What Is Voice-of-the-Employee Technology? Definition, Benefits, and Solutions

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Voice of the Employee (VoE) is a strategic method of gathering feedback from employees on targeted areas and converting them into actionable insights. In this article, we look at: 

  • The definition of voice-of-the-employee technologies 
  • Why it is a key area of implementation for modern organizations
  • Four voice-of-the-employee solutions to consider before you adopt
     

Workplaces around the world are increasingly becoming more employee-centric. In addition to focusing on the bottom line, organizations are fast realizing the need to pay closer attention to their people assets. This can help in:

  • Improving retention and curbing turnover costs 
  • Fostering engagement, leading to higher productivity
  • Strengthening your employer brand to attract the best talent
     

As a result, there has been a steady rise in technologies that help to understand employee sentiment and turn raw data into actionable insights – also known as voice-of-the-employee technology. Let’s look at what VoE means for modern organizations, its growing importance, and tech solutions to help you get started. 

Learn More: Why Real-Time Feedback Makes a Real Difference to Organizational ProductivityOpens a new window

Voice-of-the-Employee: Definition, Facts, and Figures 

Any organization will have a plethora of systems available to collect data on employee behavior. However, these existing surveys and tools often ignore a key element: the employee’s perspective. Voice-of-the-employee technology comprises a holistic set of tools and methods that can: 

  1. Collect qualitative data on how your employees perceive the organization, workplace, and policies that impact them daily.
  2. Categorize the data as per several parameters – this could be customer experience, workplace transformation, benefits, and other employee-specific programs.
  3. Process the data to generate action points, which can guide the organization to greater success as per the mentioned parameters.

It’s important to know that the employee voice isn’t limited to only determining and improving engagement levels. For example, you could collect employee feedback on how your customers are reacting to the brand and reposition customer experience (CX) accordingly. 

A correctly implemented voice-of-the-employee technology framework will give business leaders an accurate view of on-ground employee sentiment, positive and negative triggers, as well as employee desires/expectations.

Learn More: Employee Appreciation – A How-To GuideOpens a new window

3 Reasons Why Employee Voice Matters

Employee experienceOpens a new window is a determining factor for organizations in terms of talent acquisition, engagement, and retention. In fact, Deloitte recently affirmed that “employees are your first customersOpens a new window .” Its report revealed that organizations that rank in the top quartile for employee experience report 25% more profitability than those in the bottom quartile.

This makes it critical to “listen” to employee feedback and base organizational decisions on the data thereby gathered.

Specifically, developing and implementing voice-of-the-employee mechanisms can help in three distinct areas. 

1. Individual experiences are enhanced

Your employees are likely to feel more valued if their voices are heard and changes made accordingly. This will bring down their workplace stress levelsOpens a new window , encouraging them to go the extra mile. Through listening to the employee voice, you can establish a direct connection between on-ground employee sentiment and business outcomes. 

2. Organizational success is reinforced

The VoE can reveal innovative ideas and new opportunities for your business. Talented workers are also more likely to stay on in an organization that appreciates their efforts, reducing recruitment costs in the long term. When organizations listen to and act upon the findings of employee voice, day-to-day people efficiencies such as time and attendance, resource utilization, and collaboration also improve, leading to higher productivity. 

3. Customer experiences are refined

Your employees are often the first and most critical line of contact with the customer. They are in charge of solving queries, resolving grievances, and cross-selling or upselling to the customer. Their voice can help identify problems in the existing CX journey as well as in product offerings. In fact, employee engagement is directly linked to customer satisfactionOpens a new window .

Given the holistic reach of voice-of-the-employee frameworks, it is essential first to outline your game plan on a strategic level. How will employee-centric processes impact the organizational culture? Do you have the resources at hand to act on the insights these frameworks offer? Does your workforce feel confident and empowered enough to articulate their feedback lucidly?

Once these questions are answered, you can start looking at specific voice-of-the-employee technologies to help reach your objectives. 

Learn More:

What Is Employee Appreciation? Definition, Strategies, and Ideas, With ExamplesOpens a new window

Start your Employee Experience Journey With These Voice-of-the-Employee Solutions

Brand leadership expert and contributor at Forbes and Harvard Business Review, Denise Yohn, called 2018 the Year of Employee Experience (EX)Opens a new window . Now, more than halfway through 2019, it’s time that organizations turn the spotlight on technologies that capture the VoE, which help build an employee-centric and employee-led workplace.

Here are four voice-of-the-employee solutions that you can consider on your journey towards better EX: 

1. Verint voice-of-the-employee platform Opens a new window

Verint’s enterprise-grade solution makes it easy for employees to share their unique opinions, perspectives, and feedback across email, web, mobile, and SMS surveys. The solution then uses this data to derive actionable insights that help to boost both EX and CX quality. 

2. SATISFYD’s voice-of-the-employee suite Opens a new window

SATISFYD provides a selection of tools that help collect data, learn about gaps in organizational practices, and follow up with regular pulse surveys over the next six months. SATISFYD offers an agile solution to voice-of-the-employee requirements, supporting course corrections midway through the program. 

3. ServiceTick’s voice-of-the-employee surveyOpens a new window

ServiceTick brings a library of surveys to gather voice-of-the-employee insights in the long term. The solution’s annual and biannual surveys are combined with regular pulse surveys, with immediate insight generation. If you’re unsure of your voice-of-the-employee approach, ServiceTick will also recommend a service structure based on your organizational values and business problems. 

4. WorkTango’s employee voice listening tools Opens a new window

Work Tango’s pulse format voice-of-the-employee solution covers eight unique use cases, ranging from onboarding/offboarding, merger and acquisitions follow-up, and diversity and inclusion. The platform is pretty simple: you can solicit feedback, gain insights in real-time, and identify action areas.

Key Takeaways for HR

Workplaces are undergoing a fundamental shift. The modern employee expects much more than just a paycheck – a layered compensation package, a clear growth path, and a genuine sense of belonging. As a result, a voice-of-the-employee strategy is critical in retaining and enthusing your workforce. 

This is where companies can benefit from investing in the various voice-of-the-employee technologies available, ensuring that an intelligent methodology is applied when gauging employee sentiment. Over time, this can dramatically transform workplace productivity, employee engagement, and EXOpens a new window , while also helping enterprises achieve their long-term business objectives.

Are you paying attention to the employee voice at your organization? Share your insights with us on FacebookOpens a new window , LinkedInOpens a new window , or TwitterOpens a new window . We are always listening!