Every month, it seems that a new “must use” tool hits the market. What ends up happening is IT teams are gifted a hodge-podge of tools — snowballing into unnecessary frustration and increased workloads.  

“The issue is there are so many technologies and ways you can have this experience, and it is very easy to fall into a trap of having too many tools and that will dilute your experience and lead to frustration. We have information on multiple SharePoint sites, Teams, Yammer, Service Now, One Drive and who knows what else exists, so we have a very bad experience as you do not know where to find things, and if you do not follow any of those channels, you will miss stuff. Pick your standard and do not fall into the trap of implementing the flavor of the month.”​ 

- Team Lead, Emerson Electric Co​ 

Growing digital environments with too many disparate tools has created a scenario where optimising digital experiences across various devices and locations is falling short, preventing your organisation’s ability to effectively adapt to Everywhere Work.

When laying the foundation for an improved digital employee experience (DEX), consolidating your tech stack is a crucial component.  

Why unmanaged tools and assets are hurting your DEX 

Some organisations have reported their digital transformation being accelerated by three to five years since 2020. Unlike a few years ago, assets no longer live just in the office. They are scattered across the globe and increasing in quantity. Recent reports show the average employee uses 2.6 devices to get their job done. 

But with more assets come more problems. 45% of employees have experienced more tech issues since 2020, with the average employee running into 3.67 endpoint issues a day. 

This volume of daily issues means that valuable insights are growing fast and in different places. 

Being able to navigate this complex environment in a timely manner to address all issues proactively poses a challenge when your tools and systems don't talk to each other.

A more complex environment without the proper tools has IT and security professionals feeling the heat. 73% report an increased workload since their organisation adopted hybrid/remote work. In fact, nearly 1 in 3 IT and security professionals report losing at least one team member due to burnout.

And these types of work environments aren’t going away anytime soon. According to our Everywhere Work research:

  •  71% of office workers want to work either hybrid (with control over which days they come to the office) or remote.
  •  66% of employees say they have experienced no negative side effects due to remote work.
  •  71% of C-Suite admit hybrid working has had a positive impact on employee morale.   

Some organisations are already taking action. A recent survey conducted by EMA, found that a resounding 86% of respondents are looking to consolidate asset-related tools and 18% are actively planning to manage all asset types on one platform.

 “Centralisation is critical. Having too many tools is an issue for us.”​  

- System Administrator, ​CFCU Community Credit Union​  

Consolidating your tech stack lays the groundwork for automation, which helps decrease workloads and ultimately deter digital burnouts for your IT and security teams. With technology becoming more entwined with the daily operations of employees, making sure you provide efficient ways to manage, secure and support this environment for your IT teams is crucial to delivering improved experiences.

Benefits of consolidating your tech stack

Consolidating your tech stack aids DEX initiatives in many ways, including:  

1.    Reducing complexity for your IT staff

It's time to kick manual processes and inefficient workloads to the curb. Connecting and simplifying your organisation’s workflows streamlines and automates your IT environments. This removes unnecessary complexity and enables improved experiences for your IT teams. 

2.    More responsive and efficient IT support

28% of employees wish for a more responsive service desk. When IT has all the information in a single place, they can address and resolve tickets quicker and more effectively. 

3.    Preventing issue before they happen  

Quickly resolving issues and, ideally, preventing issues in the first place, creates betterexperiences. Research shows it can take up to 20 minutes for workers to refocus on a task. When you simplify your tech stack and enable access to valuable insights in one place, preventing issues becomes a breeze. You get to keep employees out of the service queue and focused on their jobs, reclaiming thousands of hours of lost productivity across your organisation.

When looking to create better employee experiences in the Everywhere Work era, consolidating your tech stack is a step you can’t afford to skip. Simplifying and streamlining your IT structure makes life easier for your IT and security teams — freeing up their time to understand employee sentiment, track and optimise experiences over time and prevent issues before they occur.  

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To learn more about DEX, watch our on-demand webinar to get A step-by-step guide to planning and measuring digital employee experience.