Published on the 02/10/2017 | Written by Newsdesk
Microsoft releases its F1 ‘everything’ subscription plan, urging digitisation of frontline workers…
Customer-facing employees are “misunderstood and overlooked” said Microsoft, but that’s something it’s looking to change with the release of the 365 F1 subscription plan, an extension of (and price increase on) its Microsoft 365 Enterprise offer.
Firstline roles, processes, technologies and tools are the new transformation frontier, says the tech giant, as well as a lucrative market opportunity.
“Firstline Workers represent the more than two billion people in roles that make them the first point of contact between a company and the outside world,” reads a Microsoft blog posted last week.
“They are the people behind the counter, on the phone, in the clinics and on the shop floor. Simply put, they form the backbone of many of the world’s largest industries.”
“The introduction of Microsoft 365 F1 represents a significant next step towards our vision of involving the Firstline Workforce in digital transformation by empowering every worker with technology.”
The company said the new subscription plan will provide first line workers with “a comprehensive set of productivity and security capabilities” and represent a “significant next step towards [its] vision of involving the Firstline Workforce in digital transformation by empowering every worker with technology.”
Essentially, the 365 F1 deal is an assembly of Office 365 F1, Windows 10 Enterprise and Enterprise Mobility + Security, one which the company hopes to see adopted as a single solution which enterprises will scale across their entire employee base.
An internal/partner memo released by the company last month says that frontline staff are often overlooked in respect to transformation, that business fail to exploit front-line workers to their full potential by treating them “in isolation”.
“The goal should be to build a more intuitive, immersive and empowered experience for all workers – leading to heightened levels of customer understanding – and creating new solutions to reshape how employees think, innovate and take action,” said the memo.
“It is Microsoft’s perspective, that a strong digital strategy must be inclusive of all workers. This belief has guided our Firstline Worker vision and how, together with our partners, we plan to reinvent productivity to maximize the impact of the Firstline Workforce.”
The launch of is scheduled for this month and expected to cost US$10 per user per month (an increase of $6 per user per month on Office 365 F1).
