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Employee collaboration is business fuel. Ignite it.

essentials of a great employee collaboration experience

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Employee collaboration equals strategic advantage

Engaged employees = productive employees = more business

We know that good employee experience can’t fail to lead to good customer experience. It’s why Airbnb has renamed its Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) the “Chief Employee Experience Officer”. It’s why one of the pillars of digital transformation is to provide the tools and the environment for your employees to work in innovative ways: where, when and how they want, with whoever they need.

Yet many workplaces are lagging behind. As individuals, we communicate with family and friends using a variety of ‘new’ technologies, including instant messaging, social networking and video communication. And more and more, we expect to use all the same technologies at work – especially considering how the workplace has changed:

Dispersed teams Today’s project teams are often spread across departments, buildings, different companies and countries. In fact, people may spend more time working with someone on another continent than with someone at the next desk.

Remote workingMany people (salespeople, technicians, trainers) simply have to work remotely to do their jobs. And many others are asking to work remotely for at least part of the week, for the sake of their work/life balance and family commitments.

The challenges to collaboration Legacy business culture, office layouts and simple geography all tend to get in the way of collaboration. Hierarchies, walls, stairways, borders and oceans all frustrate the worker, stifling teamwork and innovation.

Digital transformation + a culture of collaboration = collaboration as usual Today’s devices and digital collaboration tools can break down almost any communication barrier. And a more open, informal culture can bring down the social barriers and siloes. It’s time.

The business benefits of a well-integrated collaboration environment: happier workers, better work, better customer service

Employee engagement is a major challenge for businesses today: a recent Gallup poll in the USA found that only 33% of workers are ‘engaged’. A properly integrated collaboration environment, with easy-to-use tools, will also play a major role in improving worker motivation and satisfaction. It will help employees become fully part of the company, develop better relationships with colleagues and share knowledge and learnings.

All of which ultimately leads to more effective customer service – and a more successful business.

The benefits of better employee collaboration

*Deloitte

Improve worker satisfaction and retention n Next-generation collaboration

tools help attract ‘Millennial’ workers

n Many workers will sacrifice some compensation for a better work/life balance*

n Social media tools can lead to a 20% increase in employee satisfaction*

n 65-75% of users of collaboration software say they wouldn’t give it up*

Improve agility, productivity and quality of work n Remove siloed thinking and

improve knowledge sharingn Enhance and accelerate

innovation, teamwork and decision-making

n Create a stronger, shared culturen Solve customer problems

effectively and fastn Organizations with strong online

social networks are, on average, 7% more productive*

Improve external collaboration n Workers can use the same tools

to develop better relationships with suppliers, partners and customers

n External parties can be included in IM conversations

n Documents can be shared and worked on together in real time

n Easy access to relevant data will speed up and improve customer relations

What are the basic tools of collaboration today?For seamless connectivity inside and outside your organization, your solution will need to include:

n Messaging and instant messaging (IM)n Audio, web and video conferencingn Document or desktop sharing for real-

time collaborationn Enterprise social networking n Voice (Voice Over IP)

All of this may be integrated in a seamless Unified Communications and Collaboration solution (UCC).

Better internal collaboration leads to better external collaboration As your workers get more comfortable collaborating with each other, they’ll use the same tools to develop better relationships with suppliers, partners and customers. So you’ll get added ROI from every tool.

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With so many great reasons to deploy collaboration technology at the workplace, what’s standing in your way?

Simply this: if the tools have a steep learning curve, are frustrating to use, or create a divide between digital natives and digital ‘immigrants’, the business benefits will be strictly limited.

So while effortless interaction is achievable, it needs to be carefully planned.

Over the following pages, we’ll explore how you can:1. Select your priorities – and stick to them2. Make it personalized – and available on every device3. Integrate your business flow through APIs to improve user

experience and reduce security risks4. Make your physical environment collaboration-friendly too5. Drive a successful adoption program6. Empower your IT department to maximize benefits to the business

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essentials of a great employee collaboration experience

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6 tips to maximize your success:n Plan. Establish your vision, identify specific business scenarios, and ensure

you have executive sponsorship and budget allocated. Engage IT, marketing, HR, training and support, as well as end users.

n Prioritize solutions and create a pilot adoption plan. Put the user experience first. If users are likely to get frustrated with the technology, the benefits will be compromised.

n Create personas or profiles of the different end-users. Base these on workstyles and collaboration requirements: e.g. mobile employees, remote knowledge workers, office knowledge workers, execs, administrators, desk-less workers, call center agents, etc. Decide:

n What devices do they need? n What training do they need?n What support do they need?

n Build an ‘employee value proposition’. A business case isn’t enough, workers need to understand and embrace the solutions you provide. In our experience, this is crucial.

n Execute. Commit resources and execute your adoption plan by taking one step at a time. Make sure each step is achieving the agility you’re after. If it isn’t, adapt your strategy before you continue.

n Assess. Define the intended value to end users and the organization. Then measure, share success and adjust the plan as necessary.

1From an IT standpoint, your No.1 challenge isn’t selecting the right technology, but dealing with your legacy tools to drive a smooth transition. Add in the complexity of a global operation, and things could get complicated fast. So don’t overlook the following:

Select your priorities – and stick to them

Smartphone/PC/tablet-nativeToday there’s no single priority device: for some it’s their laptop or tablet, for others it’s their phone. So you need to let workers access their workspace at anytime, anywhere – and collaborate with the most appropriate tool in any situation.

A single personalized interfaceEach worker’s interface will probably feature:n Their main business applicationsn Role, task and location-related updatesn Company newsn News from their professional social network

Put your own corporate branding on it, but be sure to let each worker personalize it in their own way too. Not just to make it ‘theirs’, but so that they can make the most relevant tools and content more prominent on the screen.

2 Make it personalized, available on every device – yet secure

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3 Integrate your business flow through APIs to improve user experience and reduce security risks

Prevent worker-led “shadow IT” Workers are always looking for better ways to work – which can lead to serious security issues when they download unapproved apps from non-secure sites.

Prevent security issues and improve productivity by using Application Program Interfaces (APIs) to integrate a selection of cloud-based collaboration and productivity apps within workers’ regular tools. User interfaces can even be adapted individually for each employee. The result is a fast and efficient productivity ecosystem, where users don’t need to open as many windows, perform as many logins or copy contact details from one app to another.

Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) make it easier to build application software. They allow you to integrate UC solutions within your business environment for a seamless user experience. For example, you could create a button on an online form that will automatically call a help desk or launch a videoconferencing application.

APIs for embedded, real-time communications such as voice, video, messaging and conferencing are now widely adopted by businesses.

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3The enterprise benefits twice: firstly with accelerated innovation and reduced time-to-market, secondly with improved efficiency.

Sales use case: Advanced communication capabilities + file sharing + CRMTeams become more responsive. With better collaboration and up-to-the-minute customer data – as well as customized integrations – they can respond more effectively to business proposals, whether on the premises, in the home office or on the road.

Customer service use case:Collaborative platform + CRM + ticketing toolsWorkers no longer need to toggle between different software. Processes become more fluid. And response time is reduced. With improved customer satisfaction and fewer queries, call centers can be scaled down.

How Orange empowers its own salespeople: With a customized sales interface on a hybrid tablet, salespeople can access not only the network but also their collaboration apps for IM, telephony, videoconferencing and social networking. So now they have everything they need at their fingertips, before, during and after meeting with a customer.

Tip: Work with your Chief Sales Officer and your Chief Marketing Officer to select which functions to integrate – and improve processes and the employee experience.

Integrate your business flow through APIs to improve user experience and reduce security risks (continued)

4 Make your physical environment collaboration-friendly

Designing spaces for collaboration, working with your CHRO and facilities managerYou’ll most likely need a variety of appealing and flexible ‘collaboration spaces’ where two, three or more people can get together without disturbing others. Use the redesign as an opportunity to engage employees – especially younger workers – with a collective sense of energy and renewal.

As collaboration becomes more commonplace, and as workers become more comfortable interacting digitally, they’ll also want to spend more time face-to-face with team members from around the office.

The HR considerationsBe sure to collaborate with your HR team and facilities manager on these aspects: remember that any reorganization of workspace needs some consideration of regulatory and social issues. There may also be issues concerning homeworking/teleworking and timesharing to consider.

Take a user-first approachYou’ll first need plenty of research to understand current patterns of face-to-face (or not) collaboration, what changes workers would like to make, and what effect the new technology will make.

You may not get it right first time – so be prepared to make changes as workers adjust to the new culture of collaboration.

Include the most effective collaboration toolsProvide each workspace with innovative collaboration endpoints and tools, such as: n Interactive, connected smartboardsn High-quality speaker phones to facilitate

remote dial-inn Geotracking – to find rooms, devices and

colleagues within your premises

Sound quality is often a downfall – and disruptive to other workers – so high quality headsets can be extremely useful.

Considerations for physical spaces include:n Insulated walls and ceilingsn Easily moveable desks and other furnituren No harsh lighting n Individual cubicles for work that requires deep

concentrationn Pitch rooms/amphitheatres with large presentation

touch-screensn Project rooms n Stand-up meeting roomsn Informal lounge/café spacesn Dedicated telepresence rooms

There also needs to be provision for hot-desking – for workers who’re normally based at another office or who normally work from home.

See how Orange transformed its own office space for more efficient and flexible collaboration.

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Seed behaviour through a promoted, worker-centric roadmapAdoption plans combine both communication and training. Demonstrate the suitability of your plan with a Proof of Concept (POC) that engages reluctant adopters as well as opinion leaders. Remember that your adoption plan also needs to take your unique corporate culture into account.

Formally launch the new ‘culture of collaboration’Help the corporate communications team sell in the benefits of collaboration. A big launch announcement, combined with incentivization, will help focus everyone on a win-win approach to the way forward.n Top management needs to lead and endorse a cultural shift to communal ownership of

information and the right of each employee to suggest and champion ideasn Make the most of your Enterprise Social Network by eliciting expectations and questions

from all parties – and adapt your adoption roadmap to fitn Lead by example: the steering committee needs to demonstrate ‘best practice’ collaborative

behaviour at every opportunity

Personalized training is keyHelp your workers discover their new interface by training them on their own devices. Walk them through some of the fine tuning that will make the tool ‘theirs’.

Considerations:n Through habit, some workers are more comfortable

working on their own or within a silo – and will resist change

n Digital transformation needs to support organizational evolution, not derail it: the chosen solution needs to take the established company rules and management culture into account

n Beware of the emergence of a ‘digital divide’, where reluctant ‘digital immigrants’ end up not being included in team interactions. The answer is a customized, last mile approach that will ‘leave no digital immigrant behind’

n 80% of the time, each worker will use 20% of available features – so identify and focus on these

n Spark a desire to use the technology: a powerful use case will be more effective than a how-to guide

5You’ve consulted workers and managers, identified the various work styles available within the company, and designed a collaborative solution to match them. Now you need to drive adoption and daily use – until digital collaboration becomes second nature.

Drive a successful adoption program

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There are four objectives to consider:1. Day-to-day control. IT people must be able to easily control and manage

the service from day to day. For example, IT managers must be able to adapt solutions depending on the level of adoption, the end-user’s profile and the business needs.

2. Gathering analytics. Make sure that your efforts don’t end at the successful implementation of the technology – monitoring usage is vital to ensuring real business benefits. Metrics may include the number of active users, service availability, call quality, end user satisfaction, feature adoption, and cost savings. It’s essential to gather data on how workers are using their new tools and whether the technology is meeting their expectations. As a result, you and your team will be able to make ongoing decisions based on real feedback.

3. Assessing the value of the project over time. As time goes by, more powerful collaboration solutions will appear and you’ll need to make additional investments to keep up. So right from the beginning, it’s important to create usage reports to keep management focused on the business benefits they’re gaining from their investment.

4. Stay in touch with end users. Keep the end user feedback loop open, and provide ongoing training updates and awareness.

6It’s not only about empowering the end users. You also need to guide, empower and monitor your IT people to ensure the business goal is achieved.

Empower IT people to maximize – and report – the business benefits

Tip: You’ll probably need to involve managers from other departments in the data collecting process – and you may need management support for this.

We are committed to ensuring the best employee experience We are one of the few integrators to provide every part of the solution, including collaboration devices and headsets, purpose-built collaboration rooms, as well as excellent worldwide communications networks.

We then ensure maximum usage and availability of your solution, starting with an end user adoption program.

In addition, we provide you with the digital tools that let you monitor and manage your solution with ease – and full autonomy.

Our experts are always by your side, worldwideOur people have the skills, commitment and experience to help you achieve your digital ambition, all around the world. No matter whichmarkets you’re in, we understand your local environment, cultural needs, regulatory challenges and business goals. No-one can apply new learnings faster or more effectively.

Our “full stack” consultants have complete mastery of the entire digital workspace journey, with:n UX-PM certification n Collaboration with our research and development teamsn Expertise in technology-rich environments

And you’ll have the benefit of a dedicated team right from the initial drafting of your strategy through to final deployment, including design for user experience, ergonomics and development.

Why Orange Business Services?

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We provide the best digital solutions for your needs Our supplier-neutral project management approach Irrespective of vendor, we seek out the best technology innovations available, so that we can offer you the most appropriate fit for your existinginfrastructure, with the smoothest transition.

Depending on your organization’s maturity and strategy, we can offer an on-premise, private cloud, public cloud or hybrid solution, with a level of customization that perfectly meets your needs.

We maintain close relationships with best-of-breed solution providers like Microsoft, Cisco and Google. As a result, when a solution comprises components from different providers, they not only work seamlessly together, but we are also able to provide the overall management and deployment. With us as the single point of contact, you’re free to focus on your own business.

The quality of a top communications provider, plus OTT agilityOrange offers the largest network and voice coverage, providing our customers with the highest quality solutions and end-to-end services.

And while you’d expect a smaller OTT-only (Over The Top) company to be faster at delivery, our fully digital service delivery is extremely agile. For example, our fully digitized voice solutions now make it possible to order and implement new numbers in just thirty seconds.

Ensuring confidentiality and security of exchanges Our expertise in the field of information security enables us to support you in two ways. First, we’ll help you choose a solution or solutions which can be deployed and operated in accordance with best practices in information security. Secondly, through awareness programs and training, we’ll help ensure that your people use the tools in compliance with security policy and regulations.

To learn more, visit:orange-business.com/en/voice-digital-transformation

Why Orange Business Services?

orange-business.com

Want to know more?If you want to find out more about how we can help you with your collaboration strategy, please contact our digital consulting team at consulting@list2.orange.com or get in touch with your Orange account manager.

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