How Royal Ambulance turned their Workplace migration into a cultural reset

Meet Royal Ambulance

Royal Ambulance is a healthcare transportation company headquartered in the Bay Area. With more than 1,000 team members — from paramedics to event medical staff — the organization plays a crucial role in the healthcare continuum.

Royal covers a wide range of services, including event medical coverage for sports teams, logistics for hospitals, and traditional 911 support alongside local fire departments. With staff spread across the region, often working in pairs or small teams in the field, the company has never had the luxury of gathering everyone in one room.

Royal’s culture is built on recognition, growth, and purpose. But like many frontline organizations, they also operate with a high percentage of part-time employees who don’t have company email accounts. This meant that digital communication tools were always the backbone of how Royal connected their workforce.

The challenge: Replacing their longstanding comms platform

For years, Royal relied heavily on Workplace by Meta. It was their single point of connection — from sharing new county protocols to celebrating employee wins. Without it, daily operations would have been at risk.

So when Meta announced Workplace’s sunset, the news landed like a shockwave.

“When Workplace was going away, it was all hands on deck. Internal comms isn’t just kudos for us — it’s critical updates for our field teams.”
_{Jacob Sarasohn - Director of Marketing and Communications at Royal Ambulance}

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The risk was bigger than culture; it was about safety and compliance. Field staff needed instant updates on protocols, dispatches, or radio changes. Without an effective replacement, those messages could be delayed or missed.

Adding to the complexity:

• No company-wide email. Many staff work flexible or part-time schedules, making email impractical.
• Workplace familiarity. Employees had grown accustomed to Workplace — replacing it risked pushback.
• Tiny (but mighty!) IT team. Just two staff members support Royal’s technology, meaning migration had to be smooth and well supported.

Why Blink: A platform that worked for everyone

Royal didn’t want to simply “lift and shift” onto another tool. They wanted to take the opportunity to improve. To guide their search, Jacob and his team went straight to the source: their employees.

They asked their 50 most active Workplace users what they loved — and their 50 least active users what frustrated them. This created a balanced blueprint of must-haves and deal-breakers.

The feedback was clear:

• Make logging in easy
• Keep chat and feed together in one app
• Ensure the new platform evolves, rather than stagnates

Blink stood out as the platform that could deliver on all three — and more.

“Everyone has features. What made Blink different was the partnership. We didn’t just want a software vendor, we wanted a coworker for this migration.”
_{Jacob Sarasohn - Director of Marketing and Communications at Royal Ambulance}

Just as importantly, Blink demonstrated momentum. Unlike Workplace, which had slowed innovation years earlier, Blink offered a roadmap of new features designed for frontline organizations. For Royal, choosing a growing partner felt like an investment in their own future.

Unlocked: Better engagement, from the leaders to the laggards

Migration is never easy — but Royal used the process as a reset.

Instead of duplicating every Workplace post, page, and group, Jacob encouraged his team to think critically about what truly added value. That meant leaving behind unnecessary content and creating a leaner, more engaging environment in Blink.

Royal also seeded the platform with champions. Their most engaged Workplace users were invited into Blink early, tasked with posting updates and content so that the platform felt alive from day one.

To drive adoption across the wider workforce, Royal used a blend of incentives and requirements:

• Carrot: Employees who wanted to participate in EMS Week raffles and recognition had to do it through Blink. Branded socks became a surprise viral hit, sparking conversations in every ambulance rig.
• Stick: Critical tasks like shift changes moved exclusively into Blink. Employees couldn’t manage schedules without logging in.

The result was immediate. More than 500 users were live on Blink the very first day — a testament to how well the transition was planned and communicated.

“Migration is the best opportunity to improve, not just continue. It’s a blank slate to get rid of what didn’t work and build what does.”
_{Jacob Sarasohn - Director of Marketing and Communications at Royal Ambulance}

Looking ahead: Continuing their cultural transformation

For Royal, Blink isn’t just a replacement for Workplace — it’s an upgrade to their entire employee experience.

By treating migration as a chance to improve, they’ve built a platform that balances social connection with operational necessity. Leaders can celebrate wins, field staff can access critical updates instantly, and employees feel more connected to each other and to Royal’s mission.

Perhaps the biggest change is cultural. Blink has become Royal’s digital headquarters, giving employees who may only work one shift a month the same access and sense of belonging as full-timers.

“This isn’t my platform — it’s theirs. Our job as leaders is to make sure internal comms is accessible and helpful. Blink lets us do that.”
_{Jacob Sarasohn - Director of Marketing and Communications at Royal Ambulance}

With Blink in place, Royal Ambulance is equipped not just to keep pace with growth, but to ensure every employee — from rookies to veteran medics — stays informed, connected, and empowered.