Digital workspaces can be productive environments, but without the right tools and means of operating, they can sometimes fall short. To optimize workflows in the digital environment, consider these essential tools to assist you.
If you run a digital workplace of your organization, you know it’s not an easy job. Even though digital workspaces save a lot of resources otherwise used in physical spaces, it comes with a cost.
You may be micromanaging, feeling burnout, or noticing a decline in your and others’ work performance. That’s normal. All you need is help to optimize your team’s workflows so you stay on track.
In this article, you’ll learn how to deal with common problems in digital workspaces. More specifically, you’ll learn to optimize your workflows and become more productive with the most essential tools for digital work environments.
What is a Digital Workplace?
A digital workplace is just like a workplace. The caveat? You access it via the internet from any physical location you choose. This buzzword got into the limelight after the recent COVID breakdown when companies worldwide had to shut off their conventional offices (workplaces).
Remote working increased by over 1100% between March 2020 and December 2021, at the height of the pandemic. Since then, many workplaces have shifted to hybrid models of remote working some of the time, with many also completely switching to a digital-only office.
Imagine a digital workplace as an Internet office, where with the help of technology, all employees and employers unite to do the work. This workplace doesn’t bind you to be present at any location, and oftentimes, there is also a lot of flexibility in the schedule.
Digital workplaces run on various technologies and tech-stacks. For instance, you might use Slack for team communication or Asana for project management. These tools and software enable you and your employees to work collaboratively and achieve targets.
Some of the benefits of digital workspaces.
-
- Employee satisfaction: Digital workspaces allow more freedom for employees. This works in the company’s favor in terms of employee satisfaction. With more lifestyle freedom comes more appreciation. When people are more fulfilled in their roles, they’ll often perform better.
- Increased efficiency: Without long commutes and time-consuming meetings, often, employees can get more work done. The boost in productivity experienced in online remote workplaces means a better and bigger output. That can also result in a higher revenue stream for the company (especially when it comes to not having to pay costly office leases).
- Reduced costs: When you create a digital workplace, companies get the opportunity to reduce costs and resource consumption, as mentioned above. Also, employees can save money too; on their commutes, living expenses, and even purchasing work attire.
Although there are many more benefits to digital workplaces (more described below), if the actual workflows aren’t managed correctly, this can result in less productivity, more time spent managing communication, and even result in lower revenue.
6 Digital Workplace Essentials to Optimize Workflows
Regarding the digital workplace, there are tools available for every business process. Whether it’s communication, sharing a file, or hopping on a meeting with the managers. Here are some of the essentials:
1. For Workplace Collaboration
Without effective collaboration, it’d be impossible to run an efficient workplace — online or offline. Some workplace collaboration tools that work best for digital workplaces include Microsoft Teams, Slack, and Google Meet.
2. To Send Files to Your Colleagues
You might often use Google Drive or Dropbox to share files with your friends and family. But with a business suite available for these platforms, you can use them in your digital workspace as well.
For instance, when you buy a Google Workspace (earlier GSuite) subscription, you get dedicated collaboration tools for file sharing via Google Drive.
3. Project Management Software
Managing projects and resources can be challenging. But project management software can help to stay organized and improve our workflow. Teams can easily stay on track and meet deadlines by organizing due dates, resources, and schedules in one place.
Some of the most popular software are Asana, ClickUp, Jira, and Trello.
4. Intelligent Automation And (AI) Artificial Intelligence
Automation and artificial intelligence can streamline procedures. It allows staff time for more high-level tasks (e.g. reviewing and editing AI-generated content). These technologies can boost productivity and improve efficiency.
You can harness more time for important tasks by automating routine tasks. For example, you can automate sending a welcome email every time a new subscriber subscribes with the help of an email marketing tool like MailChimp.
5. Network Security
Security is a top concern for any digital workplace. And network security is essential to keep data safe. It’s recommended to direct your employees to use VPN on their devices or distribute its license at the company’s cost.
For instance, you can provide a VPN for Mac license to an employee who uses Mac to work. Since VPN sends your data through an encrypted channel, you reduce the risk of cyber attacks. This protects your company’s private information, as well as your employees.
6. Data Analytics And Business Intelligence
Digital tools provide a wealth of data to help companies make informed business decisions. Data analytics and business intelligence tools can help your business identify patterns, spot trends, or analyze insights.
Consequently, you can make better decisions for your business and increase your revenue. Some of the data analytics tools we recommend using include QlikView, Looker, Google Data Studio, and Power BI.
What Are The Benefits Of A Digital Workplace?
By now, you are learning that a digital workplace can help your business grow online. Here are some more benefits of creating a virtual office:
Collaboration & Communication Boost
With so many collaboration and communications tools, digital workspace bridges the unseen gap between employees and management. Your business gets a conducive environment for sharing ideas and feedback.
It further boosts employee morale and satisfaction. Messaging tools enable quick actions and promote seamless feedback exchange between employees.
Flexibility For Better Work-Life Balance
Flexible work environments and schedules increase employee satisfaction and better work-life balance. Night owls or early risers can get the most out of their workdays. Your employee can work according to the time and shift when they feel most productive.
Optimized Performance
Most of the tasks in a digital workspace can be measured. Therefore, it becomes easy for you to track performance and measure KPIs because the digitization of processes provides the datasets for you. You can optimize the performance of yourself, your team, and your projects by tracking the right data.
Enhanced Employee Experience
A digital workplace can foster community and collaboration among employees. Employees can communicate and work together more effectively using:
- social profiles
- directories
- activity feeds
- and collaboration tools
Cost Savings & Operational Efficiency
Your business can save significant travel, lodging, and real estate expenses. For example, instead of calling employees to a particular place, you can take virtual meetings and save airfare.
Similarly, you can put employees on remote work or deploy a hybrid model of work to save on office resources.
Additionally, managed services or SaaS solutions can cut the need for expensive servers and IT resources. It may further reduce operational costs. All these little efforts save huge money and make the operations more efficient.
Revenue Generation
Research shows that adopting a digital workplace strategy can lead to a significant bump in revenue. Reduced costs and increased productivity drive it.
Superior Customer Experience
Happier employees are better brand ambassadors. Employees who care about their work will share that enthusiasm with the customers they encounter. The result? An excellent customer experience (CX).
Final Thoughts
A digital workplace is no longer just a convenience. It is necessary for any organization looking to optimize workflows, boost productivity, and achieve success in this modern digitalized world.
And most importantly, a digital workplace isn’t just about technology anymore. It is about people, processes, and leadership working together. All these create a magical environment where everyone can thrive.
It’s time to invest in optimizing your digital workplace with these tools and give your staff the necessary resources to excel.
