2.2.2 ENGAGE PLAN FAQ's

1. Group, NewsFeed, and Chat

1. What features do Group, NewsFeed, and Chat offer?
The group, NewsFeed, and Chat allow users to collaborate and communicate in real-time, fostering ship-to-shore collaboration. It includes tools for 1:1 chat, closed chat groups, broadcast channels, community forums, and daily newsfeeds.

2. Can I create private chat groups?

Yes, private chat groups can be created for peer-to-peer or group discussions, such as vessel-specific or department-based groups. These groups can also be invitation-only.

3. What is the Broadcast Channel feature?

Shore Admins can use broadcast channels to send targeted messages and information to specific groups, for example, all captains, officers, or crew members, ensuring relevant rank/role-specific communications.

4. Can crew members engage in forums?

Yes, users can engage in community forums, post videos and images, comment, and react to posts in a timeline view, similar to social media platforms.

2. Contact Directory and Making Connections

1. How is the contact directory structured?

The contact directory is organised by ships and shore contacts, grouped by departments and roles, such as Chief Engineer (Engine) or 2nd Officer (Deck). It allows users to make connections easily.

2. Can I search for contacts by rank or department?

Yes, users can search by rank, role, department, or even vessel, making it simple to find and connect with peers across the organisation.

3. What is the "Make Connections" feature?

The "Make Connections" feature allows users to send connection requests to colleagues based on role, vessel, or contact information, fostering collaboration.

4. Can users connect and collaborate with others in the maritime industry?

Yes, users can connect with colleagues by searching by rank or role, and join peer groups or forums based on specific interests or departments, such as engine room discussions, cargo information, or cybersecurity.

5. How does FrontM support ship-shore collaboration?

FrontM’s ENGAGE plan includes features like 1:1 and group chats, real-time video and voice calls, content compression for data efficiency, and asynchronous messaging for intermittent network connections.

3. Voice and Video Calls

1. Can I make voice and video calls using the platform?

Yes, the platform supports 1:1 and group voice/video calls. It also features a scheduler for conference calls, optimising collaboration across teams.

2. How are international calls handled?

Crew members can use the built-in e-Wallet to make international calls through a Skype-like dial-pad. Competitive tariffs apply, and calls are charged to the user’s prepaid account.

3. Can I escalate calls to emergency contacts?

Yes, the contact directory allows calls to direct phone numbers, vessel numbers, or satellite phones for escalations in emergencies.

4. Gamification and Engagement Tracking

1. How does the ENGAGE plan encourage user engagement?

The ENGAGE plan includes gamification elements like progress badges, challenges, and leaderboards to motivate users. It also tracks engagement metrics, such as activity levels and post counts, visible on the user’s dashboard.

2. Are engagement metrics available for administrators?

Yes, shore administrators can access engagement dashboards, with metrics on individuals. user activity, communication, and collaboration helping them assess the effectiveness of their crew engagement strategies.

 5. e-Wallet

1. What is the e-wallet used for?

The e-Wallet is a USD-denominated account where crew members can make digital payments for international calls, similar to a prepaid account. It optimises data usage for voice calls via the ship’s Wi-Fi.

2. What is the e-wallet feature?

The ENGAGE plan includes an e-wallet feature where users can manage a USD-denominated wallet for digital payments, such as making international calls.

3. Can seafarers send international calls through FrontM?

Yes, users can make international calls through a built-in dial pad, with competitive calling rates, using their e-wallet balance. 

6. Profile Management and Personalisation

1. Is the user interface easy to use?

Yes, the platform is designed with a social media-like interface similar to Meta (Workplace) and LinkedIn, reducing the learning curve for crew members.

2. How are employee profiles managed on FrontM’s platform?

Employee profiles are fully customisable, allowing users to include personal information, job details, and even their social media links. Profiles can be configured to include advanced maritime-specific fields like rank, certifications, and voyage details, among others.

3. What can I customise in my profile?

Profiles are customisable with personal information, rank, role, contract details, sea time, certifications, skills, hobbies, and interests. The profile can also be exported as a CV.

4. Can I track the availability of a seafarer?

Yes, shore admins can see a user’s current vessel location, local time, and rest-hour-based availability for instant communication, improving collaboration.

5. Can the ENGAGE plan handle offline functionality?

Yes, the ENGAGE plan includes offline app capabilities, allowing users to access certain features without internet connectivity.

7 Engagement Dashboard and Activity Timeline

1. What is the Engagement Dashboard?

The Engagement Dashboard displays key metrics such as communication counts, post activity, and recognitions, providing users with insights into their participation and engagement.

2. Can I see my recent activity?

Yes, the activity timeline allows users to view recent chats, posts, group interactions, and forums they are involved in, similar to a social media feed.

8. Groups, Channels, and Forums

1. What’s the difference between Groups, Channels, and Forums?

• Groups: Private spaces for real-time communication between members.

• Channels: Collaborative spaces where admins broadcast information.

• Forums: Open spaces for all members to share and discuss topics.

2. Can Admins create special interest groups?

Yes, Shore Admins can create interest-specific Groups, Channels, and Forums (e.g., IT & Cyber Security, HSEQ), which can be auto-subscribed based on user profile attributes like rank or department.

9. Social and Community Features

1. How does FrontM foster crew engagement and camaraderie?

Through community features like closed user groups, forums, competitions, and interactive channels, FrontM encourages social learning, collaboration, and bonding among crew members.

2. Can users participate in competitions and surveys?

Yes, Shore Admins can organise competitions and surveys to engage crew members. Users can participate in quizzes, cooking competitions, photography contests, and more.

10. Automation and Administration

1. How is membership managed in groups?

Groups, Channels, and Forums can be set up for auto-membership based on user metadata (e.g., all Officers or all Shore team) or upon invitation.

2. Does FrontM support integration with existing user management systems?

Yes, FrontM supports Single Sign-On (SSO) integration with systems like SAML, OAuth, and Active Directory, making it easy to manage user authentication and onboarding.

3. Can FrontM’s platform integrate with O365 and COMPAS?

Yes, FrontM supports integration with Microsoft Office365 for SharePoint access and COMPAS for automated user management. MS Teams integration is also on the roadmap.

11. Mobile App Access

1. Can users access the ENGAGE plan on mobile devices?

Yes, the ENGAGE plan is available as a native mobile app for both Android and iOS, downloadable from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

2. Is there a mobile app for the platform?

Yes, the platform is available as a native Android and iOS app, accessible via the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. It can also be private-labelled for specific corporate accounts.

12. Customisable Landing Page

1. Can the platform’s landing page be customised?

Yes, corporate accounts can customise the landing page with branding, colours, and subdomain-specific features. Additional options allow for deeper HTML customisation to align with brand guidelines.

13. Learning and Best Practices Sharing

1. How are learnings and best practices shared?

The platform allows micro-learning and just-in-time learning through video training posts, discussions in user groups, and knowledge-sharing forums. Business Intelligence Dashboards help admins track engagement with content.

14. Surveys, Competitions, and Newsfeed

1. Can admins create surveys or questionnaires?

Yes, Shore Admins can create and publish surveys or questionnaires, which can be run as campaigns to engage users continuously.

2. What competitions can be organised?

Admins can organise competitions such as cooking, photography, and maritime pub quizzes, fostering camaraderie and engagement.

3. Does the platform provide a daily newsfeed?

Yes, the platform includes a configurable daily newsfeed, featuring freely available maritime news and customisable news sources.

4. How does the ENGAGE plan handle learning and training?

FrontM supports micro-learning through video posts and just-in-time learning use cases, allowing admins to create training sessions and publish educational content to specific groups or individuals.

5. Can users create and participate in private workgroups?

Yes, FrontM’s platform allows users to create private workgroups, where external stakeholders can be invited to collaborate securely in specific groups.

6. Does FrontM offer content moderation tools?

Yes, content moderation tools are available for Shore Admins, allowing access to logs, audit trails, and the monitoring of sensitive data for compliance.

7. What tools are available for content creation?

Both Shore Admins and users can create engaging content with customisable formatting, including images, videos, links, and more. Admins can compose official posts, while users can post in forums.

15 Security and Compliance 

1. What security measures are in place for user data?

FrontM uses AWS Cognito for user authentication and employs data encryption at rest and in transit. We also comply with GDPR, HIPAA, and SOC-2, and are working towards ISO-27001 certification, ensuring robust security and privacy for all user data.

2. Does the ENGAGE plan support Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)?

Yes, Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) is in place for both the web and mobile versions of the ENGAGE plan.

3. How does FrontM ensure compliance with data protection standards?

FrontM adheres to GDPR and HIPAA regulations, with clear data retention policies, data minimisation strategies, and detailed logging of data processing activities for auditing purposes.

16 General Features and Scalability

1. How scalable is FrontM’s ENGAGE plan?

The ENGAGE plan is highly scalable, supporting multiple business units with data segregation. Each business unit can be onboarded as a separate corporate account, complete with unique branding, name, and logo.

2. How is data segregated between business units?

Each business unit is set up as a separate corporate account (Tenancy), with users onboarded to specific accounts. Data is kept private and segregated, ensuring confidentiality.

3. Can FrontM’s ENGAGE plan accommodate multiple business units?

Yes, FrontM’s multi-tenancy architecture allows each business unit to be onboarded separately with distinct workspaces and data partitions for privacy.

4. Can shore administrators manage multiple corporate accounts?

Yes, shore IT/Admin users have access to all corporate accounts and can toggle between accounts for easy management.

5. Is FrontM’s ENGAGE plan suitable for low-bandwidth environments?

Yes, FrontM’s ENGAGE plan is optimised for low-bandwidth, high-latency platforms like VSAT and Iridium, ensuring smooth operations even with limited connectivity