Digital Workplace: These are the advantages
We can hardly think of the term away these days: the digital workplace, also called digital workplace. Over 95% of companies say they consider it important to have a digital workplace. But what exactly does the digital workplace entail and what are its main advantages? We tell you.
Digital workplace: what you need to know
Very simply put, a digital workplace is the replacement of the physical office space. It is a platform that integrates all important business applications, information and processes. Research by Gartner shows that more than 95% of the companies finds it important to have a digital workplace.
The digital workplace creates a central location for employees to access all the business applications used in the organisation. Good integration and cooperation are indispensable here. Because all the data and functionalities of the business software (e.g. BI and CRM) come together in one place, all the applications and information are available. This enables all employees to carry out their work from any device and from any location.
Thanks to the free exchange of information in the digital workplace, companies are more flexible and innovative. This makes it easier for employees to work (together). It also increases employee satisfaction and involvement because they can always access the right information at the right time.
In short: a well-designed digital workplace ensures that people can do their work well and can share knowledge and consult colleagues quickly and easily.
Not always efficiently organised
In recent years, and particularly in the past year, countless companies have switched to the new way of working: digitally and remotely. Despite the fact that many companies have made this switch, it hasn't always proved effective. How is that possible? What often happens is that all kinds of different tools are used, each of which works in a different way. As a result, a lot of time is lost in switching between the various applications.
What is needed for a successful digital workplace?
But what does it take to make your digital workplace a successful one? We've listed it for you:
- Employees and external relations must be able to easily take an active part in work discussions.
- Work as much as possible with existing applications that communicate well with each other, this saves employees a lot of time switching between applications.
- Give employees mobile access so they have all the notifications and information available, even on the go.
- Allow employees to upload and integrate all types of data.
- Analyze data and generate custom reports.
Creating a digital workplace is a bit more than just implementing a few tools. Smart strategies must be implemented to give employees the tools they need to connect, collaborate and perform their most important tasks. So a move to a digital workplace does require some actions but not without results. Below, we've outlined some of the benefits that a well-designed digital workplace brings.
- Creating a collaborative culture
Smart and reliable communication tools help to reduce meeting times, giving employees more time and space for small talk, ideas and innovations. - Bringing staff together
With a digital workplace, you create a transparent working environment where employees can easily follow the status of each task or project. This reduces the need for follow-ups, e-mails and phone calls. By having all employees on the same page, they are better able to focus on shared business and organisational goals. - More time for new ideas
Thanks to the digital workplace, things are automatically bundled and automated. This makes the daily lives of your employees much easier. This increases productivity and frees up time for new ideas and solutions. - Enables employees to work remotely
As is already clear by now, by using the digital workplace, employees can work from any device and from any location. Gartner research shows that 90% of employees would like to work remotely one or more days a week. By using a digital workplace, you are therefore also fulfilling the wishes of your employees. - Provides a better customer experience
When the team is engaged, efficient and productive, customers can make the most of the talent and technology that the company has to offer. This has a positive effect on the customer experience and the more satisfied the customer, the more likely they are to come back. - Costs are saved so investments can be made
A well-designed digital workplace will save money and perhaps even generate more revenue, partly due to the increase in productivity, customer satisfaction and staff satisfaction. This frees up money for other investments, such as the launch of a new service or product. - Improves the employee experience
By now, it's clear that the digital workplace has many advantages for employees: they can work wherever and whenever they want, they have more time for things they really like and employee satisfaction increases. But there is more! Besides all these benefits, the digital workplace also ensures that employees are more connected with each other because they have insight into the work of colleagues and they can help each other more easily.
Tip from us: organize a scrum once or several times a week in the morning. Here, all colleagues can briefly explain what they are doing and the threshold to contact and/or ask for help is lower. - Find and retain talent better
Thanks to these new workplaces, employees are no longer tied to a physical location. Of course, this also means that employers no longer need to look for suitable employees solely in their own region. This means that the pool of suitable candidates is much larger and the chances of success are much higher. The freedom that comes with it will also be a motivation to want to work for a company.
Microsoft 365 has everything you need to be a successful digital workplace. As an official Microsoft Partner, we can tell you all about it and help you set up the perfect digital workplace. Just simply contact us for that.
