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Team Engine has introduced a WhatsApp integration, making it easier than ever for companies to communicate with their field workforces, particularly those without access to email or text messaging.
This new feature supports businesses that rely on diverse local teams and H-2B visa workers, many of whom don't have U.S. phone numbers or access to text messaging.
For landscaping companies, staying connected with a dispersed workforce can be difficult when traditional communication channels like email and phone calls fall short. Team Engine solves this challenge by enabling and automating two-way text communication. However, until now, it has not offered the same capability for communicating with H-2B workers and other Spanish-speaking field staff that primarily use WhatsApp.
Siu Mei Hau Yon, HR manager at Hidden Creek Landscaping, uses Team Engine for all employee communications (e.g. reminders, announcements, surveys & more) but has historically had trouble reaching their sizable H-2B workforce.
"We lose contact with our H-2B workers when they're back in their home country," she says. "It's an absolute game-changer that we're now able to use Team Engine to communicate with those who don't have a U.S. phone number."
In 2023, The United States welcomed 211,666 H-2B workers, and nearly 40 percent of those were for landscaping positions. WhatsApp is a popular choice for landscaping teams because it allows these employees to stay connected without needing a U.S. phone number, making it essential for those without traditional phone service.
"About 70 percent of our workforce is Hispanic, and most use WhatsApp to stay connected with friends and family," says Siu Mei Hau Yon.
Her experience reflects that of many other landscaping companies, and highlights the importance of reaching workers where they already communicate. This WhatsApp integration, combined with Team Engine's AI-driven message translation, ensures employer communications are received and understood by every employee, no matter their language or platform.