Getting a digital workplace initiative off the ground is a significant feat, but CEOs often face disappointment afterward. “Why is our employee experience still second-rate next to our competitors? Why does productivity continue to drag? What are we doing wrong?” are some common questions among companies that are struggling to gain ground toward a mature phase in the digital workplace transformation journey.
Thoughtful digital workplace strategies include a priority list of what a business needs to achieve most through a digital workplace. However, long priority lists tend to cloud the vision, and tackling all the ins and outs of a digital workplace at once is paralyzing. A singular, specific destination for a digital workplace enables organizations to approach the problem with focused intensity and experience superior results.
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Popular top digital workplace priorities
The level of digitalization a company has reached is one determining factor in how managers conceptualize a digital workplace strategy. Here are some common priorities for businesses in various stages of digital workplace transformation.
Document management
Microsoft Office and G-suite applications are great for creating files, but organizing and sharing them are another matter. Documents get tossed back and forth through email—a tedious and aggravating method, especially when more than two people are involved in the process.
Organizations are looking for a digital workplace where employees can share, edit, and discuss documents with their current productivity software.
Process improvement
The word ‘automation’ is not as unnerving as it used to be. An increasing number of businesses are leaving manual processes behind to reap the benefits of automation.
Businesses are planning to automate processes and also to streamline task management for teams comprised of both remote and co-located members. A digital workplace enables talented employees to transition into an existing team with one login from anywhere. Tracking tasks and meeting deadlines is easier when work is clearly outlined in a public platform.
Communication
Email’s weaknesses are no secret, and businesses are rapidly adding chat or collaboration apps to speed up internal communication. As the remote workforce rises, the importance of centralized communication increases as well.
The problem is, most collaboration tools are standalone apps that don’t directly connect to related tasks or items. Workers must switch back and forth between chat and task management apps, making it difficult to organize correspondence and maintain productivity.
Dashboard
Data—the driver of decisions that determine the future course of a company. Businesses manually entering data in spreadsheets are limited to outdated information compared to their agile competitors armed with real-time data.
Whether for strategic, analytical, or operations purposes, businesses are turning to a digital workplace with the benefit of an attractive, concise dashboard.
Customer service
95 percent [1] of global consumers cite customer service as significant in their choice of and loyalty to a brand, so it’s little surprise many organizations want to revamp customer service.
Technology such as chat-bots relieve consumers of tiresome phone calls on hold, but follow-up for claim tickets or service requests must still be prompt. A digital workplace facilitates dynamic case management to keep customers satisfied.
Mobile capabilities
Keeping up with the digital age’s cut-throat pace requires the ability to swiftly make approvals or respond to ongoing conversations from any location without having to open a laptop. Spur-of-the-moment discussions, speedy procurement, instant IT solutions, and many other benefits of a mobile app generate a competitive advantage that can tip the playing field in several industries.
Consolidation
In pursuit of a modern workplace, some companies have acquired various single-function apps, but data and communication spiraled into a confusing, fragmented mess. Information remained siloed in departments, difficult to access.
An integrated digital workplace brings data and knowledge management from core software together in an easily navigable platform. Everything required for work is found in one place.
What do you really need?
Did you know the English word “priority” was only used in the singular form for 540 years? Tracing back to 1400, “priority” originated from a Latin word understood as “the first thing to be done,” so “priority” could not encompass more than one thing. In the 1940s, however, “priorities” became widely used, with the notion that there can be more than one “first” thing.
Focusing on a sole priority enables an organization to intensely examine the most critical issue and tackle it with intentional focus. If you had to boil your digital workplace priorities down to the one that really matters, what would it be?
Work management—the fundamental digital workplace priority
Providing an easy way for employees to organize work and create their own solutions is central to a successful digital workplace. Empowering employees with an intuitive, self-service tool enables them to stay on board with digital transformation initiatives, learn to solve problems, and explore new ground creatively through technology.
For example, a digital workplace platform gives a team member the ability to make a new task in a project board, transform a manual process with automation, or design a project board without having to ask the IT department for help. No-code solutions enable faster progress toward the desired end—greater efficiency to deliver faster, high-quality results to both stakeholders and clients.
If it’s that simple, why doesn’t everyone have a functioning digital workplace by now?
In many organizations, top management approves a digital workplace strategy but remains disconnected, which leads to a couple of things. First, it sends the message to employees that using a digital workplace isn’t that important since executives aren’t involved. Second, company leaders don’t get a feel for how it works and are out of touch when a digital workplace solution ends up being difficult for users.
When new tools don’t work effectively, employees remain trapped in siloed, fragmented systems, constantly toggling between apps to complete tasks, collaborate, and find information. Stress rises; productivity declines.
A positive employee experience is tightly connected to strong work management and a thriving digital workplace. When employees are given powerful technology that inspires, innovation flourishes, and the effects trickle down to improve company-wide productivity and the customer experience. A study [2] by Temkin Group confirmed that companies with more engaged workers outperform their competitors in both financial results and customer experience.
Achieve your top digital workplace priority with Kissflow
Kissflow is a unified digital workplace platform that provides the tools employees need to manage every type of work in a digital workplace. A no-code, user-friendly interface empowers staff to install pre-built automation apps, build project boards, assign tasks, or construct a case cycle. Team members can collaborate contextually by holding discussions in group channels or adding comments directly to work items.
Fluid, modern work management with Kissflow is affordable for any company. As your organization expands, the number of users and the complexity of processes scale seamlessly. When questions arise, a knowledgeable support team is there to ensure your business is moving toward its top digital workplace priority.
Reshaping company culture around a digital workplace takes a great deal of time and intentionality. Don’t get discouraged along the way. Uncover roadblocks, move them aside, and advance toward a thriving digital workplace in 2021—one step at a time.
