Employee experience underpins digital transformation: Five EX projects to deliver DX
Comment – Rowan Cape, Head of Global Retail Software Solutions at Fujitsu
Employees have the most significant impact in heightening emotional involvement in a retail transaction, argues Rowan Cape, Head of Global Retail Software Solutions at Fujitsu. In other words, EX (Employee Experience) underpins DX (Digital Transformation).
Focus on the employee
Retailers sometimes risk focusing on the latest technology rather than building emotional impact back into the retail experience, as my colleague Richard Clarke argued recently in his blog.
Retailers have always known that employees can make or break the shopping experience. They help it stand out and bring in repeat shoppers – and new ones based on word-of-mouth recommendations. Great personable, empowered employees can be so-called brand ambassadors and the driving force to highlight the brand.
Online competition has only intensified this employee focus for retailers with physical stores. In a major survey of 166 retail sector ICT decision-makers across 15 countries, recently published by Fujitsu, almost three-quarters (72.5%) told us that improving the employee experience is a significant driver for DX. That’s not just lip service, either. More than 80% also report serious investment in Workplace Innovation implementations.
Employers have grasped that happy, positive employees need to feel they have the brand behind them and there is worth in what they are doing. They need to see that the retailer is investing in the culture and purpose of the brand and providing practical, modern tools and technology to encourage and enforce a sense of belonging within the immediate and broader team.
There are various ways to go about this. Some factors like culture and mission can take time and patience to build. But others, such as technology, tools, and physical environment, can be more readily changed and improved.
That’s why many retailers have invested heavily in connectivity and collaboration tools and technology for their employees over the last 18 months or so. In the early phases of COVID, these deployments were accelerated to enable colleagues working from home to support online shopping and remain in touch with their team when working from home.
Read the full article here.
