Your comprehensive guide to Digital Employee Experience

What is DEX, and why does it matter?

An introduction to Digital Employee Experience (DEX)

The world of work has changed. Advances in technology have encouraged many businesses to transition to remote, hybrid, or asynchronous models. What was once seen as a knee jerk reaction to the Covid-19 pandemic has now become the norm.

Thus, the reliance on technology has increased and with it, the question of Digital Employee Experience, more commonly abbreviated ‘DEX’. As technology plays an even greater role in the workplace, the ways in which employees interact with it has become a key concern for companies — so too the strategies, tools, and insights which enable it.

While every business has its own modus operandi, DEX can be broadly defined as an employee’s holistic experience with the digital workplace. This has implications for the employee, the employer, and how the two interact. According to AIHR, DEX includes interfacing with technologies like devices, applications, and networks for a range of purposes:

• Workflow & Productivity. Project management, analytics, customer relations.
• Communication & Collaboration. Email, instant messaging, phone calls, video conferencing.
• Learning. Official training and professional development.
• HR systems. Self-service access to policies, compensation, PTO, and performance management information.

So, why does it matter?

As mentioned, DEX has important implications for both employees and employers. Getting it right can lead to significant benefits for both groups, while getting it wrong can add unnecessary friction

Potential friction points without a DEX strategy

• Technology disruptions (whether due to devices, applications, or networks)
• Slow resolution times
• Poor digital employee experiences
• Reduced workforce productivity
• Higher churn rates

The benefits of better DEX management

• Increased employee engagement and satisfaction
• Seamless technology interactions
• Readily accessible software and tools
• A more inclusive, ‘bottom-up’ culture
• Higher retention rates
• Better workforce productivity, increased revenue and growth

The teams and roles it impacts

While Digital Employee Experience management is dependent on cross-functional collaboration, understanding the roles of specific departments in its delivery is also paramount:

• IT & Infrastructure. Responsible for maintaining the devices, applications, and networks (or ‘infrastructure’) that enable seamless employee experiences. An effective DEX strategy will help mitigate bottlenecks, tickets, and service requests from employees — thus improving the collaboration between IT and staff.
• Digital Workplace. Focused on streamlining communication and interactivity between platforms — live event software, instant messaging, video conferencing, and everything in-between.
• Comms & Events. Communications and event managers play an important role in maintaining employee engagement through effective internal comms strategies and flawless event execution. A second key focus is reach, with accessibility and inclusivity both top concerns as they look to keep people engaged.
• HR. Much like internal communications, HR professionals are key stakeholders, responsible for increasing employee engagement and satisfaction. From onboarding to training and ongoing support, making sure teams are aligned and working towards the same goals are key to business success and employee retention.
• C-Suite. The role of C-Suite in improving digital employee experiences cannot be underestimated. Many enterprises are seeing a shift to ‘bottom-up’ communications where employees across an organization feel represented — a strong DEX strategy has the potential to improve both accessibility and inclusivity.

Tools for Digital Employee Experience management

Creating an effective strategy for engaging employees and elevating day-to-day experiences hinges on Digital Employee Experience platforms and software. The ones that relate to corporate video communication are broadly categorized below.

Hive supports the use of multiple platforms, simultaneously, with a range of enterprise integrations — helping you set up your perfect tech stack.

• Instant Messaging and Collaboration Tools. Direct messaging apps like Microsoft Teams and Slack have superseded email as the preeminent medium for communication. Real-time delivery of messages empowers employees to connect in seconds, while real-time collaboration tools like Miro allow teams and individuals to work together seamlessly in the digital realm. 
• Live Event Platform. Live Event Platforms — also known as video event platforms or virtual event platforms — are tools that help businesses host events virtually, in the Cloud. Live video events are critical vehicles for bringing teams together across borders and time zones, thus elevating DEX to new heights.
• Video Conferencing Tools. While live event platforms are reserved for bigger, company-wide events, video conferencing tools remain a popular — and necessary — channel for smaller calls. An example of this within the Microsoft 365 suite would be using Teams for small meetings and running Teams live events when a large number of attendees is expected. 
• Enterprise Content Delivery Network (eCDN). An eCDN is a subtype of a traditional Content Delivery Network that leverages private networks to help enterprises optimize the distribution of video content. eCDN solutions (like Hive’s) significantly reduce network strain, dramatically improving employee experiences.
• Video Experience Platform. The latest addition to a solid DEX toolkit is one not to be overlooked if your goal is optimal viewer engagement and retention. Running internal live events with a reliable video experience platform in place is the only way to ensure that each viewer gets the best video experience possible. With Hive, eCDN functionality already comes built into the platform, which ensures that your network doesn’t crash from overload during the live stream.

How Hive can help: Digital Employee Experience software

The Hive VX Platform empowers businesses to broadcast internal video communications in the highest quality possible — a key strategy for improving digital employee experiences. With Hive’s DEX software, companies can manage video growth, improve employee experience, and reach their entire workforce with live events that promote genuine employee engagement.

Optimizing video experiences with an industry-leading eCDN

Hive offers one of the industry’s most advanced eCDN solutions — leveraging intelligent P2P streaming algorithms to optimize enterprise video distribution. Our software-only solution harnesses the viewers themselves to cache watched VOD and live streams content — serving it directly to other viewers within the same LAN via smart, self-organizing, and secure peering. The result? Digital experiences that are totally seamless — giving employees the level of streaming quality they’re so accustomed to at home.

Measuring DEX with actionable data, insights, and analytics

Of course, in order to understand if your DEX strategy is effective, you’ll need to have the necessary insights handy. Hive’s performance analytics empower enterprises to truly understand impact — revealing the bigger picture and the finer details. Some of Hive’s analytics include:

• Average user engagement score
• Points of most and least amount of engagement
• Active users vs. engaged users
• Engagement score per country
• Buffering severity
• Bandwidth savings
• Viewership by geographical location
• Viewers over time
• Quality of experience

Watch video: The Hive VX Platform