using technology to engage internal teams

The modern working world has become increasingly dependent on technology, more so in recent years. Fueled by a move to remote working in the last four years, both our private and professional lives are now endlessly connected through technology, and with new advancements in fields such as AI and machine learning, this trend isn’t likely to slow down.

A recent report from Statista revealed that the IT Services market is projected to reach $94.08bn in 2024. On top of this, a separate Statista study found that global spending on digital transformation technology and services is set to reach nearly £2tn this year.

These figures highlight the scale of adoption within the UK business sector, and give a good indication of how the market will continue to grow over the next 12 months.

So, with more of our working lives becoming integrated with technology, how can senior leaders use it to reach and engage their internal teams?

Enhancing Experiences

Most businesses will actively be trying to create bespoke experiences for their customers – using their knowledge of each customer to deliver an experience aligning with their specific needs. Many will be focused on making the customers’ visit positive and memorable, and encouraging them to return time and time again.

These goals should also extend to your staff. Even in a world where technology is ever-more prevalent, ultimately, it’s people that are at the core of every great experience. Whether it’s taking an order, preparing it, or advising on the best product or service for a specific customer, people play a critical role in business’ operations.

This is why it’s so important that they feel valued and appreciated, and that they want to come back to work each day to deliver those experiences to customers.

Whether it’s ensuring holiday requests are dealt with quickly, making pay slips easily accessible, or having a fair and transparent tips policy to make sure staff get 100% of tips, each of these processes plays a part in how an employee feels about the business, and technology can have an important hand in this.

Using technology to engage teams

1) Automated Management and HR Systems

For staff, it’s important that they can access what they need to and receive responses to issues such as holidays, payroll and HR quickly. When this process relies on humans, it can be slowed down or made unreliable through factors like unexpected illness, annual leave or a lapse in memory. Automated systems mean that employees receive a consistent experience every time.

This is all about people feeling secure and able to strike the right balance between work and their personal lives. For example, holidays are often what people look forward to most in the year, and ensuring they can plan ahead effectively and with assurance that their holiday has been accepted and properly recorded is extremely important. Or if employees are filling out mortgage applications and need fast access to their pay slips; having an automated system speeds up this process, and makes staff feel that processes are in place which make their lives easier.

2) Effective Communication Tools

With June last year recording around 39% of staff working from home at least some of the time there is still a huge need for effective communication between teams.

There is nothing which disengages a member of staff more than being unable to get fast responses to queries or speak with their colleagues reliably. Microsoft Teams has become a staple for businesses operating within every sector, and this is due to its easy integration with 365, as well as its effectiveness for allowing teams to communicate with one another, either on a one-on-one basis or as a group at the touch of a button.

3) Social Media and Internal Comms

Although social media isn’t the newest piece of technology, it is still extremely useful when trying to reach people with your business message. While this is traditionally used to reach customers, it is also impactful when attempting to engage your staff.

When your company is in the news, or launches a new product, or even takes on a new member of staff, broadcasting this across social media can be a great way to build a sense of pride in the business from employees. Seeing your company grow or doing something ground-breaking within its industry makes people feel that they are a part of something special, and this is key to keeping them connected and engaged.

In today’s modern working world, it can be easy for a disconnect to emerge between teams if they’re not given the tools they need to complete their job efficiently and effectively, and to engage with their colleagues and the wider business. This is why implementing the right technology is so important to ensure that people feel valued and a critical part of the company.

For more information on how three rocks® can help you build bespoke experiences for staff, check out our XMS Labour page or get in touch with the team at: [email protected]