Two-way employee text messaging system for frontline teams

Consumer texting apps like WhatsApp were built for personal conversations, and marketing SMS tools are built to sell to customers — neither one is the right fit for reaching your own workforce. An employee text messaging system is purpose-built for internal communications, so you get things like company-owned phone numbers, HRIS sync to keep your employee list current, compliance tools for employee opt-ins and opt-outs, delivery analytics, and the ability to reach hundreds (or thousands) of employees at once. Your messages come from your organization, not someone’s personal cell phone, and you actually know whether they landed.

No. Workers receive messages directly to their personal cell phone as a standard text. Nothing to download, no login required.

Workshop is specifically designed to facilitate the communication of timely updates and reminders related to the employment relationship, not to communicate commercial marketing or sales messages. You are not permitted to use our texting platform to send any commercial, marketing, or sales messages, including any messages that encourage participation in a commercial activity as defined under CASL in Canada (and similar laws will apply in the US).

Workshop syncs directly with your HRIS, Active Directory, or other employee data tools. If phone numbers live in your directory, we pull them over automatically. You can also upload a CSV manually.

Yes! Best practice is to manage consent through the employee onboarding process and have employees agree to text communications via their employment agreement.

Many providers also use “implied consent” to communicate with employees, which basically states that if an employee inputs their phone number into the HRIS, they are implying they are OK receiving SMS messages until they opt out.

(Note: there is also an exception for certain emergency situations.)

When rolling out a new SMS communications tool for employees, you should describe all the types of texts you plan to send. For example, you should explain if you plan to text employees only for emergency alerts, or if you also will text them to notify them of company events, facilities updates, benefits eligibility, and other important content. (This will also help decrease your opt-outs and increase engagement!)

Yes, this is a legal requirement! Providing clear instructions for opting out and respecting employees’ preferences regarding communication channels is crucial for maintaining positive relationships and compliance with regulations like GDPR and TCPA.

As a note, we’ll show you opt-outs on the analytics page, too!

Workshop cannot resubscribe employees to receive text messages, but an individual can opt back in by texting “START” to any previously sent message.

All translations and message data are processed through enterprise-grade providers — Microsoft Azure and DeepL — and data is never stored by third parties.

Yes. Workshop is built with compliance in mind, including clear opt-out instructions on every message and tools to manage employee communication preferences.

Most teams are sending their first message within days of onboarding — no IT involvement required on the employee side.

Yes. Workshop supports translation into 135 languages. Workers choose their preferred language directly from the SMS link — no separate app or workflow needed.

Yes — Workshop is the only two-way SMS tool built specifically for internal comms. Replies land in a shared inbox so your team can manage conversations in one place.

Yes. You can segment by role, location, department, tenure, or any custom field synced from your HRIS. Lists update automatically so you’re always reaching the right people.

You get delivery data, open rates, click-through rates, opt-outs, and real-time replies — all in one analytics dashboard.

SMS is your direct line. It’s fast, immediate, and two-way. The engagement hub is your always-on resource center, a mobile-ready landing page that workers can return to anytime for schedules, FAQs, benefits info, and more. They’re designed to work together!