Meet Jackson Mannix, a team member at Blink. Explore their story and journey.
Jess DeVore
Published:
April 24, 2025
Last updated:
April 24, 2025
Say hello to Jackson Mannix — Boston-based Commercial Account Executive, former SDR trail-blazer, and resident champion of all things frontline.
Since joining Blink in late 2022, Jackson has helped shape our SDR program from the ground up, pushed the Southeast market into high gear, and kept the competitive-but-collaborative spirit of our culture alive and buzzing.
This week, he sat down with us to talk startup chaos (the good kind!), scaling a sales engine, and why empowering frontline workers still gets him out of bed every morning. Let’s dive in!
Which Blink office do you work out of?
I work out of our Boston office.
What is your position at Blink?
I’m a Commercial Account Executive covering the U.S. Southeast. I joined Blink in fall 2022 as an SDR.
How long have you been at Blink?
Just over two and a half years.
What initially attracted you to join Blink?
Back then I wasn’t sure which kind of company I wanted to join. I’d spent about six months bartending and serving at a local Boston bar, figuring out my next step. I knew I wanted to get into software sales — I just didn’t know where or how. More importantly, I wanted to work with people who were invested in my growth and who valued the traits I bring to the table.
While job-hunting, I tapped my network and discovered Blink. At that point, Blink didn’t have a Boston presence, but the passion I saw for Blink was contagious. The idea of helping frontline workers, not just businesses, struck a chord. Yes, we deliver huge value to organizations and improve their bottom line — but we also make life less stressful for hourly employees who are raising families and juggling enough already.
Having lived that hourly-wage reality myself, I immediately saw the impact Blink could have. We’re creating real, global change by improving work for people who often get overlooked. That combination of purpose, growth, and the chance to help build something from the ground up drew me in.
What's a project you are proud of from your time at Blink?
The evolution of our SDR program, hands down. I spent more than two years as an SDR, so it was a true career commitment. The first 4-6 months were pure learning, then — right as I hit my stride — Amanda (our Global Sales Development Director) arrived. Working closely with her and the senior SDRs, we overhauled training, processes, and feedback loops.
Seeing that transformation — from the scrappy early days to today’s structured program — has been incredible. We have a new cohort of SDRs coming in now, and they’ll benefit from a playbook built on both our successes — and our mistakes. Every miscue was a lesson that made the program stronger. I’m proud that leadership trusted me to shape the day-to-day work, give candid feedback, and help steer where the team is going.
How would you describe the company culture at Blink in three words?
Competitive, collaborative and chaotic.
Blink is competitive in the best way: We all push each other — within and across teams — to set a high bar, but never with the hope that someone else falls short. I want to beat my number, but I still want the person next to me to smash theirs, too.
That healthy drive dovetails with a spirit of collaboration that’s almost startling. From day one, people leap in to share decks, brainstorm talk tracks, or hop on a call when something goes sideways. That help hasn’t slowed for me two-and-a-half years later.
“Chaotic” sounds negative, but it’s a positive here. Priorities shift fast, new projects hit your desk with immediate urgency, and if you thrive in that kind of pressure-makes-diamonds environment — learning from the inevitable missteps and bouncing back stronger — Blink is your playground.
What's one thing you’re excited about for the future of Blink?
Landing big global logos will always be a thrill, but what really excites me now is cracking new verticals where we’ve barely scratched the surface.
Billions of frontline workers still lack a modern comms tool, and some operate in highly specific or newly burgeoning industries. Every so often a niche customer pops up — maybe a specialty manufacturer or seasonal service — who shows us Blink can solve problems we didn’t know existed in that space. One unexpected win like that can inspire product tweaks and reshape how we go to market.
The “green grass” feels endless, and the idea that next quarter’s most interesting deal might come from a sector we’ve never targeted keeps the future wide open.
Can you tell us about a recent initiative or program launched at Blink that you found particularly exciting?
I’m loving the new podcast studio. We upgraded from a basic setup to a full broadcast-quality room, and the content now coming out — clean visuals, tight edits, professional sound — has lifted our thought leadership game. Podcasts may feel crowded, but they work because people already consume information that way. Watching customers plan their own internal podcasts after seeing what we’ve built is proof we’re practicing what we preach. It’s cool to see us invest in a channel, nail the execution, and then hand clients a real-world example they can replicate for their own teams.
Why do you work for Blink?
I believe in our mission and in the people delivering it. Over the past two-and-a-half years, Blink has celebrated my wins loudly and stood by me during the lows.
When a deal closes, teammates are first to cheer; when I hit a rough patch, my teammates and leadership step in without hesitation. Amanda, for instance, showed incredible compassion when I was dealing with serious personal challenges, and the business made sure I felt heard and valued, not just judged by a number.
That genuine, reciprocal support is powerful. It’s why I log in every morning ready to push harder, and why I see a long runway for myself here.
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What are the best Microsoft Teams alternatives in 2026?
Microsoft Teams is a powerful tool for messaging, meetings, and document collaboration—especially if you're already invested in the Microsoft 365 ecosystem. But for many organizations, Teams is clunky, overcomplicated, and poorly adopted by employees who aren’t sitting at a desk.
It’s not built for frontline workers. It’s not intuitive for non-technical users. And it tries to do too much—without doing any one thing particularly well.
Whether you're looking for a cleaner UX, faster communication, mobile-first design, or just less frustration, here are the 12 best Microsoft Teams alternatives in 2026 to consider—ranked and reviewed for ease of use, collaboration, and adoption.
#1. Blink
Best for unifying internal communication across the entire workforce
Blink is an employee experience platform that offers real-time chat, announcements, document sharing, scheduling, and forms—all in one simple, mobile-first app. Unlike Teams, which struggles with adoption outside of office environments, Blink is designed for everyone, from corporate HQ to field teams and shift workers.
Why Blink is better than Teams:
Intuitive UX—no training required
Works seamlessly across desktop and mobile
Built-in tools for messaging, alerts, surveys, and forms
Designed for high engagement and daily usage
Ideal for: Companies that want all employees—desk-based, remote, and frontline—on the same page.
#2. Slack
Best for real-time team collaboration and integrations
Slack is the original team chat platform that changed how businesses communicate. It’s fast, intuitive, and integrates with almost every productivity tool you can name.
Why teams choose Slack:
Channels for projects, teams, and topics
Powerful third-party integrations
Searchable message history
Simple, user-friendly interface
Limitations: Can get noisy at scale; no built-in video calling beyond basic functionality.
#3. Zoom
Best for video-first collaboration
Zoom rose to prominence during the pandemic as the go-to platform for video meetings. While it lacks native chat and file management, it’s ideal for high-quality video calls, webinars, and virtual events.
Best features:
Reliable, high-definition video
Breakout rooms and whiteboarding
Webinar hosting tools
AI summaries and recordings
#4. Google Chat & Meet
Best for Google Workspace users
Google Chat and Google Meet are tightly integrated with Gmail and the broader Google Workspace ecosystem, making them a natural fit for organizations already using Google Docs, Calendar, and Drive.
Why it's better than Teams (for Google users):
No need to switch platforms
Simpler UI for messaging and meetings
Seamless calendar and doc collaboration
#5. Cisco Webex
Best for secure video collaboration at the enterprise level
Webex offers a suite of tools including messaging, calling, meetings, and event hosting. It’s often favored by large enterprises in finance, healthcare, and government.
What sets it apart:
Enterprise-grade security and compliance
AI features for transcription and noise removal
Contact center and webinar add-ons
#6. Discord
Best for informal, community-style collaboration
Originally designed for gamers, Discord has evolved into a powerful chat and voice platform for startups, education, and tech teams that value speed and informality.
Why it works:
Always-on voice channels
Threads, emojis, and community features
Free for most use cases
Limitations: Not built for enterprise or regulated environments.
#7. Mattermost
Best open-source alternative to Teams and Slack
Mattermost is a secure, self-hosted messaging platform used by teams that need full data control, including developers and government agencies.
Key benefits:
Open-source and customizable
On-premise or cloud deployment
DevOps and workflow integrations
#8. Flock
Best for small teams that want simplicity
Flock is a lightweight collaboration tool with messaging, video calls, and productivity tools baked in. It’s a simpler alternative to Teams, especially for startups and growing businesses.
Top features:
Shared to-dos and reminders
Notes and polls
Lightweight video calling
#9. Rocket.Chat
Best for companies needing full control over data
Rocket.Chat is another open-source platform used by privacy-conscious organizations. It offers messaging, video conferencing, and multi-channel communication with full customizability.
Why it’s chosen over Teams:
100% data ownership
Omnichannel support (email, WhatsApp, SMS)
Developer-friendly APIs
#10. Chanty
Best for team chat with built-in task management
Chanty offers a focused chat experience with integrated task tracking. It's ideal for teams that want to combine communication and lightweight project management in one place.
Why it's appealing:
Tasks and Kanban view
Threaded conversations
Budget-friendly pricing
#11. Zoho Cliq
Best for businesses already using Zoho
Cliq is part of the broader Zoho productivity suite and integrates seamlessly with other Zoho tools, offering team chat, calls, and app integrations.
Strengths:
Role-based access
Video calls and bots
Custom workflows
#12. RingCentral MVP
Best for unified communications at enterprise scale
RingCentral MVP combines messaging, video, and phone in one solution. It’s ideal for enterprises looking for an all-in-one UCaaS platform with robust admin controls.
Key features:
Cloud-based calling and messaging
Enterprise security
Integrated analytics and call routing
How do you choose the right Microsoft Teams alternative?
Microsoft Teams can be powerful—but for many companies, it’s simply not the right fit. Cluttered UX, low mobile adoption, and integration complexity make it a poor choice for fast-moving teams and distributed workforces.
The good news? There are plenty of modern alternatives—whether you need internal messaging, video conferencing, or an all-in-one platform.
Need one app for comms, docs, alerts, and tools—without the sprawl? Blink delivers a beautifully simple platform that your whole workforce will actually use.
Why teams choose Blink over Microsoft Teams
Teams works well if your whole organization already lives inside Microsoft 365 — but frontline and deskless workers rarely do. Blink is mobile-first, requires no corporate email, and is used daily by teams at McDonald's, Domino's, and Chick-fil-A. For a closer look at exactly how the two compare on adoption, pricing, and mobile experience, see our full breakdown.
Most restaurant teams are running on a patchwork. A group chat for the shift, a paper schedule on the wall, a manager relaying head office updates by word of mouth because nobody has time to read an email between the lunch and dinner rush.
A restaurant employee app is supposed to fix that. But not every app built for "employees" actually works for people who don't sit at a desk, who share one break room tablet between fifteen people, or who are moving between the fryer and the register all shift.
Here's what to actually look for, and where a purpose-built restaurant employee app earns its place in the tech stack.
Why generic workplace tools fall short in restaurants
Tools built for office teams assume a few things that don't hold up on a restaurant floor: everyone has a company email address they check daily, everyone has ten minutes to read a memo, and everyone's at a desk long enough to log in.
None of that describes a QSR or fast-casual crew. Shifts are short, phones are personal, and the person who most needs a schedule update might be the person least likely to see it in time.
That's the gap a restaurant employee app is built to close: getting the right information to every crew member, on the device they already carry, without asking them to change how they work.
What a restaurant employee app needs to get right
Mobile-first, not mobile-adapted. There's a real difference between an app designed for a phone screen first and a desktop tool with a mobile version bolted on. Restaurant staff need the first kind, fast to load, simple to navigate, and just as capable as the desktop version if a shift lead needs to log in from the office.
Shift-relevant communication. A restaurant employee app should make it easy to reach every crew member with the update that matters to them, whether that's a menu change, a food safety alert, or a shift swap request, without burying it in a company-wide newsletter nobody reads. That's the exact gap a dedicated restaurant messaging app is built to close.
Self-serve access to the basics. Payslips, schedules, and shift swaps shouldn't require a call to the manager. When employees can find what they need on their own phone, managers get their time back and staff feel more in control of their own work.
Room for recognition. Restaurant work is physical, fast-paced, and often thankless in the moment. A good employee app builds in a way to say thanks publicly, whether that's a shout-out from a shift lead or a peer recognizing someone who covered a double. It's one of the simpler restaurant employee engagement ideas to actually sustain, once it's built into the app your team already uses.
Multi-location and multilingual support. Franchise and multi-unit operators need one system that works the same way whether it's a location with five staff or five hundred, and that can reach a crew that doesn't all speak the same first language.
How Blink fits multi-location and franchise restaurant teams
Blink was built for frontline and deskless teams from the ground up, not adapted from a desk-based tool after the fact. For restaurant operators, that shows up in a few specific ways.
Every employee gets access from day one, whether they have a company email or not. Messaging and the news feed put shift-relevant updates directly in front of the people who need them, instead of relying on a printed notice by the time clock. Recognition and survey tools give crew members a way to be seen and to be heard, both of which matter in an industry where turnover is high and the reasons people leave are rarely a mystery. And because Blink is built to scale across locations, a five-location group and a five-hundred-location franchise system run on the same platform without either one outgrowing it.
Restaurant brands including McDonald's, Domino's, and Shake Shack use Blink to keep frontline teams connected, informed, and engaged, and adoption rates in Blink's frontline customer base regularly land in the 90 percent-plus range within the first week, exactly the kind of fast, friction-free uptake a restaurant employee app needs to actually get used.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between a restaurant employee app and a scheduling app?
A scheduling app like 7shifts or When I Work is built specifically around shift planning, labor forecasting, and clocking in and out. A restaurant employee app like Blink is broader: it covers communication, engagement, recognition, onboarding, and access to company information, and often integrates with the scheduling tool a restaurant already uses rather than replacing it.
Does a restaurant employee app replace a group chat app like WhatsApp?
It can, and for most operators it should. Consumer chat apps aren't built for shift-based turnover, don't give managers visibility or moderation tools, and blur the line between an employee's personal phone and their employer's internal comms. A dedicated employee app keeps that separation clear while still being just as easy to use.
How fast can a restaurant chain roll out a new employee app?
With a mobile-first app like Blink, most frontline organizations see the bulk of their team activate within the first week, since there's no company email requirement and the interface is built to need little to no training. For a broader look at what's out there, see our roundup of the 31 best apps for frontline workers.
Hey! I'm Theo Booth, I am originally from the UK but I have spent the majority of my life trying to travel as much as possible and I have lived in 5 countries.
Before becoming a software engineer I was in the shipping industry, initially as a broker before becoming a trader.
I did a Software Engineering bootcamp during lockdown before joining the Solutions Engineering team at Blink as a Full Stack Developer in September of last year.
The responsibilities of the role are twofold: Firstly, to scope out and build custom integrations that can service our clients needs; and secondly, to work with customers to find solutions to/tailor bespoke apps for the pain points in their current ways of working.
The culture at Blink is second to none and the diverse team is a mix of weird and wonderful people all driving towards the same goal. It’s a lovely place to work!
JD Now, powered by Blink, will connect and engage circa 90,000 global workers across JD Group
JD, a leading global omnichannel retailer of sports fashion brands, has partnered with employee experience platform to unveil “JD Now,” a revolutionary employee super-app designed to transform communication and operational efficiency for its entire workforce. The platform is rolling out to circa 90,000 employees across JD Group’s global brands, including JD Sports, Go Outdoors, and Finish Line, marking a significant step forward in the company’s commitment to digital innovation and employee experience.
In the first 10 days following the pilot launch of JD Now, JD saw an incredible 74% adoption rate across the 20,000 initial users, as well as tens of thousands of direct and group messages — showcasing a near-immediate improvement to connection and communication.
Bridging the digital divide
The global retailer launched the platform after identifying opportunities to improve its internal communications and employee engagement. With a rapidly growing workforce, the company recognized that traditional communication methods — including shop-floor huddles, paper magazines, and physical notice boards — were no longer sufficient to maintain the level of connection and operational efficiency required for a business of its scale.
In response to feedback from employees who wanted a higher level of connection across the business, JD Group sought out a cutting-edge solution to unify and streamline its communication channels. Blink was selected for its expertise in frontline employee engagement and its ability to provide a mobile-first, user-friendly platform that could meet the diverse needs of JD’s expansive workforce.
“At JD, we know our people are our greatest asset and we are committed to investing in the tools to ensure they excel,” said Nicola Kowalczuk, chief people officer at JD Group. “The launch of JD Now in partnership with Blink marks an important step forward in enhancing our employees’ work experience and leading the way in retail digital transformation. This platform is not just about communication — it’s about equipping our teams with the resources they need to thrive in a fast-paced retail environment.”
JD Now: Key features and benefits
Unified communication platform: JD Now is an easily accessible platform, simplifying communication and reducing reliance on traditional, inefficient methods.
Enhanced employee engagement: By fostering better interaction between employees and leadership, JD Now is designed to boost morale and reduce attrition, creating a collaborative and engaging team environment.
Employee-generated content: The platform makes it easy for employees to contribute ideas and feedback, encouraging them to be active participants in the brand’s evolution.
Advanced digital transformation: JD Now reflects JD’s dedication to modernizing retail operations and providing employees with the tools needed to excel in a digital age.
Blink, known for its mission to connect frontline teams with the tools they need to thrive, is empowering hundreds of thousands of frontline workers globally with an engaging employee super-app that facilitates an average of seven interactions per day per user and helps to reduce attrition rates by up to 25%.
“Collaborating with JD Group to launch JD Now is a major milestone for Blink,” said Sean Nolan, CEO and co-founder of Blink. “Our mission has always been to bridge the gap between leaders and frontline workers, and JD Now is a testament to our shared vision of transforming employee experience and communication in the retail sector.”
Exploring alternatives to Beekeeper? You’re not alone.
Since Beekeeper was acquired by LumApps last year, there’s been uncertainty over the future of the platform.
The stated intention? To blend the features of Beekeeper and LumApps tools. But what this means for users during the transformation process (and beyond) is still to be seen.
That’s why some organizations are viewing this as the perfect opportunity to move away from Beekeeper and find a new employee communication app. A more intuitive and scalable platform — a solution with more customization options, better search functionality, and an improved backend experience for admins.
We’re here to help — with a shortlist of 11 Beekeeper alternatives for 2026.
From modern intranets to all-in-one employee experience (EX) platforms, these software tools can help you improve internal comms, unify dispersed teams, and upgrade digital employee experience.
Features include real-time messaging, content management, social news feeds, and analytics. You can also expect robust integrations that ensure a streamlined and productivity-boosting experience for employees.
Ready to find your Beekeeper alternative? Take a look at the best employee communication platforms for 2026, along with their pros and cons.
Best for: Companies with frontline and desk-based workers looking for unified communication, engagement, and operations.
Blink is the leading alternative to Beekeeper. It’s an employee experience platform that combines communication, engagement, and productivity tools in one easy-to-use app.
These tools are available via one unified dashboard, which — crucially — contains exactly the same features and functionality across both desktop and mobile devices.
As a joined-up solution, Blink drives engagement and transparency while reducing noise and tool overwhelm. Its intuitive UX, rapid deployment, deep integrations, and enterprise-grade security make it ideal for large-scale organizations across industries.
And you don’t need to take our word for it. Blink customers — including McDonald’s, JD Group, Children’s of Alabama, and Go North West — report high app adoption rates and measurable improvements in employee engagement, retention, and operational efficiency.
Pros:
All-in-one platform for two-way communication, resources, and operations
A social-style news feed, co-worker communities, surveys, and recognition tools
Intuitive mobile-first design with high employee adoption
Integrates seamlessly with Microsoft 365, Workday, ADP, and more
Includes analytics, AI automation, and broadcast tools
Trusted by global brands including McDonald’s, JD Group, and Domino’s
Cons:
Enterprise plan required for advanced customizations
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#2. Staffbase
Best for: Large or global enterprises with formal comms teams
Staffbase is a popular internal communication platform that caters primarily to enterprise businesses — those with complex communication needs across multiple regions. It provides branded employee apps, newsletters, and intranet tools and places a strong emphasis on content distribution and corporate messaging.
While its visual editor and content scheduling features are a plus, some users find the platform content-heavy. Its pricing model is geared towards larger organizations, and the platform may take a while to configure and fully roll out.
Pros: Strong branded experiences
Cons: More focused on top-down messaging than interactivity
#3. Workvivo
Best for: Large, multilingual organizations
Workvivo blends communication features with a social media-style interface. It allows employees to post updates, engage with leadership, and access key resources in one space. Workvivo excels at driving culture and engagement, especially in hybrid or dispersed workplaces.
The platform is backed by Zoom and integrates with major HR and collaboration tools. But there are a few downsides to bear in mind. Workvivo can be hard to customize when it comes to operational use cases like task management or process automation.
Pros: Highly engaging UI, good for culture-building
Cons: Limited operational features compared to all-in-one platforms
#4. Simpplr
Best for: Companies looking for a modern intranet and a centralized knowledge hub
Simpplr positions itself as a modern intranet with a focus on employee communications and engagement. It provides a clean UI, AI-powered content recommendations, and analytics to help internal comms teams measure impact.
It’s especially effective in large enterprises with a high proportion of knowledge workers. Smaller organizations may find that some features are unnecessary and that prices are higher than budgets allow.
Pros: Streamlined UI and good customer support
Cons: Limited customization options
#5. Firstup
Best for: Global enterprises looking for advanced audience targeting and automated message delivery
Firstup is a digital employee experience platform designed to deliver personalized content at scale. It focuses on intelligent content delivery, helping large enterprises reach the right people with the right message at the right time.
With AI-powered targeting, automated employee journeys, and email tools, Firstup works well for complex internal comms strategies. However, the platform is heavily focused on broadcast and campaign-style messaging, with limited collaboration features.
Best for: Large and complex organizations looking for an AI-native intranet
Unily is a platform that combines intranet functionality with employee experience tools. It supports rich content creation, content translation, and broadcast email across a user-friendly interface.
Unily is often praised for its design flexibility and advanced features, but it takes time and developer expertise to set up. This Beekeeper alternative is best suited to companies with dedicated IT and comms teams.
Pros: Powerful and customizable
Cons: A steep learning curve; a time-consuming setup process
#7. Microsoft Viva
Best for: Microsoft-centric organizations looking to improve employee experience
Microsoft Viva is a suite of employee experience tools within Microsoft 365. It includes modules for insights, learning, and communications, and it’s a strong choice for knowledge-worker companies already using the Microsoft ecosystem.
As you’d expect, Microsoft Viva integrates seamlessly with other Microsoft products, including Outlook and SharePoint. But it can be overly complex — and overly corporate for those wanting to develop a dynamic company culture.
Pros: Deep integration with Microsoft 365
Cons: Can feel fragmented; requires additional configuration
#8. Haiilo
Best for: Culture building, employee advocacy, and brand amplification
Haiilo is another Beekeeper alternative that provides employee communication and intranet capabilities. It features multiple communication channels, plus tools to amplify employer branding and build a more connected culture.
Despite the platform’s strengths, some users state that it’s overly complex, particularly for smaller businesses and less tech-savvy teams.
Pros: Great for advocacy and culture building
Cons: A complex tool with a steep learning curve; expensive for smaller companies
#9. Happeo
Best for: Google-centric organizations
Happeo is a Google-based, AI-powered intranet that acts as a centralized hub for all internal comms. It puts company news, documents, and collaboration tools in one easy-access location.
Key features include pages, channels, a user-friendly drag-and-drop editor, and an intuitive user interface. But this platform lacks several useful communication tools — like direct messages, audio and video messages, and @mentions.
Pros: Easy and intuitive interface; easy integration with Google Workspace
Cons: Limited integrations beyond the Google suite; limited search functionality
#10. MangoApps
Best for: Mid-sized businesses seeking to connect dispersed teams
MangoApps provides a unified platform for communication, collaboration, and HR workflows. Key features include instant messaging, file sharing, task tracking, and employee recognition.
Users praise the platform’s ease of use but complain that the user interface — particularly on the platform’s mobile app — feels outdated compared to more modern tech tools.
Pros: Comprehensive comms features in one place
Cons: Less intuitive UI compared to newer competitors; integrations are limited
#11. Speakap
Best for: Frontline-only teams
Speakap is a communication app built for non-desk workers. It focuses on reaching employees who don’t have a corporate email or regular access to company systems. The app supports secure messaging, announcements, and integrations with payroll or scheduling tools.
Speakap is a good fit for retail or hospitality environments but offers fewer features for knowledge-based collaboration or enterprise-scale analytics.
Pros: Tailored for frontline teams
Cons: Limited scalability for enterprise-level requirements; limited team messaging functionality
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Which Beekeeper alternative is right for your organization?
The right Beekeeper alternative will depend on your organization's size, structure, and goals. But if you're looking for a platform that goes beyond messaging to deliver a truly unified employee experience, Blink stands out as a top choice.
Blink meets the needs of both frontline and desk-based teams, by bringing communication, collaboration, and productivity tools into a centralized, mobile-first hub.
With social-media-style comms tools, a consumer-grade smartphone app, and proven impact on employee engagement, it has everything you need to improve internal comms and employee experience.
Other tools on this list each offer value in specific areas — from top-down communication to culture-building to knowledge management — but Blink leads the way as a complete, scalable solution for internal comms and employee experience in 2026.
Why teams choose Blink over Beekeeper
Beekeeper's 2025 acquisition by LumApps has left many customers asking what's next for their roadmap and support. Blink offers a stable, purpose-built alternative — mobile-first, no corporate email required, and already trusted by McDonald's, Domino's, and Chick-fil-A. See our full comparison, including what the acquisition means for Beekeeper customers.
Healthcare. Manufacturing. Hospitality. Whatever your industry, frontline workers are the lifeblood of your company.
Frontline workers know what’s wrong before you do.
They know what delights customers—and what drives them mad. Why customers are buying less, cancelling contracts, moving to competitors.
The problem? Most companies aren’t listening.
Research shows 60% of frontline workers feel their suggestions go unheard. That can be discouraging and lead to disengaged employees.
That’s why, to get your frontline staff to feel appreciated, you must find ways to improve employee experience. By doing so, you’ll see a drop in absenteeism, safety incidents, and an increase in work quality.
It’ll also translate to a better experience for your customers. After all, your frontline staff interacts with your clients every day. If they feel better, they provide better service.
The benefits are great, but remember—it all starts with making your employees feel heard.
For that reason, it’s crucial to include your frontline workforce in internal communications. Not by sending ad-hoc corporate comms in their direction. But by creating an internal comms strategy that’s as relevant to frontline workers as it is to desk workers.
With thoughtful, relevant communications at every stage of the frontline employee lifecycle.
The employee lifecycle refers to the employees’ experience at your company throughout their tenure. It starts from the instant they first learn about your company and ends when they exit.
An understanding of the employee lifecycle can guide you on how to personalize employee experience to match workers’ unique priorities.
80% of professionals rate employee experience as important or very important, but 59% feel they are not ready to address the associated challenges. That explains why many organizations have a one-size-fits-all approach to creating a workplace experience.
However, different employees have different needs based on where they are in the employee cycle. Making that distinction is one of the ways HR can improve employee experience.
Moreover, the duration of the employee lifecycle also depends on whether the majority of your staff is desk-based or frontline. Frontline workers tend to leave at a dramatically higher rate than their desk-based counterparts.
In fact, most verticals see an average of 50% turnover per year, leading to several disadvantages:
Increase in likelihood of data breaches
No provision for giving digital identity to frontline workers
Additional schemes and incentivization to retain frontline workers
Constant hiring, onboarding, and offboarding
Decline in loyalty towards the organization
No wonder the employee lifecycle of frontline workers is so damaging and frustrating. It’s unfortunate considering how this turnover can be reduced without making a big hole in your budget.
Just put yourself in your worker’s shoes—What should the company start doing to improve your employee experience?
Frontline workers aren’t just motivated by money. They are also driven by meaningful work, inspiring work culture, and internal recognition. By implementing an effective internal communication technology and employee experience software, you can have many of them stay longer with the company.
An intro to employee lifecycle management software
Including frontline workers in your internal comms doesn’t just help you garner customer insights; it adds to your bottom line. In fact, a recent Forbes study showed firms that involve 75% of their frontline employees in internal comms achieved more than 20% growth over a year.
As frontline workers also tend to be remote workers—on the field, at the bus depot, at a hospital—the easiest way to bring them into communications is via employee lifecycle management software that reaches them wherever they are.
In other words: if you can’t bring them into a physical office, bring them into a digital one. Building a better employee experience starts with bringing your frontline staff into the conversation.
This digital platform used to be a desktop-based intranet, but that technology has gone out of date in recent years, especially for frontline workers.
In fact, our recent research shows that 2 in 10 healthcare employees don’t even know how to use their company intranet. It’s just too sluggish for today’s workplaces.
While desk-based workers have improved their workflows with technologies such as Slack and Microsoft Teams, frontline workers are stuck with noticeboards and letters.
That’s where modern intranet software fills the gap. It’s built for mobile, but also compatible with desktop devices. Providing a single hub for knowledge sharing and communication makes way for a better employee experience at every step of improving the employee lifecycle.
What are the employee lifecycle stages?
1. Outreach
The first stage of the employee lifecycle is when potential employees come across your brand and the job vacancy.
But today’s workers are more selective than ever before. The average number of applicants per job opening has declined from 52 in 2016 to 36 in 2017 and 29 in 2018.
Potential workers don’t express interest just because you have an open position. And they won’t blindly trust the positive references provided by your company.
Instead, they’ll rely on the PR you have “earned.” They’ll read online reviews, reach out to your current staff members, and check your social media mentions. Improve employee experience, and you’re more likely to read positive posts or tweets.
That’s why your employer branding is crucial at this stage. Your employer brand is how potential and current employees view your company. It’s the image that comes to their minds when they think about your reputation as an employer.
And it can be strengthened with the right communication tools.
Think about what you would suggest to improve your experience as an employee, and ask your frontline staff for their input.
A modern intranet solution such as Blink can help you ensure that your existing workers are well-versed with all your policies, core values, brand statement, employee benefits, and recent accomplishments.
ALT: Blink centralizes document sharing to improve employee experience.
This information will shape the messages your employees spread elsewhere on the web through employer reviews, informational interviews, and social media updates. And it’ll help you build a reputation that attracts a talented workforce.
2. Recruitment
The demand for frontline workers is higher than ever due to the pandemic and great resignation. However, the talent pool has been retiring or retraining for less demanding positions.
The result is a massive shortage of frontline workers. No wonder 82% of companies struggle to recruit the right people.
If you want to attract the best talent, demonstrate you know how to enhance employee experience for your workers. You need a concrete strategy that brands your organization as an exceptional place to work. And at the core of this strategy is a modern intranet platform.
Encrypted and fully secure private messaging between members of your hiring team (or any of your workers) should be a priority. Blink offers this and robust form-building functionality that enables your HR division to create application materials tailored to each vacancy.
3. Onboarding
Most employees make up their minds about staying or leaving an organization within the first three months of joining.
And given the fast turnover in recent times, it’s important to start on the right foot and look for ways to improve employee experience. One such method is improving the onboarding process. Implementing a structured employee onboarding process is essential to making a good impression on your top talent and shaping them into productive, engaged team members, which will ultimately have a positive impact on employee performance and retention.
Onboarding processes often consist of many meetings and conferences, along with tons of files and folders that need to be reviewed, filled, and submitted to different departments.
Depending on the size of your recruitment drive, you may also need to create hundreds of new datasets for each hire, increasing the risk of inaccuracies.
An intranet can help you centralize, structure, speed up, and even automate parts of the process.
With Blink, for example, you can automate the entire user creation process, eliminate a great deal of overhead, and keep the user profiles always up-to-date.
Not just that, setting up a designated onboarding site with Blink can help you centralize essential training materials and resources. You can also encourage new employees to connect with each other and ask questions using the chat function.
Another onboarding issue that arises with frontline workers is that many don’t have a corporate email address, let alone a digital identity. That’s why Blink lets you set up accounts for frontline workers without assigning them email addresses or phone numbers.
The beauty of such a system is that frontline workers can easily access Blink and the data associated with third-party software integrations such as Microsoft 365.
The result? Your company makes a great impression and your workers start identifying themselves with your culture right from the beginning.
4. Training and development
Learning is another crucial part of the employee lifecycle. However, a common issue for frontline organizations is the difference in the learning styles of workers.
Let’s take the age factor for example. While older employees may prefer conventional training tools such as seminars, meetings, and paper-based reading material, younger generations are more inclined towards social engagements, texting, and online reading.
Blink has the tools you need to bridge this gap, all accessible from a single place. For the young crowd, it offers social and gamified training features like badges, kudos, and leaderboards.
Meanwhile, baby boomers get access to traditional educational formats including video webinars, explainer videos or articles, and printable manuals.
5. Performance
This stage of the lifecycle usually requires some ideas to update your employee experience strategy with some new ideas.
After all, a common issue with frontline workers is the lack of well-defined career progression. Many stay in the same role and pay bracket throughout the employee lifecycle, and not necessarily because they want to.
Workers can feel they have no big, long-term goal to strive for. That affects motivation and engagement while increasing employee turnover.
Blink can support you here too, by letting you plan concrete roadmaps to aid career growth and promotion milestones.
Your workers can get a direct line of communication with mentors whose careers they wish to emulate, along with learning materials and best practices to build new skills.
Employee recognition is the key to engagement, yet 63% of employees don’t feel recognized for their achievements. With Blink, you can monitor workers’ progress and reward top performers.
Little gestures such as giving a big ‘thank you’ at an online event, or tagging and thanking people in the newsfeed or your organization or department can go a long way. It would also encourage other employees to follow suit.
6. Offboarding
As much as intranet software can increase employee engagement and slow down your turnover, some employees will still leave. And it’s important for your organization to get a pulse of the exit process.
According to one study, companies that act on employee feedback have twice the engagement score of those that don’t.
You basically want to know three key things:
Why are they leaving? Timely feedback can help nip key issues in the bud.
Did they successfully complete all their exit formalities?
Do they still have access to any sensitive information?
So Your intranet solution should be ready to handle all these aspects.
Blink, for instance, automates de-provisioning, eliminating the risk of ex-employees still having access to company data.
It also helps you organize exit interviews, offboarding checklists, and pulse surveys so you can learn from each employee’s feedback to improve employee experience.
Final thoughts: Improve employee experience with an optimized intranet
To succeed in the new work era, frontline workers need experiences tailored to their needs at each stage of the employee lifecycle. Whether it’s their first week on the job or last, they need personalized resources, training, and access to key people in the organization.
Learning how to improve employee experience at each of these stages will help reduce turnover, increase engagement, and lead to happier workers. Understand how employee experience and engagement work together. Don't forget to into account the relationship between employee engagement and employee experience.
Employee lifecycle management can help you deliver a stellar experience to both frontline and desk-based employees. And by adopting a next-gen intranet software like Blink, you’ll increase employee engagement and streamline your worker’s experience.
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