Cell Phones Eclipse Landlines for Workplace Communication, Zinwave Study Finds

All employees, especially millennials, prefer cell phones for productivity, necessitating robust indoor wireless connectivity

DALLAS--()--Zinwave, a leading global provider of Distributed Antenna System (DAS) solutions for in-building wireless, today released the results of its Workplace Connectivity Survey, revealing prevalent use of cellphones in the workplace over desk phones, especially among millennials. The results show an increasing shift in dependence on mobile devices for work, reinforcing the need for employers to provide fast and reliable wireless signals at the workplace.

The Workplace Connectivity Survey questioned 1,021 offices, industrial and healthcare workers on their preferred tools for internal and external communications at the workplace. In addition, respondents were asked about their use of a cellphone or tablet for data access.

Key findings included that with the increasing use of cell phones at work, 11.7 percent of respondents never use their desk phones for in-office communications, and some employers have stopped providing desk phones altogether.

In addition to voice calls, the survey found an increase in text messaging as a tool for communication at work, with 52.5 percent of respondents texting colleagues and other internal contacts, and 51.7 percent texting clients, vendors, partners and other external contacts.

As might be expected, millennials are driving the adoption of cell phone use in the office, with 66.5 percent saying they used their phones at least a little more at work now than a year ago. Generation X respondents, however, also saw the benefits of using a cell phone at work and were not far behind in adoption, with 61.1 percent saying they were using their cell phone at least a little more than last year.

The results reflect the findings of a previous report conducted by Zinwave that found millennials demand constant connectivity, and that as a group they were 68 percent more likely to complain about frequent problems with cellular coverage in the workplace than their older coworkers.

“The incoming millennial workforce has spoken, and they have made it clear that they want to use their mobile devices at work,” said Scott Willis, President and CEO of Zinwave. “The results of the Workplace Connectivity Survey confirm that employers need to support mobile technologies in the office.”

Other key findings of the survey include:

  • 62.6 percent of respondents said they used cell phones on a daily basis for external communications, and 56.8 percent for internal communications
  • 85.3 percent said they used cell phones on a weekly basis
  • 55.7 percent of workers use their cellphone or tablet every day for data access
  • 20.7 percent use their cellphone or tablet for data on a weekly basis
  • In industrial settings, 71.3 percent used cell phones daily for external communications and 64.8 percent for internal communications
  • In healthcare, 62.4 percent used their cell phones for external communications and 61.8 percent for internal communications
  • Email slightly lead cell phones as the primary tool of communication at work, with 68.2 percent of respondents using email for external communications daily and 67.6 percent using it for internal communications daily
  • Desk phones ranked fourth in terms of workers increasing their use, falling behind email, cellphones and text but outranking IM, video call apps, online meetings and social media.

In light of these findings, employers should consider DAS options to facilitate their workforce’s preferences for communication. Zinwave’s 3F advantage (fiber based, full spectrum and future ready) offers the most effective solution to providing in-building coverage.

The fully fiber based network forms the system’s backbone and makes it affordable and easy to install. With Zinwave, employers can cover all cellular and public safety frequencies with a single hardware layer, minimizing costs by keeping the solution simple. Full spectrum support makes the solution truly future ready, since any alterations to the network can be done through simple software updates.

The full version of the report can be viewed at https://goo.gl/yMkK2C.

To learn more about Zinwave’s 3F advantage, visit https://www.zinwave.com/das-solutions. For more information on the cost of DAS, refer to Zinwave’s Cellular as a Service model at https://www.zinwave.com/cellular-as-a-service or download Zinwave’s total cost of ownership ebook at https://www.zinwave.com/tcoebook.

About Zinwave

Zinwave is a Dallas, TX based provider of indoor cellular and public safety connectivity that is essential for business. These solutions include the four component, fiber-based Distributed Antenna System (DAS) solution, which is easy and affordable to install, and oriented towards customers looking for a solution that is ready for the future generation of wireless technology. Zinwave’s enterprise customers span the globe across a wide array of industries. For more information, please visit www.zinwave.com.

Contacts

Harvey Henao for Tech Image
harvey.henao@techimage.com
312.673.6059

Contacts

Harvey Henao for Tech Image
harvey.henao@techimage.com
312.673.6059