What Are Deskless Workers and How Can They Use AI?

You might be surprised to learn that deskless workers make up 80% of the global workforce, meaning most people don't spend their day-to-day working from an office.

Instead, deskless workers work at factories, field sites, or other facilities, completing many of the jobs that keep the global economy running. 

In this blog, we’ll cover what deskless workers are, how they differ from frontline workers, and finally, how deskless workers can leverage AI for better training outcomes. Let’s dive in. 

What are deskless workers?

Deskless workers are people who perform their jobs away from a traditional office desk. They usually work in places like factories, construction sites, hospitals, or retail stores. 

Unlike office workers, whose jobs primarily consist of sitting at a desk and working at a computer, deskless workers often rely more on their hands and physical skills to get their job done, such as through building things, fixing machinery, or assisting customers. 

What’s the difference between frontline workers and deskless workers?

Deskless and frontline workers have a lot of overlap, but they have distinct differences. 

Frontline workers are employees who are the first point of contact in delivering services or products directly to customers or the public. They work in roles like healthcare, retail, hospitality, or emergency services, where they interact with people or provide essential services.

On the other hand, deskless workers are employees who don’t work in an office environment. Although all frontline employees are deskless, deskless employees can also include blue collar workers in fields like construction or manufacturing, who may not interact with the public but still perform hands-on tasks away from a desk. 

Main industries for deskless workers

Deskless workers make up a significant portion of the global workforce, playing vital roles across various industries where mobility and hands-on tasks are key. 

Below are some of the largest industries for deskless workers and frontline employees:

• Agriculture 
• Manufacturing 
• Transportation and logistics 
• Construction 
• Hospitality 
• Retail 

Key challenges involved in training a deskless workforce

Successfully training deskless workers can be extremely difficult. 

Industries like construction or manufacturing have a significant amount of safety and compliance rules and regulations to educate employees on, but since deskless workers aren’t sitting in an office at a computer, traditional training delivery methods are often insufficient. 

38% of deskless workers rank adequate training and upskilling as a top driver of their success and happiness at work, but nearly 3 in 10 say they don’t have access to adequate training and upskilling. 

There are a few reasons why training deskless workers can be challenging – let’s take a look at a few key factors. 

High turnover rates 

Many deskless jobs see incredibly high turnover rates, as some industries – such as fast-casual restaurants – are often viewed as temporary jobs. Other fields, like construction, can have high injury rates, which also tends to increase turnover. 

High turnover rates can pose a significant challenge, as they require employers to frequently hire new employees and continuously conduct new hire onboarding training. 

Having to repeat training programs for short-term or temporary workers can be costly. But on the other hand, failing to properly train all employees can increase the likelihood of a safety incident and the burnout risk for managers who are more costly to replace. 

Lack of direct communication

Because a construction company may have employees spread across multiple job sites, or working different shifts, it’s not uncommon for deskless workers to have less direct contact with supervisors. 

In fact, 4 in 10 deskless workers believe fractured communication poses a significant challenge in their day-to-day work, contributing to a lack of strong feedback loops. 

And because internal communication systems like email or Slack are usually less common in deskless workplaces, this communication gap can make it difficult to keep employees up to date on updated safety guidelines and other company updates, for instance. 

Numerous safety and compliance requirements

Many deskless industries, like healthcare or construction, have strict safety and compliance requirements that all employees must follow when on the job. 

To avoid potential safety risks, fines, or legal liabilities, employers must provide deskless workers with robust training and keep them updated on changes – a task that’s challenging due to the volume and complexity of these requirements. 

Safety and compliance training isn’t a one-and-done type of training either – it’s something that requires regular refresher courses and reminders, which can be difficult for employers to keep up with. 

Limited access to technology 

Deskless employees that spend most of their time working in the field may not have a company-issued computer, which can limit their ability to access digital training materials. 

This can pose a challenge for employers, who must find a way to provide flexible, on-demand training that’s mobile friendly, since much of their workforce relies on a phone or tablet alone. 

5 advantages of using AI video to train deskless workers 

By now, you can see how training a deskless workforce can be extremely challenging. 

Because your deskless workers may be spread across many job sites, online on-demand training is often the most convenient option for training. 

With online video-based training, your deskless workers can consume content at their own pace, and refer back to the material later on if they have questions. 

The problem? Training videos can quickly become outdated as company processes change, causing you to constantly need to refilm your content. 

This is where AI can help. Using an AI video tool allows you to leverage AI avatars in your training content, meaning you can create professional-quality content in minutes. And if your material changes, you can simply update your script and regenerate your video, without having to manually refilm your actors. 

AI video is by far the fastest and most efficient way to train a deskless workforce. Still skeptical? Let’s take a closer look at five of the biggest advantages of using an AI video tool like Colossyan. 

1. Automatically translate your videos 

Safety training is extremely important, but if your training is delivered in a language that some of your employees aren’t fully comfortable with, you run the risk of having valuable information slip through the cracks. 

To combat this, Colossyan’s translation feature allows you to automatically convert your training videos into 70+ languages in just a few clicks. 

Not only will your multilingual content have subtitles, but your AI avatars can speak every language – complete with accurate lip sync – adding extra realism to your training content. 

2. Quickly update your content as it changes

Let’s say a new safety law goes into effect that you now need to incorporate into your content. If you’re relying on traditional videos to train your team, you’ll need to manually refilm your videos to update your content. 

Instead, with a text-to-speech AI video solution, all you’ll need to do is update your script to reflect the necessary changes, and regenerate your video. 

In a matter of minutes, you’ll have a new video that’s completely updated – without needing to hire actors, rent camera equipment, or spend hours editing your video. 

3. Improve accessibility 

Video content is one of the most accessible mediums of content, as deskless workers can access their video-based training materials anytime, anywhere, and using mobile devices. 

This makes it easy to fit training requirements into any schedule, whether your deskless employees are working remotely or in the field. And if there’s a sudden update to training requirements, you can easily send out your training videos for immediate review, without having to gather the team in person. 

On a content level, video combines visual and auditory content to help make your material more impactful. Including subtitles or on-screen animations can make your content easier to understand for those who may have hearing difficulties as well. 

4. Save on training costs 

Time is money – and the longer it takes to create training content, the more expensive it’s likely to be. This is especially true for videos involving multiple actors, multilingual scripts, and an experienced editor. 

Instead of having to hire a bunch of different vendors to help bring those training videos to life, an AI video platform will allow you to easily produce those videos yourself in a matter of minutes, allowing you to produce professional-quality material at a more affordable price point. 

5. Personalize your videos 

Personalizing your training videos can sometimes add an extra layer of cost and complexity when creating videos the traditional way. However, AI video tools allow you to personalize your videos for deskless workers at no additional cost. 

For example, Colossyan’s branded avatar feature allows you to add your logos to stock avatar clothing, adding an extra personal touch to your AI presenter. 

Or, if you’d prefer to have your CEO or other brand representatives star in your video, you can create their very own custom avatar using Colossyan’s new instant avatar feature. 

Their instant avatar will both look and sound just like them, but can be paired with any script, meaning you won’t need to refilm them every time you need to create a new video. Just add a new script, and their avatar will have realistic lip sync in more than 70 languages. 

Here’s how it works: 

The future of deskless work

Generative AI tools like ChatGPT have already begun playing an increased role in automating mundane administrative office tasks, and the role of AI in deskless work is sure to increase in the coming years. 

The shift toward more AI in a deskless work environment doesn’t have to be incredibly resource intensive, either. AI software tools bring a range of capabilities that can help improve your deskless worker employee experience and boost job satisfaction without high startup costs. 

Deskless workers and employers alike have expressed an openness to increasing their tech stack, with half of the deskless employees surveyed said they’d like to use technology to address the lack of employee training.

Further, 82% of industry decision makers plan to increase spending on deskless worker technology, with an averaged planned increase in spend of 31% across industries. 

In the coming years, we can expect to see more AI software tools develop solutions for a better employee experience. In the meantime, AI video is a great way to begin strengthening your team’s training and upskilling processes. 

Create training content for any audience with Colossyan

We’ve already discussed how AI video can help you train your deskless workers in an accessible and engaging way. But the easiest way to get started with AI video is with Colossyan. 

Colossyan is the text-to-speech AI video platform for workplace learning. With AI avatars, templates, interactive features, and more – Colossyan is the go-to choice for many teams looking to train their deskless workers more efficiently. 

But don’t just take our word for it – try Colossyan for free today. Or, schedule a demo with one of our experts to learn more.