Mastering Mobile DEX
Frontline DEX Provides Real Business Impact
Optimizing the frontline worker experience is not just an IT initiative… it’s a business imperative.
With proactive mobile experience management, organizations can do so much:
- Improve productivity and reduce downtime
- Deliver faster, higher‑quality customer experiences
- Control mobility costs and prevent overages
- Reduce asset loss and unnecessary purchases
- Protect frontline workers from frustration and burnout
In short: better DEX means better business outcomes.
Want to see how your frontline mobility challenges stack up against industry trends? Explore the latest research in the State of Enterprise Mobility Report and uncover the data every IT and operations leader should know.
Curious about mobile DEX for your organization?
