Zoom has launched a new application called Zoom Workplace for Frontline, which is now available to all customers. This tool utilizes agentic artificial intelligence to enhance communication and work management for frontline staff, as announced by the company on Wednesday.
Importance of the New Tool
The application features:
- A real-time activity feed
- Auto-generated chat groups for on-shift communication
- Push-to-talk functionality
According to Zoom, these features aim to improve productivity, collaboration, and connectivity among frontline teams across various sectors.
Focus on Healthcare
For healthcare professionals, the application is designed to facilitate better communication during shifts. Ritu Mukherjee, Zoom’s head of product, business acceleration, and readiness, highlighted this at the HIMSS25 global conference in March.
Additionally, the mobile app includes tools for managers to streamline shift swapping and task management, along with providing shift summaries.
“It’s focused on your shifts, schedules, and how to accomplish work during a shift,” Mukherjee stated in an interview with Healthcare IT News.
Integration with Existing Systems
While many healthcare systems may already use workforce management software, this app offers a direct connection for frontline workers and their managers to access schedules and communicate effectively.
“It automatically creates a team chat group for you to collaborate within your shift,” Mukherjee explained.
The AI-driven summarization feature also assists managers in reviewing completed tasks before each shift, addressing the time-consuming nature of shift handoffs.
Although the app does not manage shift workloads or suggest staffing needs, it can integrate with various workforce management platforms.
Broader AI Trends
In January, Zoom announced its partnership with AI developer Suki to further enhance AI tools within its clinical workflow platform. This collaboration aims to enable healthcare providers to generate clinical notes seamlessly after patient visits.
“Video will be a critical interface in the AI-driven world,” said Suki CEO Punit Soni during the initial collaboration announcement.
At HIMSS25, Zoom also introduced a public beta of its ambient notes capabilities in the Workplace for Clinicians product.
“We are excited to collaborate with Zoom to develop new AI interaction models that will help clinicians focus on patient care,” Soni added.
Future Developments
Zoom’s product developers view the integration of agentic AI as a natural evolution. For instance, after a clinician reviews a note, they can send it to the electronic health record system with a single button press, marking the beginning of automating clinical workflows.
“Historically, many of our products were designed for information workers. Now, we are also focusing on digitizing workflows for those who are not desk-bound,” Mukherjee noted.
Company Vision
“Our mission of delivering an AI-first open work platform extends beyond knowledge workers; we are also addressing the needs of frontline workers, who make up over 80% of the global workforce,” stated Smita Hashim, Zoom’s chief product officer.
Andrea Fox is the senior editor of Healthcare IT News.
Email: afox@himss.org
Healthcare IT News is a HIMSS Media publication.