Matthew Sturman, senior technical consultant, AppLearn
While the financial sector was arguably some way along the digital transformation curve before the pandemic, embracing innovative solutions to enhance customer experience and security, the last 12 months have required a step change like no other for employees.
Overnight, teams were operating remotely, using an array of new business applications from communications tools to support systems. Business critical processes which may have been stagnant for some time due to a risk adverse culture, quickly evolved with a need for greater agility.
In a post-pandemic world, it’s crucial that financial leaders don’t become complacent about the employee experience; KMPG put employees at the top of their list for financial institutions six considerations in dealing with the impact of COVID-19. Organisations have rapidly undergone transformation to facilitate home working while maintaining operations, however the proliferation of technology has also highlighted a critical digital employee experience gap. Addressing this will be key to embedding digital strategies which enable and support employees in the long-term.
The overwhelmed employee
Even before the pandemic, research from Okta detailed how the number of worker applications deployed by organisations had increased by 68% over the past four years.
You only need to look at how employees access IT support to realise just how complex this picture has got for employees. Every technology application – from risk and complicance to payroll software– has a different route to access support, with employees having to navigate chatbots, online knowledge bases, resource hubs or the helpdesk. The result? Context-switching. Time spent flitting between different applications or windows to complete tasks, taking employees out of the flow of work. Studies have shown that switching contexts has a dramatic impact on time lost mentally re-focussing between tasks, in addition to time wasted navigating to try and find support.
In fact, research from McKinsey has found that workers spend up to 20% of their working week searching for information or support on tasks. This issue has only been compounded further with employees working from home, and not knowing where to go for timely support.
Prioritising the user
Over time, these small interruptions can add up to a significant impact on an organisation’s performance – and lead to user frustration, as well as decreased motivation amongst employees.
Historically, financial services businesses have taken a customer-first approach to investing in user experience – prioritising external customer service and communication over the internal employee experience. However, most employees are also users of this technology, and expect the same smooth transitions and consumer grade experience when using their work devices or software. When their digital experience is seamless, employees can focus on their role without interruption.
In a recent report, KPMG said organisations should create an ecosystem of tools and technologies that work together to enable experiences that help people work better. Any shifts in technologies should consider the combined impact of features and integration. It’s this sentiment financial leaders must embrace to truly empower digital workers.
Bridging the employee experience gap
According to a recent report from analyst firm Constellation Research which looked at the impact on the pandemic on the digital workplace, organisations have a historic opportunity to transform the employee experience.
It encourages organisations to adopt an ‘employee experience platform’ (EXP) model that connects disparate digital tools into a more cohesive digital workplace. This model is made up of disruptive technologies that bring together siloed applications and software.
Technologies such as digital adoption platforms (DAPs), machine learning, ‘people analytics’ tools and on-demand talent sourcing have been highlighted by Constellation as key components to the EXP. DAPs, for example, help solve the issue of disparate IT estates by overlaying software applications and providing a consistent support experience across multiple applications. This can take the form of step-by-step guides to navigate the user through new digital tasks and workflows, through to ensuring knowledge articles and chatbots are seamlessly available when required and provided in context of the individual requiring it and the task they are performing. Crucially, this keeps employees in the flow of work and avoids wasted time switching between applications and searching for support.
Looking ahead
It’s been an immense year of change for financial leaders, organisations, and importantly employees. As we move out of the pandemic, getting this next phase right will be absolutely key. For many businesses, this will be about moving from survival to thriving in a digital world.
The steps are simple. Identify the experience gaps, explore disruptive tools and technologies that bridge them, but most importantly, create an employee experience that enables and empowers them to do their job better.
