The Total Economic Impact study quantifies the value of Firstup, including payback in under six months, driven by improved frontline retention, productivity gains, and fewer safety incidents
SAN FRANCISCO, June 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Firstup, the pioneer of intelligent communication and engagement platforms for the workforce, today released the findings of The Total Economic Impact™ of Firstup, a commissioned study conducted by Forrester Consulting on behalf of Firstup. According to the study, organizations using Firstup can expect a return-on-investment (ROI) of 398% over three years, with payback in less than six months. The study found that AI-powered workforce communications drive measurable improvements in frontline retention, employee productivity, and workplace safety while reducing communication complexity across the enterprise.
With a net present value of $7.1 million, the benefits accrued by a composite organization using Firstup within three years, assuming 10,000 employees, $2 billion in annual revenue, and a 65% frontline workforce, include:
- Improved frontline employee retention driven by targeted, mobile-first communication that strengthens the connection between frontline workers and the corporate office, resulting in a 4% reduction in frontline attrition and $4.7 million in avoided replacement costs (53% of the savings).
- Employee productivity gains from centralized, role-relevant messaging that saves workers 69,000 hours otherwise spent searching for information, valued at $2.3 million (26% of the savings).
- A 30% reduction in serious safety incidents by the third year, enabled by rapid dissemination of critical alerts and targeted safety communications, valued at $1.1 million (12% of the savings).
- Communications team efficiencies from automated audience targeting and create-once, publish-everywhere workflows that save more than 12,000 hours on content creation, valued at $533,000 (6% of the savings).
- Legacy solution cost savings of $336,000 (4% of the savings) from retiring approximately $150,000 per year in disconnected communication tools and, instead, consolidating communication into one platform.
The study highlighted how Firstup helps organizations reach every employee with timely, relevant, and personalized communications across channels. By centralizing workforce communications in a single platform and applying AI-driven targeting, organizations improved message effectiveness while achieving measurable gains in retention, productivity, and safety.
The study notes several unquantified benefits, including measurable improvements in employee engagement and satisfaction scores, sustained even through mergers and leadership transitions, and an elevated strategic role for communications teams.
“Workforce communications is no longer a support function; it has become a critical driver of business performance,” said Bill Schuh. “Communications leaders today sit at the intersection of strategy and execution. By using AI to reach the right people with the right message, measure engagement, and drive workforce activation, organizations can deliver on the outcomes that matter most: improved safety, reduced turnover, and increased productivity at scale.”
To conduct the study, Forrester Consulting interviewed eight decision-makers at organizations using Firstup across healthcare, manufacturing, IT distribution, and retail to assess the costs, benefits, risks, and opportunities associated with the platform. The firm then designed a composite organization and financial model based on those interviews to construct a framework for prospective customers to evaluate the potential financial impact of Firstup on their organizations. Interview highlights include:
“In every major event category, roughly 30% of harm-reduction events were directly attributable to Firstup-enabled reporting. From a C-suite perspective, Firstup essentially paid for itself because catching 30% more errors before they reach patients changes both risk and cost,” said a chief innovation officer and patient safety officer at a leading healthcare organization.
“Since we increased our focus on safety communication within the Firstup platform, we’ve seen a significant decrease in serious injuries, down 35%,” said a corporate internal communications lead at a manufacturing organization.
“Since implementing Firstup, our employee engagement scores have increased by five to six index points overall, even through a major merger,” said a director of employee communication and digital platforms within the IT distribution industry.
The Total Economic Impact™ of Firstup study is available for complimentary download here.
About Firstup
Firstup is the leading platform for intelligent communication and engagement that powers meaningful business outcomes. As a true “mission control” for workforce communications, Firstup is built for organizations with critically important frontline employees, delivering the right message to the right person at the right time. The platform enables hyper-personalized, data-driven journeys across channels (email, mobile, intranet, digital signage and more), bringing alignment, clarity and engagement to every level of the organization.
With integrations to core HR, IT and business systems, Firstup reduces digital noise, surfaces actionable insights, strengthens employee experience and helps clients maximize productivity and retention. Trusted by large enterprises worldwide, Firstup transforms internal communication into measurable impact. Learn more at www.firstup.io.
Media Contact
marketing@firstup.io
SOURCE Firstup