As we work more from our devices and networks, the importance of having a solid IT culture increases. As business owners, our company’s digital strategies must engage and motivate our employees and, in turn, improve the customer experience.

Investing in a digital employee experience (DEX) can improve a company’s productivity by enhancing the technology that employees interact with.

What is a digital employee experience (DEX)?

A digital employee experience refers to an employees’ perception of the efficacy of their technology and how it is used to satisfy tasks and maintain a relationship with the business throughout their employment. DEX aims to improve work procedures and attitudes by ensuring your business’s tools are efficient and working as you predicted, presently and in the long term.

An organisation’s digital employee experience covers:

• The number of tools in circulation
• The company’s overall IT infrastructure
• Usability
• Technological reliability
• Sources of technical support
• Levels of engagement amongst staff

A healthy DEX reduces the chances of employees spending time on unproductive activities. This can help businesses by increasing productivity, reducing staff stress, and encouraging higher levels of engagement. With the popularity of non-traditional arrangements such as hybrid and remote work, these outcomes are not just desired by businesses but are necessary for their survival.

Why is employee engagement important?

Organisations with high employee engagement rates are 21% more profitable than their competitors. Enthusiastic, loyal team members are more productive and committed to the organisation. Providing tools and support shows your team that you see their value and are willing to support them in their career and personal development.

At the same time, supporting your staff with technology (whether it be company-issued mobile devices or communication software) allows you to keep everyone connected in our new world of remote working – it allows employees to strengthen their relationships with their co-workers and foster new ones in the business.  

On the other end, demonstrating reluctance to engage employees with technology that enables connections can result in frustration and disengagement. These traits can lead to distrust and low morale, ultimately leading to a revolving door of employees that forces you to focus on recruitment rather than your customers and business goals.  

5 steps to creating a dynamic digital employee experience

In creating a truly dynamic DEX, we need to build foundations that help our employees feel connected to our organisation and its operations. A core way to achieve this is by upgrading the company’s operating models with the latest digital solutions.

Here are 5 steps in creating a positive DEX framework:

Analyse your organisation’s IT culture and strategies

At its core, DEX follows a similar school of thought to a digital transformation journey. Both practices address your business’s technical pain points, the needs of your employees, and the specific technologies you will need to implement to ensure your organisation is agile and competitive.

When studying your business, assess your staff’s IT skills and enquire about their attitudes regarding their tools. For example, suppose you find the number of employees who struggle with understanding technology outweighs the staff who do not have this problem. In that case, your DEX should seek to adopt more user-friendly tools that satisfy your staff’s needs.

Establish DEX goals and a roadmap for change

After determining your organisation’s IT culture, the next step is to lay out a clear set of goals for your DEX. Ultimately, these metrics will act as indicators to help you ascertain whether your innovation strategy has fulfilled employee demands.

An effective change roadmap will allow you to easily communicate upcoming changes in your business’s IT infrastructure and their desired outcomes. Suppose your team can visualise your company’s future and technology’s role within it. In that case, they will be more willing to accept new solutions and help you incorporate them into your organisation.          

Create a DEX team

A DEX team (where each member is sourced from across your business) can help your staff transition to a highly engaged, technologically advanced environment by:  

• Providing status updates on the transition.
• Liaising between departments and upper management.
• Answering questions and easing concerns.
• Ensuring each department has a voice and is factored into the DEX.

With a quality team, you will have an easier time enacting your DEX strategies, as each member will help you avoid the setbacks related to miscommunication and siloes. 

Implement changes according to your roadmap

While executing your roadmap, monitor all changes in correlation to your plans to ensure that reality matches your vision and that you are on track to satisfy your KPIs. 

At this stage, it is crucial to exercise caution. While planned changes to your systems should be exciting, at no point should anyone cut corners or install new technologies improperly. Doing so can make you lose money and undo everyone’s work. 

Monitor your business’s performance post change

Creating a robust digital employee experience is a significant undertaking, and you must be aware of the fruits of your labour once the transition is complete. Regularly check in with your staff to gauge their satisfaction and determine whether they feel their IT needs have been met.

If you notice issues with your DEX, it is vital to address them before they negatively impact your company and your employees.

Craft a DEX-driven business with technology experts

Improving job satisfaction and the employee experience is a sure-fire way to boost your company’s bottom line and grow your team into a competitive force. However, this can be daunting if you do not have the expertise or time to vet your staff’s experience with technology and source new tools.

Provided by experts in digital transformation consulting for Australia’s businesses, Atarix’s modern workplace services have helped organisations streamline their IT environments with solutions tailored to their needs and budget. Contact the team today so we can assist you in implementing digital technologies into your employee engagement strategy for a happier workforce.