The Key To Boosting Employee Engagement: A Seamless Communications Experience

The vital role of technology in improving employee engagement and job satisfaction

Keeping employees happy is never easy. Dozens of factors come into play, including everything from office space and compensation to team dynamics and job promotions. Company perks, such as a well-stocked break room or a gym membership, typically rank high on employee wish lists. But in today’s digital workplace, employees aren’t looking just for free lunches and ping-pong tables. They also need the most up-to-date communications technologies to do their jobs effectively and efficiently.

At RingCentral, we sought to learn how communications technologies impact employee engagement and job satisfaction. To gather this data, we partnered with CITE Research and surveyed 2,000 global customer-facing employees. The results of the study, published in “Overcoming the Digital Age Disconnect,” are unmistakable: a seamless communications platform for employees to use for interfacing with both co-workers and customers enhances employees engagement, boosts their overall job satisfaction, and provides greater customer satisfaction.

Further, while HR leaders don’t typically drive IT investments, our research suggests there are significant benefits to be gained by partnering HR leaders with their IT counterparts to deliver a seamless communications experience as part of a company’s employee engagement strategy. Further, while HR leaders don’t typically drive IT investments, our research suggests there are significant benefits to be gained by partnering HR leaders with their IT counterparts to deliver a seamless communications experience as part of a company’s employee engagement strategy.

Digital Transformation: Don’t Forget Your Employees in Your Efforts to Please the Customer

With any investment in digital transformation, you need to set the right priorities. According to the CITE research, 76 percent of those polled said that the employee experience was ignored in digital transformation efforts in favor of the customer experience. 75 percent of those polled said that their company made perks a higher priority than communications technologies in improving the employee experience, even though an overwhelming majority said disjointed communications technologies had a negative effect on their job satisfaction and happiness. Chances are, having the right communications tools to do their jobs matters a lot more to your employees than the free company gym.  

Employee Frustration: Why Neglecting Workers Affects the Bottom Line

As shown in the study, today’s digital-savvy workforce expects to have access to the communications tools they need to get the job done effectively. If not, they have a surefire way of making their displeasure known: they quit. For millennials and Gen Z, 1 in 5 reported that frustration from inadequate or inferior technology was reason enough to start looking for another job.

In addition, 9 in 10 employees said disjointed communications technologies negatively affects their job satisfaction. But that’s not all: 75 percent reported being frustrated when poor communications tools hindered their productivity. Even worse, half of those polled admitted that this frustration caused them to behave rudely to their coworkers, friends, and families.

It’s simple: disjointed communications workflows lead to frustrated employees, and frustrated employees aren’t able to provide exceptional customer service or set the stage for great customer experience. This results in a negative impact on a company’s bottom line. A sound strategy would be to invest in communications technologies that benefit both employees and customers.

Employee Satisfaction: Invest in a Seamless Communications Platform

How important is the right communications platform? The data is startlingly clear: 92 percent of customer-facing employees polled said the right communications platform would improve both the employee and the customer experience; 81 percent said the right communications tools would reduce company costs; and 83 percent said they’d stay with their company longer if their company invested in the right communications platform.

What they mean by the “right platform” is one that enables seamless employee and customer engagement by allowing employees to navigate effortlessly between all of the digital channels customers use to communicate with brands and provide ways to easily collaborate with coworkers. In short, customer-facing employees want an integrated communications platform that ties all of the core capabilities they need into one seamless experience.

The takeaway from our research is clear: if HR and IT leaders work together to create a unified strategy for employee engagement that is inclusive of both technology and people approaches, everyone wins. It’s time to break down organizational silos in your company’s digital transformation strategy so employees—and customers—both can enjoy consistently positive experiences.

Originally published on hr.com