In today's modern workplace environment, we're more reliant on collaboration tools than ever before. Streamlined apps for video, audio, and text-based communication help to keep in-office and remote workers on the same page, without the lag associated with email. However, according to the latest study commissioned by IR from leading market research company GfK (Growth from Knowledge), there's still room for improvement.
While UCC apps have a lot of value to offer, the IR study found that only 62% of respondents were satisfied with the applications that they're given in the workplace. Additionally, it seems that the levels of satisfaction in the workplace differ significantly between everyday employees and C-Suite staff. The executives in the team were more satisfied (82%) with the tools available than those in non-manager roles (54%).
So, what's the truth about collaboration in the workplace today? Are we entering the new age of effective teamwork, or are employees more frustrated than ever?
Suffering in Silence: Most Issues Go Unreported
According to the GfK report from IR, the highest usage of UCC applications occurs in larger organisations, often with 10,000 or more people. These businesses rely on UCC tools to support a geographically dispersed userbase. However, businesses of all sizes are depending more heavily on tools that offer a range of communication options. Specifically, audio conferencing (60%) and video conferencing (61%) are the most-used tools.
While these tools offer a lot of benefits for today's users, they also have significant problems to overcome too. Unfortunately, the study found that most of the issues that employees have with their UCC apps go unreported by end-users. Around 1 in 4 respondents said that they probably wouldn't report more than 75% of the issues that they face with their daily tools.
So, why are people reluctant to speak out about UCC issues? The problem seems to be a lack of faith in IT departments. Employees feel that even if they do speak out about their problems, the IT department won't fix the issue in a timely manner. Usually, it takes between 1 and 2 days to fix even highly disruptive issues, and the IT department is usually too over-worked to respond.
The Problem with Ineffective UCC
Unfortunately, the issues that team members face when it comes to using their UCC solutions means that they're struggling to get the most out of the available technology.
According to the IR study, some of the major issues that employees have today include:
