Requirements of a digital workplace

The term “digital workplace” describes our modern working world like no other, but it also makes it clear that digitization does not stop at the marketing and sale of products, or at the customer experience. Rather, it is also about the digital “employee experience”, i.e. companies should not only look outwards, but also inwards – at their processes and workflows and how employees handle them.

Five requirements for a digital workplace

According to experts, five requirements for a digital workplace are decisive for its successful establishment:

1. simplicity

The first requirement of a modern digital workplace should always be that it should simplify. Traditional organizational models, business software or workflows are often unnecessarily complex and multi-layered, often resulting in inefficiencies and long learning curves. A so-called digital workplace should promote the responsibility and autonomy of employees and this also means avoiding unnecessary and slow bureaucratic hurdles and eliminating work that does not add value for the desired result.

One example of this is automated invoice processing. Artificial intelligence can pre-classify incoming invoices and extract relevant data. Workflows ensure that invoices that match the corresponding orders are automatically approved without any manual effort. Such intelligent applications relieve employees of repetitive tasks and allow them to focus on more value-adding activities.

2. social networking

Social media have changed the way we connect and network with other people, the way ideas spread across the world. In-house social applications also allow employees to network with each other and share ideas and thoughts. This in turn leads to hierarchical structures being broken down and work processes taking place much more naturally.

Employees have to get used to new tools and technologies and learn new ways of working. Flexible working models such as working from home and mobile working require employees to take greater responsibility and organize themselves.

The management culture must adapt to the changed working conditions. Managers must learn to lead and motivate their teams virtually and promote a culture of trust and open communication. Digitalization requires a change in corporate culture towards more openness, flexibility and agility. Hierarchies are becoming flatter and collaboration in teams is gaining in importance.

3. openness

Openness and transparency are important factors in creating a modern digital workplace and something that employees expect: Who works, when and with whom, and on what? Blocking and withholding information does not work if the rate of change is otherwise so high. Digital workplaces are fundamentally about enabling the free flow of information and thus strengthening the exchange of ideas and information across traditional silos and departments.

Openness and transparency are not only important for internal collaboration, but also when dealing with customers. A DMS can help to implement these principles in the complaints process, for example. By integrating the customer into the workflow, they always receive up-to-date information on the processing status of their complaint. This creates transparency and trust and strengthens customer loyalty. In this way, a smooth and transparent complaints process can contribute to a positive customer experience.

4. Intelligence

Advances in the areas of machine learning or artificial intelligence are happening at breathtaking speed today and this also means that new practical applications for the digital workplace are constantly being created. But progress is not just about intelligent technologies: Attitudes need to change and people need to embrace change so that the world of work and the way we work can actually change. Smart workers who perform smart processes, supported by appropriate intelligent applications, will be the driving force that will ensure a further increase in productivity.

Rapid progress in the field of artificial intelligence is enabling the development of new applications for the digital workplace. For example, AI can be used in the incoming document process. Artificial intelligence can automatically pre-classify the various documents, such as orders, delivery bills or order confirmations, and read out the relevant data. In addition, workflows can be configured so that invoices are automatically approved if they match the associated orders. These intelligent processes speed up processing and minimize sources of error.

5. mobility

Mobility is a core component for the modern employee and a requirement for a digital workplace. Today’s world is moving forward at a rapid pace and today’s workforce must therefore be independent of the traditional workplace configuration, which ties the employee to a fixed desk, in front of a fixed computer monitor. An effective digital workplace must adapt to more flexible working conditions where the worker and the work to be done determine how, where and when that work is done – whether it’s actually in the office, on the tablet on the way to a meeting or even from the home office.

Mobility not only means accessing company data from different devices, but also the smooth collaboration of employees in different locations. The challenge is to provide all employees with access to the same information, regardless of where they are located. A document management system (DMS) can serve as a central platform that stores all relevant documents and data securely and accessibly. This ensures that everyone involved is always on the same page and can work together efficiently.

Mobility is an important point and should therefore be examined a little more intensively than the other four aspects: When we talk about mobility, we are not just talking about native apps for smartphones and tablet computers, but about a broader question, namely the human component, how and where people work and what role mobile and fixed computer solutions play in this. Hardly anyone, for example, will enjoy coming into an office in the morning just to start work on a small smartphone – instead of a comfortable, large monitor. So not everything that is mobile makes sense.

To take a look at current trends: Today, most people still access corporate networks from a desktop computer – in contrast to the private context, where many users prefer a smartphone when it comes to using the Internet. A second trend is important here: smartphone and tablet users spend around 80 percent of their time with apps instead of using mobile web browsers, which companies should consider when providing internal services.

Mobile devices complement the digital workplace

However, as noted, this does not mean that mobile devices will completely replace desktop and laptop computers. Only a very small proportion of users use mobile devices exclusively. The vast majority use a combination of both – depending on the context of use, task and corresponding functionality. It can therefore be assumed that both will continue to coexist in the future: Native apps and browser-based applications will be part of the digital workplace for many years to come.

The intranet will also continue to play a role as a central requirement of a digital workplace. So far, there are actually no approaches to convert the existing intranet into an app form and abolish the browser. However, as with normal Internet use, apps will play an increasingly important accompanying role. Modern intranets, for example, place greater emphasis on visual presentation, which allows mobile access. So-called Enterprise Social Networks (ESN) also have an influence on traditional intranet concepts. ESNs prepare a platform for a more organic flow of information based on the activities of their users – depending on what they “like” or what connections they make. ESNs are more dynamic and social in design. In the future, usage may indeed shift towards ESNs and away from traditional intranets. In many cases, however, both will merge into a common platform that seamlessly combines the capabilities of both to bring out the best in each other. Together, ESN and intranet will create the core of a typical digital workplace.

The right strategy combines desktop computing and mobile apps for the digital workplace

One thing should have become clear: Anyone working on a strategy for coping with the demands of a digital workplace must not ignore the “mobile” aspect. Too many employees are already no longer working permanently at a fixed workplace in the office because their job demands it. Just think of consultants or salespeople who have to work a lot while on the road. Technology is also making continuous progress. So it doesn’t help to simply pre-plan for traditional desktop computing – and completely forget about mobile applications. The minimum is to ensure that the intranet is “responsive”, i.e. that it can be accessed and used on mobile devices without display problems. It would also make sense to think about native apps that allow and bundle certain functions: Reading news, looking up people in the company or booking a conference room directly from on the road. Anyone planning for the future should therefore know who the employees are and what their needs and devices are, so that the digital workplace can be tailored accordingly.

The limits of what is possible are constantly shifting, and so the digital workplace will have to keep evolving in the future. Companies must take this into account and address mobility accordingly: through “responsive” designs, native apps and hybrid approaches. The desktop computer will not disappear at first. In the foreseeable future, the digital workplace will continue to combine fixed workstations and mobile applications – and this must be taken into account in any strategy for the mobile workplace.

Collaborative Work & Document Management

It’s a certainty: a DMS improves and supports business processes considerably. For a long time, however, joint work on documents, also known as collaborative work, hasn’t really been considered. Especially at a time when work processes are organized in teams and working groups and smooth cooperation has a high priority.

Sending documents back and forth by email or even on paper doesn’t make work any easier. On the contrary: It makes it inefficient and confusing. This was also what Mr. Schreiber thought while looking for the most recent version of the contract for the new customer order.

Collaborative work with the DMS?

Mr. Schreiber felt his pulse rate increase slightly. The most recent version of the contract wasn’t to be found. Sitting on the flight to the customer, he knew that it was only a few hours before it would be time to sign the contract. Before that, however, Mr. Schreiber also wanted to seek advice from a lawyer. A “CTRL+F + contract Roemer Schreiber new *” revealed a plethora of mails in his email client. He was struck by nerves. As much as he tried to remember, he no longer knew which of the five documents found was the actual final contract. Things were gonna be tight. Beads of sweat appeared on Mr. Schreiber’s forehead…

And Mr. Schreiber knew one thing. It wasn’t down to his age, which remained a long way from being biblical. Yes, there was a lack of key functions in the document management system. Nowadays, we work in decentralized teams. Why doesn’t the DMS support collaborative work? It should, of course, be possible. Working together on a contract document with version history – wouldn’t that be a great way to work? If only software were written by people for people who know modern working practices, grumbled Mr. Schreiber…

The common cooperation on documents from the DMS simplifies a lot. And not to forget: The digital signature secures the authorship and integrity of the document.

That, in fact, doesn’t have to be a dream. At easy, we design software for people so as to make the scenarios described above a thing of the past. With the upcoming easy DMS, our document management system offers convenient access to Google Docs via an interface. This makes it possible for us to work together, and the simultaneous, shared editing of the same document is not the only advantage. All of those working on the document can see the changes – live and immediately. But the best thing: The version history of the document is fully available and lets you conveniently travel into the past of the document. Collaborative work with easy DMS – never before has it been so easy, just as Mr. Schreiber wished. Yet he still wishes for more.

Collaborative work – with digital signature: only “one click away”

Now to the question that Mr. Schreiber asked himself after he had found the document: How can I be sure that the document hasn’t been changed while uploaded in the email client and on its journey there? In the context of collaborative work especially, this is an important thought.

If he had used the new easy DMS, this wouldn’t have been a problem. Thanks to the interface to FP Sign or DocuSign, every document can be digitally signed – directly from easy DMS. Perfect for collaborative work. This ensures the trustworthiness and integrity of the document. That means: The document comes from the person who signed it and is in exactly the state in which it was signed.

In short: With easy DMS, collaborative work is more fun – and creates the conditions for contemporary and easy teamwork.