When a company grows fast – new locations, new job sites, new faces – communication can easily become the weak link. For UMC, Inc., a plumbing and HVAC company with 400 workers across Utah, Idaho, and Colorado, that challenge became impossible to ignore.
Leadership knew their people wanted more connection. More clarity. More visibility into what was happening across the company. And they wanted safety to feel less like a checkbox and more like a shared responsibility.
The solution didn’t come from adding more meetings or emails. It came from smarter tools, specifically alerts and custom forms. These helped UMC turn communication into a strength and culture into something people actually enjoyed being part of.
The Communication Gap Was Real
As UMC expanded, internal surveys revealed something important.
“The response from the surveys was overwhelmingly that our people wanted better communication from the company. They were saying, ‘we want you to talk to us and tell us what’s going on,’” said Ryan Dumont, Safety Manager.
Without a centralized way to reach everyone, messages were delayed, repeated or missed entirely. Site-specific updates were especially difficult. Something as simple as sharing a regional perk or policy change required phone calls, site visits or repeated explanations.
Even worse, feedback was getting lost.
“We tell our people, ‘See something, say something,’ but they don’t know where to go or how to do that,” said Dumont. “Do they go to the superintendent or to me?”
Leadership wanted proactive safety, not just reports after something went wrong. They also wanted a culture that felt upbeat, responsive and aligned with UMC’s values like “Be present. Be your best.”
Alerts Changed Everything
One of the first wins came from Tyfoom’s alert feature.
“We have found that the alerts feature in Tyfoom is a great for communications to the whole company,” said Dumont.
Instead of driving 10 to 15 hours each week to deliver messages in person, Dumont could now send alerts instantly and know exactly who received them.
“For example,” he said, “we received a discount with Carhartt, so I was able to send a message to our Utah and Idaho locations with the steps needed to redeem it. I didn’t have to go to all the sites and say, ‘Hey, you’ve got a discount. Hey, you’ve got a discount. Hey, you’ve got a discount.’ It saves so much time and hassle. Alerts have been a big advantage for us.”
Employees acknowledge alerts in the app, which means leadership can track compliance without chasing people down. That visibility became especially powerful during benefits enrollment.
In the past, half of enrollment emails ended up in spam. This time, the invite went out through Tyfoom and achieved a 98% view rate. HR could instantly see who had viewed and acknowledged the message, saving hours of follow-up and frustration.
Engagement that Feels Like a Game (in a Good Way)
UMC didn’t stop at communication. The company used Tyfoom to rethink how safety engagement works.
“When it comes to safety, most of the time we get lagging indicators. We decided to use Tyfoom to get leading indicators,” said Dumont.
To encourage proactive safety behaviors, UMC created a monthly regional Tyfoom engagement competition. If a region hit 95% engagement, all qualified employees were entered into a $200 drawing. (Workers needed to maintain over 90% individual engagement, with no PPE write-ups or safety violations.)
Safety participation went up…and so did morale.
UMC also ran company-wide video contests tied to their core values. Employees submitted videos through Tyfoom and winners were recognized at regional summits with $500 prizes. Training didn’t feel boring anymore – it felt personal.
The results spoke for themselves. After implementing Tyfoom, UMC experienced a 54% decrease in insurance claims over two years and that number continues to fall.
Two-Way Communication Through Custom Forms
One of the biggest culture shifts came from giving employees an easy way to speak up. UMC launched a “Good Catch Reporting” option using custom forms in Tyfoom. Now, employees submit safety concerns directly through the app.
Since launching the form, Dumont receives an average of 11 reports per month which stands as a massive improvement in proactive safety awareness. These custom forms didn’t just collect data. They sent a message: leadership is listening.
Custom Forms That Save Time (and Sanity)
UMC also used custom forms to overhaul equipment tracking. What once took 30 minutes on paper now takes less than 5 minutes on a mobile device – a whopping 83% reduction in time.
Fleet managers receive updates tied to individual vehicles and equipment. Dumont no longer spends an hour hunting for paperwork. With centralized custom forms, he can pull records in seconds.
And the creativity didn’t stop there.
“We’ve done other sorts of games with the Tyfoom app,” said Dumont. “We did a company-wide gingerbread house contest for the holidays and had everyone send pictures of their gingerbread houses through the app using a simple form. Tyfoom made it easy to collect the entries in one centralized location, organize them and then do the judging.”
From safety to equipment to holiday fun, custom forms became a core part of how UMC connects with its employees.
A Culture That Feels Fun – and Functional
By combining alerts with custom forms, UMC created a culture of real-time communication and recognition. Employees now receive timely updates targeted by location or role. They can give feedback easily. And they see safety as something positive, not punitive.
Regional Tyfoom scores keep engagement high. Incentives reward consistency. And leadership finally has insight into what’s happening across every site. For UMC, Tyfoom evolved into something much bigger than a training tool.
“We started with training videos, but quickly found so many other ways to use Tyfoom,” said Dumont. “Now, it’s part of how we reward, communicate and build culture. It’s empowered employees to actively participate in safety.”
It Worked for UMC and it Can Work for You Too
UMC didn’t build a better culture by adding complexity. Leaders simplified communication, made feedback easy, and used custom forms to turn everyday moments into opportunities for engagement.
Alerts replaced road trips. Forms replaced paperwork. And safety became something employees wanted to be part of. That’s how you build a fun, upbeat culture – one message, one form, and one good catch at a time.
Ready to give it a try with your organization? Schedule a meeting to speak with a Tyfoom training consultant today.