According to a Gallup study, only 12% of workers would give their companies top marks for onboarding. And things don’t look much better from there. Just two out of 10 workers feel their supervisors motivate them. But there’s good news in that you can turn the ship around by focusing on improving your employee experience.
That’s what 92% of organizational leaders say they plan to do in the coming years, as shown by Willis Towers Watson research. One great way to start is by investing in new technologies.
Technology as an Employee Experience Booster
It’s a common myth that technology takes away from the human experience on the job. No doubt this belief comes from an age when everyone believed that robots would destroy whole careers. While technology has certainly changed the modern workplace, it hasn’t made people less important. On the contrary, technology — or, rather, the right technology — can be a huge boon to workers.
An infusion of tech tools like a robust CRM or an AI-fueled chatbot can help bring out the best in your teams, which can then lead to a great digital customer experience. Check out the following positive impacts that technology can make on the talented people who serve as the faces and voices of your brand.
1. Technology can eliminate dull, mundane tasks.
Most of us suffer from repetitive tasks that take up a lot of time but require little brainpower. These tasks may seem necessary, such as manually inputting data from a paper invoice into a database, but they lack stimulation. They may even make employees feel like they’re nothing more than mindless “worker bees.”
Software and systems that automate routine responsibilities free up professionals to refocus on more invigorating work.
“Errors or poor systems are not just problems in themselves,” writes John Colthart, senior vice president of solutions at MindBridge, an auditing solution that uses advanced machine learning and AI techniques to help humans better manage the sheer amount of data within organizations. “They can affect individuals directly. The extensive labor put into correcting those errors can be bypassed altogether by the advanced technology of AI.”
In other words, tech can make employees better at their jobs by removing areas where productivity is bound to lag due to honest mistakes and boredom. Employees who feel empowered and energized are naturally more engaged and apt to share their enthusiasm.
2. Technology improves collaboration.
One of the biggest worries among employers of remote teams is how to foster communication and collaboration. Even workers who are in the same location can have trouble staying in touch and keeping one another in the loop. So it only stands to reason that virtual and hybrid employees may find it tough to work as cohesive units.
Luke Marson, SVP, Human Experience Management (HXM) Practice at The Silicon Partners (TSP), recommends several types of products to fuel collaborative efforts. “Tools such as Slack, Microsoft Teams, and SAP Jam have proven to make working together easier, which is something that employees welcome,” he notes.
To figure out where to begin in your search for the right tech tools to bolster collaboration, survey your teams. Finding out where gaps are will show you where to start looking in terms of tech platforms, software, and systems. Be sure to track the effectiveness of every solution you try. You may find it helpful to evaluate employees before and after the deployment of tech products to gauge each product’s value.
3. Technology enables stronger training and development.
Remember that statistic about subpar onboarding? Avoid that mistake by giving all your training processes and programs an overhaul. For instance, you may want to consider setting up a learning management system (LMS).
Obviously, you want as much compliance as you can get when it comes to upskilling your employees. But even if just some of your workers take advantage of your tech-driven LMS courses, you’ll have a stronger, more driven workforce. According to the 2020 Workplace Learning Report from LinkedIn, 94% of employees who practiced continuous learning said they believed it improved their career potential. In other words, your best performers — the ones you most want to keep around — are likely to be the ones who get the most benefit out of your LMS.
Another upshot to your LMS is that it can be a platform for you to evaluate talented workers for promotions and raises. As employees realize you’re using it to help them further their professional development, you may see higher usage rates.
Your employees want to love what they do. With the right tech tools, you can ensure they have an outstanding experience that builds their confidence and creates some buzz about your positive, world-class company.