PlayerLync

PlayerLync provides a mobile workforce enablement platform delivered as a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution. Founded in 2011 by Bob Paulsen, Greg Menard, and Robert Smith, the company was established to address the complex content distribution and control challenges faced by enterprises. The founders leveraged their collective experience in telecommunications and software to build a platform with carrier-grade performance, quality, and security. CEO Bob Paulsen, a seasoned entrepreneur with prior ventures in cloud communications, identified an initial market opportunity with professional sports teams, delivering secure, digital playbooks to organizations like the Denver Broncos and other NFL teams.

This initial success led to broader applications, notably when an executive from Chipotle sought a modern solution for employee onboarding. This pivotal moment validated the platform's value for industries with large, mobile workforces, prompting PlayerLync's expansion into the restaurant, retail, and hospitality sectors. The company's business model is centered on subscriptions to its integrated platform, which combines mobile content management, learning and development, operational support, and compliance tools into a single mobile application. This allows organizations to ensure every frontline employee has timely, personalized information needed for their job, delivered automatically to their mobile device. Key features include offline access to content, digital forms for data collection, and efficient delivery of large video and document files without straining network bandwidth. This functionality serves to replace paper-based workflows, track compliance, and improve operational efficiency for a deskless workforce that constitutes about 80% of the global total.

After raising a total of $28.8 million in funding over several rounds, with significant investment from Volition Capital and SaaS Capital, PlayerLync was acquired by Intertek Group on August 24, 2023. The acquisition integrated PlayerLync into Intertek's People Assurance division, operating as part of the Wisetail platform. This strategic move combines PlayerLync's mobile-first content management with Wisetail's learning management system (LMS) and operational checklists, creating a more comprehensive offering for a global client base that includes major brands like Starbucks, Crocs, and Southern Company Gas.

Keywords: mobile workforce enablement, deskless worker platform, mobile content management, frontline employee training, operational performance management, digital forms, compliance management, offline content access, employee engagement platform, learning and development, SaaS, Wisetail, Intertek, Bob Paulsen, retail operations, restaurant training, hospitality workforce, field services software, mobile learning, corporate communications