
The Ideal Tech Stack for De-Centralised Teams
Engaging deskless employees can feel like a constant juggle. Whether your staff are on the shop floor, in transit, or on-site, traditional communication tools and desktop-based software often fall short.
Yet deskless workers are the beating heart of your organisation - without whom things would quickly fall apart. So, keeping them engaged and connected is imperative. This is where tech stacks come in.
A Tech Stack is a curated set of digital tools that supports specific business functions. Think of it as a digital toolkit where each tool does a distinct job but complements the others. It’s one of the best ways to connect a de-centralised workforce and engage deskless teams.
Build a Robust Tech Stack to Support Your Deskless Teams
While apps are helpful for getting work done, too many can lead to confusion, missed updates, and low engagement. Employees are less likely to adopt apps if they need to juggle five logins or learn a new system every week. That’s why, if you’re looking to engage your deskless teams you should consider a tech stack.
Tech stacks change how business is done for the better. For deskless teams, this means apps and software that enable communication, collaboration, feedback, training, and operations from anywhere - without the need for a desk or company email. Tech stacks ensure:
- Consistent communication
- Simplified user experience
- Stronger adoption and engagement
- Greater compliance and visibility
By building a cohesive tech stack that prioritises mobile access and ease of use, organisations can empower every employee to stay connected and contribute, regardless of location or job role.
TL;DR: Your Quick-Fix Tech Stack
Need a snapshot? Here's your streamlined solution for engaging deskless teams:
- Internal Communication App: Joyned
- Mobile Time Tracking: Clockify
- Expense & Reimbursement Management: Expensify
- Feedback & Engagement Surveys: SurveyMonkey
- Learning & Development: Connecteam
Each tool is mobile-friendly, easy to adopt, and built to keep dispersed teams aligned, engaged, and compliant.
The Best Internal Communication and Engagement Tools for Deskless Teams
Your tech stack should be simple to use, designed with mobile-first access in mind, and capable of supporting your entire workforce - especially those without desks or fixed locations. Let’s take a look at the essential tech we’d recommend to get you started.
1. Internal Communication App: Joyned
The backbone of any engagement strategy is clear, secure communication in the workplace. Joyned is an internal communication app built specifically for decentralised workforces. It offers secure, mobile-first messaging, role-based access, and GDPR-first controls - making it one of the best internal communication tools for organisations with compliance needs and deskless teams.
Why Joyned is the comms solution for de-centralised teams:
- Works on any smartphone, making it accessible to staff without a company laptop or email
- Cuts through the noise with direct announcements, no matter the location
- Keeps communications compliant and controlled
Worthy Mentions: For those deeply integrated into the Microsoft 365 universe, you could explore Microsoft Teams for your desk-based internal communication needs.
2. Mobile Time Tracking: Clockify
Time tracking shouldn’t require spreadsheets or back-office systems. Clockify is a mobile-ready time tracking app that allows staff to log their hours from anywhere - making it ideal for shift workers, field teams, and distributed crews.
Why Clockify is ideal for de-centralised teams:
- Log time on-the-go via mobile or tablet
- Supports GPS tracking for location visibility
- Simplifies reporting for managers across locations
Worthy Mentions: HubStaff and Harvest also offer reliable mobile time-tracking capabilities.
3. Expense & Reimbursement Management: Expensify
Managing expenses can be chaotic when teams are spread across locations. Expensify streamlines expense reporting with a mobile app that lets employees snap receipts and submit claims in real time.
Why Expensify is ideal for de-centralised teams:
- Snap-and-submit functionality reduces admin
- Keeps spend visible and policy-compliant across teams
- Works well for remote or travelling employees
Worthy Mentions: Spendesk and Xero Me also support decentralised expense and reimbursement management.
4. Feedback & Engagement Surveys: SurveyMonkey
Understanding how your team feels is key to keeping them engaged. SurveyMonkey allows organisations to run regular, mobile-friendly pulse surveys to gather actionable feedback from staff, wherever they are.
Why SurveyMonkey is ideal for de-centralised teams:
- Accessible on any device
- Supports quick survey deployment to remote teams
- Enables anonymous feedback to improve trust and candour
Worthy Mentions: Culture Amp and Officevibe offer engagement-focused platforms with survey capabilities.
5. Learning & Development: Connecteam
Training decentralised teams is challenging. Connecteam delivers mobile training modules that support onboarding, safety briefings, and ongoing learning - ideal for industries with high turnover or rotating shifts.
Why Connecteam is ideal for de-centralised teams:
- Mobile-first platform designed for on-the-go learning
- Create, deliver, and track training in one place
- Enables consistent onboarding and upskilling at scale
Worthy Mentions: EduMe and TalentCards are strong alternatives for mobile learning and development.
Why a Unified Tech Stack Matters
When employee engagement tools are scattered across multiple platforms, adoption suffers. A carefully chosen set of integrated communication tools reduces friction, boosts usage, and supports a consistent employee experience.
By building your tech stack around tools like Joyned - and complementing it with specialised, mobile-first platforms for time, expenses, training, and feedback - you’re creating a single ecosystem designed for engagement.
These business communication tools don’t just help you stay compliant and efficient. They make it easier for your people to feel heard, supported, and connected - wherever they are.
Final Thoughts
The best employee engagement platforms are those your team actually uses. For decentralised or deskless teams, this means simple interfaces, mobile access, and clear value from day one. With a tech stack built for your team, you can shape a connected workforce that thrives.