A CIO’s guide to improving digital employee experience in 2025

Picture this: you are holding the latest iPhone, seamlessly swiping between apps, and quickly ticking items off your to-do list, thanks to everything being perfectly interconnected, modern, and intuitive. The experience is flawlessly designed to empower you.

But then, you switch to your workstation—suddenly, it’s as if you’ve stepped back in time to the 90s. Outdated systems, slow response times, and clunky interfaces that disrupt your workflow… the list is endless.

Quite a jarring difference.

This transition between your personal digital experience and your workplace technology highlights the massive gap many organizations still face in delivering a streamlined digital employee experience (DEX).

Truth be told, this ‘gap’ isn’t just about modernizing tools, it’s about a complete overhaul/transformation of the entire workplace digital ecosystem to meet today’s expectations of speed, usability, and seamless interaction.

According to our 2024 State of AI in IT report, only 26% of employees are fully satisfied with how their IT support team works.

You don’t need us to tell you that a poor DEX can erode employee engagement, slow down productivity, and leave teams feeling frustrated. However, with the right approach, CIOs can turn this around and truly ‘revolutionize’ (we aren’t using this word lightly) the way employees interact with workplace technology.

Amidst all this din in the workplace due to fragmented tools and experiences, the good news is that in recent years, CIOs have undoubtedly recognized the critical need to transform DEX. It is no longer a secondary ‘soft’ concern.

With the workforce increasingly becoming remote and hybrid, CIOs realize that the time to make change happen is now!

What is digital employee experience?

Workers with an excellent employee experience were found to be 3x more likely to say their organization is customer-focused and 1.5x more likely to enjoy working directly with their organization’s customers and clients. - Deloitte Digital

Digital employee experience (DEX), simply put, is the sum total of all the interactions employees have with software, communication tools, information and workflows within the organization.

This overall ‘experience’ directly impacts employee satisfaction, productivity, and overall performance.

Why is digital employee experience important?

According to the Deloitte report quoted above, “Workers who can personalize their workplace technology to fit their needs are 2.6x more likely to have a positive work experience.”

It is rather straightforward: an exceptional DEX ensures that employees have the right tools and technology at their fingertips to do their jobs effectively.

A poor digital experience, on the other hand, leads to wasted time, disengagement, and even burnout.

It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that, given today’s competitive market, a positive DEX might well be the differentiator in attracting and retaining top talent.

Deloitte agrees.

Workers who do not feel that their organization’s workflow processes help them do work efficiently are 2x more likely to leave in the next 12 months. - Deloitte Digital

It is, therefore, in the organization’s best interest to recognize and invest in DEX. It can do wonders for employee engagement and morale and, as a result, help the company gain a competitive edge because happy employees translate to happy customers, which, in turn, translates to better business and profits.

The role of CIOs in shaping the digital employee experience

Deloitte notes that the average person spends more than 90,000 hours at work over their lifetime.

Phew, that’s a lot of hours.

Given this, DEX, through the right technology and integrations, is table stakes for ensuring a great work environment. CIOs are at the forefront of creating this digital ecosystem within their organizations.

They and the IT team play a crucial role in deciding which tools to implement, how to structure IT support, and how to future-proof tech investments.

By focusing on DEX, CIOs can align IT initiatives with business goals while directly improving employee engagement and productivity.

Related resource: How IT leaders redefine employee experiences

Understanding the key components of DEX

1. Collaboration enabler

Given the reality of hybrid work environment, tools like MS Teams and Slack are more than just simple communication platforms. They’ve evolved.

These collaboration hubs have become the digital headquarters of sorts where work happens, enabling teams to bridge geographical boundaries effortlessly.

CIOs must ensure these platforms serve as true digital workspaces where employees can access all necessary tools and information without context switching. Our report shows that 26% of employees primarily use email for support requests - a clear indication that many organizations haven't fully leveraged their collaboration platforms' potential for streamlined workflows.

2. Seamless employee support

‍The evolution of service management has reached a critical juncture. Our report highlights that 20% of employees already prefer AI-powered assistants for IT support, with 80% of these interactions being successful. This signals a significant shift in how support should be delivered - directly within employees' workflow tools rather than through traditional channels.

Modern service management solutions, when integrated with collaboration platforms, create a powerful support ecosystem. The report indicates that 31% of employees want better issue resolution confirmation, while 23% seek more options to contact support. By embedding support capabilities within tools like MS Teams and Slack, organizations can address both concerns simultaneously.

The financial impact is substantial. Consider password resets - a seemingly simple but costly challenge. Let’s take the example of a hypothetical thousand-member enterprise, these routine requests can drain upwards of $85,000 annually in lost productivity. But with AI-enabled support integrated into collaboration tools, the report shows organizations can reduce response times and operational costs while improving employee satisfaction. In fact, 36% of employees already report positive experiences with AI-powered IT support, with another 19% eager to see their organizations implement such solutions.

These numbers underscore a crucial point: modern service management isn't just about fixing technical issues - it's about delivering support in ways that maintain employee flow and productivity.

3. Usability of technology

Technology should be intuitive, integrated, and user-friendly. Whether it's onboarding new employees or rolling out a new software update, the user experience should always be at the top of mind.

The goal should be to create workflows/interfaces so intuitive that they become a part of their routine and, therefore, invisible, allowing employees to focus on their work rather than wrestling with tools.

However, the real power lies in integration. While 34% of organizations cite workflow automation as a key benefit of modern tools, success depends on seamless connections between collaboration platforms and enterprise systems.

When you say good software, the element that comes up is I shouldn't be using the tool. I should be doing my job with the tool. And that's an important distinction. - Alan Berkson, Founder Intellist Group

4. Performance and reliability of IT Infrastructure

Fast and truly reliable systems are the backbone of a good digital employee experience.

Proactive monitoring, swift incident response, and robust backup systems aren't just IT concerns - they are fundamental to maintaining workforce productivity and satisfaction.

Infrastructure reliability also extends to security considerations, which the report identifies as the top concern for 42% of IT professionals implementing new technologies. The challenge lies in balancing robust security measures with seamless user experience, ensuring that protection doesn't come at the cost of accessibility.

How to improve digital employee experience: 7 tips for IT leaders

1. Align IT priorities with employee pain points

Conduct regular surveys and collect feedback from employees to identify key challenges in their digital experience. Addressing these pain points should be a top priority for the IT department.

CIOs can consider implementing quarterly pulse surveys and establishing digital experience focus groups across departments. Often, what IT perceives as a minor inconvenience might be a major productivity blocker for employees. For instance, a seemingly small issue like slow VPN connections could be costing remote workers hours of productive time each week.

2. Propagate employee self-service

‍Empower employees by offering self-service options for common IT tasks, from password resets to simple troubleshooting. This reduces IT workload and enhances employee satisfaction.

The key is to make self-service more appealing than reaching out to IT directly. This could mean integrating help right into channels like Slack and MS Teams, implementing intelligent search functions, creating video tutorials for common issues, or providing step-by-step guides with screenshots.

An intelligent AI assistant, like Atom, could become the go-to port of call for any requirement. Remember, every minute saved in support tickets is a minute gained for strategic IT initiatives.

Focus on improving user experience and enhancing the experience for both end users and the enterprise alike. - Nipun Soni, CFO of Picarro

3. Integrate the tech stack for better employee productivity

Asana reports that, on average, employees switch between 13 different apps close to 30 times daily. This constant app switching results in information fragments, broken workflows, and SaaS fatigue for employees.

Apart from information fragmentation, it also causes access and security lapses and increased license costs, wasting time and resources for both employees and enterprises. 

Create impactful outcomes through an integrated digital enterprise operating model for employees, partners, suppliers, and customers. - Shyam Ramachandran, CIO, Onto Innovation

‍A well-integrated tech stack eliminates the need for employees to switch between multiple platforms, streamlining workflows and improving productivity.

With an enterprise AI assistant like Atom that can contextually understand employee queries and pull data from various apps, employees don't have to leave their primary workspace. This helps employees focus on impactful tasks and elevates the overall digital employee experience.

4. Proactive incident and request management

Leverage AI-driven analytics to identify potential IT issues before they affect employees. With AI, IT can move from reactive to proactive incident management, transforming how the organization handles IT challenges.

Instead of waiting for employees to report the same issues repeatedly, AI-powered systems can intelligently identify and cluster similar incidents, spotting patterns before they become widespread problems.

For example, if multiple employees start experiencing slow application performance, the system can detect this trend and initiate resolution processes before it impacts the broader organization. This shift will significantly reduce downtime and improve overall DEX.

Request management, too, can become more streamlined when integrated directly into collaboration tools. By configuring service catalog items to be accessible right from Slack or Teams, employees can make IT requests without ever leaving their preferred collaboration platform.

Need a new software license or hardware upgrade? The AI-driven system will guide you through the process, automatically routing requests to the appropriate teams and keeping you updated on progress. Basically, support is one message away.

This proactive approach not only reduces the burden on IT teams but also ensures faster resolution times and higher employee satisfaction. The system also learns from past incidents and requests, thereby continuously improving its ability to predict and prevent issues before they impact productivity.

5. Extend IT service delivery to other departments with ESM

Expanding enterprise service management (ESM) practices beyond IT to HR, Finance, and other departments can streamline operations and improve the overall employee experience across the board.

Think about how frustrating it is for employees to learn different systems for IT tickets, HR requests, and facility management. A unified enterprise service platform can reduce training needs and increase adoption rates.

Enterprise service management isn’t just about spreading IT to the rest of the company. That’s a pretty narrow approach. What we need is people and process-focused workflows across the entire organization. - Doug Tedder, Principal Tedder Consulting

6. Strengthen the security posture of organization

A strong security framework not only protects the organization but also enhances employee confidence in using digital tools, knowing their data is safe.

Three priorities for the year is improving user experience, improving the organization's productivity by bringing all the tools and technology together, and improving cybersecurity, app security, and data security. - Aysha Khan, CISO and CIO of Treasure Data

As Aysha Khan puts it, security should be thought right from design and not as an afterthought. She points out how it critical it is for organizations to have security embedded in their DNA.

Regular security awareness training should focus on making employees partners in security rather than seeing them as risks.

The key is implementing security measures that protect systems without frustrating users. For instance with the increased usage of LLMs in the IT tech stack, Atomicwork has conceptualized the TRUST framework for responsible AI adoption. This will help organizations serve answers to employees' knowledge queries without them overstepping ethical and security guidelines.

7. Measure and improve DEX constantly

CIOs should continuously monitor DEX through employee feedback and performance analytics. Regular updates and improvements ensure that the digital tools evolve with employee needs.

The future is all about being proactive rather than reactive. The IT landscape is constantly changing, and we need to be agile and adaptable. - Tony North, the senior manager of IT service at King County

It could be a good idea to create a DEX scorecard that tracks metrics like system response times, successful self-service resolutions, and employee satisfaction scores. One can also create a ‘champions’ program where power users from different departments help gather important feedback and test new solutions before wider organization-wide rollouts.

Conclusion

The digital employee experience is no longer just about technology; it's about empowering employees to do their best work.

For CIOs, the focus must be on creating a cohesive digital environment that addresses employee pain points, promotes seamless collaboration, and supports the organization's overall business mission.

By prioritizing DEX, CIOs can be critical in driving productivity, engagement, and innovation across the workforce.

Our goal at Atomicwork is to empower IT teams and employees by providing them with intuitive tools and resources that allow them to thrive in their roles, contributing to the growth and success of their respective organizations.

There is no doubt that the workforce is ready for this transformation and now is the time to do it!