About the Author
Christopher Savio is a senior product marketing manager at LogMeIn.
Artificial intelligence (AI) has its roots in our daily lives without us realizing it. From basic voice assistants capable of playing music simply by saying a word, to self-driving cars, there is no turning back from the world of AI. Today's tech-savvy consumers have come to love artificial intelligence so much because of its ability to improve the overall customer experience and solve problems quickly. As a result, companies are jumping into AI journeys at an unprecedented rate. There is little doubt about Amnesty International's ability to radically transform the customer experience, so why not pay the same attention to the employee experience?
Today's workforce
Today's workforce has changed significantly from that of previous generations. More employees work remotely than in traditional offices, and recent research shows that by 2020, more than 50% of employees will enjoy the benefits of working somewhere other than a traditional office. In addition to our workplace, the way we work is also changing.
Although Generation Y has had access to cell phones and the Internet for most of their lives, even generations that haven't grown up with this technology are embracing well-designed, easy-to-use apps. Employees across all industries expect technology to make work easier and more productive, but the bar for what companies see as user-friendly technology is often set too low.
Even future-oriented companies that want to move beyond outdated systems find it difficult to implement technology that is as easy to use as Alexa, whether on an Echo or another device, but integrates it. seamlessly into today's processes and workflows. Impact on employee retention and satisfaction. Research suggests that most employees looking for new jobs do so because of flawed business processes, including the ability to connect to support services like computers and the internet. human Resources.
A direct correlation
A bad customer experience can create a lasting impression. As a result, companies are now so focused on delivering exceptional customer experiences that employee experiences become an afterthought. Companies know that if they want to compete with the Amazons of the world, they have to go above and beyond to deliver a superior customer experience. To this end, they went to great lengths and implemented new technologies that allow consumers to virtually design houses with furniture they plan to buy or try on in a virtual dressing room.
These innovations have changed the game in terms of customer experience. But behind the curtain, employees are under constant pressure to provide this experience and aren't equipped with the same flashy technologies to help them do their jobs. In fact, technologies designed to support the modern workforce often do the opposite: they undermine employee productivity and efficiency and, as some would say, even their ability to produce meaningful work.
In a business-oriented world, where time is of the essence, no one should have a hard time understanding the technologies that are supposed to "help" them and make their lives easier. The reality is that many existing support solutions today are outdated and work against employees, preventing them from thriving and growing the business.
The workplace of the future.
How can companies improve the employee experience and free their employees to do their best work? We already know that the workplaces of the future are likely to be increasingly remote, with more and more companies choosing to run their businesses from collaborative workspaces or no office space at all. As the workplace becomes more fluid and dynamic and employees work from home, in cafes, in different locations, companies must be ready to help employees cross time zones and borders. Condition. We also know that the future of the workplace will be increasingly digital, as technical innovations that change the way we live outside the office are also expected in the business environment.
Companies must rethink the workplace in the same way they have redesigned the customer journey. Emerging technologies like AI-powered chatbots make it easier to onboard, train, attend meetings, and help solve common employee issues that often plague teams. computer, human resources, facilities and others. AI helps companies save time and energy, while ensuring their employees get help at every step.
Flood of help tickets
Information technology is a good example of artificial intelligence in the workplace, which is not surprising: it is at the heart of technology exploration and validation within organizations. These teams spend a good part of their day working in messy queues, filled with repetitive tickets, that is, password resets, access to electronic messaging or printer configurations. These are questions that are often found in knowledge management systems or on intranets, but when employees ask questions, especially if these problems prevent them from doing their jobs, they prefer to ask their questions. IT partner to search a multitude of URLs. and documents to find the answer.
This never-ending barrage of queries reduces the time IT can spend resolving issues or taking long-term strategic initiatives. Not to mention the fact that ten people in a day ask you how to access a remote server, it must be incredibly frustrating - copy and paste at its best. Exhausted IT teams are drowning in these requests on a daily basis, posing a problem for the entire company's activities.
And the IT department is not the only one affected by this cyclical queue. While the helpdesk team is busy processing tickets or dealing with unexpected "fire drills," employees waiting for help become frustrated with time to resolve them. Sometimes they even resort to unauthorized workarounds that come with their own security implications.
Using an AI-powered support partner to answer these questions saves you from searching for hard-to-read, outdated knowledge articles, gives employees the right to serve themselves, and lets IT work with the employees who need it most. Thanks to Google, today's employees are wired to take an innovative approach to problem solving and often prefer self-service. Companies must take advantage of it and benefit from it. AI is one of the ways to help bring it to the workplace.
Time is money
The famous saying, time is money, must be remembered. However, if companies don't focus on their employee experience, they will reduce their long-term success, creating sustainable inefficiencies for the bottom line. Now is the time to start removing everyday stresses by using tools that will enable employees to perform at their best. Ultimately, these efforts will allow businesses to prosper because employees will be motivated to be more productive while also being more satisfied.
Christopher Savio is a senior product marketing manager at LogMeIn.