There are many ways to measure the success of a return-to-office strategy -- anecdotal evidence abounds -- but decision-makers are better served by results based on actual data. Not only will these metrics help drive technology investments, but these RTO analytics also validate the advantages and benefits of getting workers back to the office.
Unified communications (UC) platforms are a great place to start. First, they are widely deployed -- both on-premises and cloud -- and because they are the hub for everyday work, they are an ideal source of data to address those needs. Second, UC is entirely digital, encompassing telephony, email, chat, video, calendaring and meetings. As a result, the platform generates a constant stream of data that reflects how employees work, both on their own and in teams.
In addition, every UC platform has analytics tools that enable decision-makers to generate data-driven RTO insights. In fact, there are so many ways to use these tools that it can be difficult to determine the right approach. To help make things more manageable, here are three core areas for assessing RTO success.
1. Workplace communications
This is the foundation of any UC platform; every communication mode is unified into a single interface, offering users a consistent experience across all endpoints and networks. UC analytics paints an accurate picture of which communications applications are being used or not. Analytics also identifies best practices by highlighting the modes, along with frequency, duration and sequence, used by high-performing workers to complete specific tasks.
Most workers use the same UC platform at home as they do in the office. To that end, communications analytics compare usage patterns and preferences in each environment. Patterns might differ, but these analytical tools cast a light on the efficiency of office-based workers and help managers make their case that these employees are -- or can be -- more productive than those doing similar work at home.
UC analytics also helps managers determine ROI. Analytics lets decision-makers highlight the extent to which workers are adopting all the various communications applications, as well as the tools with which they might integrate. Analytics also alerts team leaders about which workers need to adopt more tools to be more productive, reflecting the assumption that UC's value increases as more features are used. The more familiar workers become with the full feature set, the more effectively they'll communicate, even as they learn how to automate workflows in ways they couldn't do before.
Today, highlighting the benefits of collaboration plays an equally important role in getting employees back into the office.
2. Workplace collaboration
This is the other half of UC, where the focus shifts from enhancing communications options to finding more effective ways to collaborate. This was especially important during the COVID-19 pandemic, when many employees had to work from home. Today, highlighting the benefits of collaboration plays an equally important role in getting employees back into the office.
That's because UC analytics illuminates how each employee contributes to team-based work. At face value, team leaders can learn about how many meetings a worker attends, how long they are present and how they are contributing. With the addition of AI, managers can track employees' sentiment to assess their level of engagement.
Meeting space usage is another useful consideration. Analytics lets managers determine how well office-based teams perform, but also pinpoint which set of tools is best for hybrid meetings where remote workers collaborate.
An important caveat: Companies must depersonalize these data sources to protect worker privacy. Otherwise, UC will be viewed as a surveillance tool, at which point usage will drop off, and teams could quickly become less productive.
3. Network and data management
This speaks more to IT's needs than a specific RTO analytics measurement, but it's an important value vector when investing in UC. While UC is used primarily for communication and collaboration, it also often integrates with other platforms, especially those designed to streamline front- and back-office operations. Analytics measure how effectively UC integrates with these other platforms. It's an important consideration for choosing the right UC partner.
IT can use UC analytics to better support cross-functional or cross-departmental teamwork. The easier this is to accomplish, the richer the inputs. This data will help company leaders make organizational-wide decisions as well as orchestrate company-wide workflows. Without UC, teams are more likely to work in silos, limiting the broader perspective needed for business-level decisions, strategies and investments.
Analytics can also be tapped to let companies optimize their network resources, especially for bandwidth-intensive applications like video, streaming and file sharing. These analytics -- aided by AI -- trigger red flags when employees are using unsafe connections or if they're being exposed to malicious threats or fraud.
Finally, UC analytics lets IT determine how workers use specific tools and whether or not employees use apps that duplicate those available from the UC platform. This helps companies use fewer platforms and tools, and it also reduces wasteful spending -- another benefit of using UC analytics to gauge ROI.
Jon Arnold is principal of J Arnold & Associates, an independent analyst providing thought leadership and go-to-market counsel with a focus on the business-level effect of communications technology on digital transformation.
