Across all these scenarios, IT fundamentals—like remote access, unified login systems, and interoperability across platforms—are being handled behind the scenes and consolidated into streamlined, user-friendly solutions. The way employees experience these tools, collectively known as the digital employee experience (DEX), can be a key component of achieving business outcomes: Deloitte finds that companies investing in frontline-focused digital tools see a 22 % boost in worker productivity, a doubling in customer satisfaction, and as much as a 25 % increase in profitability.
As digital tools become everyday fixtures in operational contexts, companies face both opportunities and hurdles—and the stakes are only rising as emerging technologies like AI become more sophisticated. The organizations best positioned for an AI-first future are crafting thoughtful strategies to ensure digital systems align with the realities of daily work—and placing people at the heart of the whole process.
IT meets OT in an AI world
Despite promising returns, many companies still face a last-mile challenge in delivering usable, effective tools to the frontline. The Deloitte study notes that less than one-quarter (just 23%) of frontline workers believe they have access to the technology they need to maximize productivity. There are several possible reasons for this disconnect, including the fact that operational digital transformation faces unique challenges compared to office-based digitization efforts.
For one, many companies are using legacy systems that don't communicate easily across dispersed or edge environments. For example, the office IT department might use completely different software than what's running the factory floor; a hospital's patient records might be entirely separate from the systems monitoring medical equipment. When systems can't talk to one another, troubleshooting issues becomes a time-consuming guessing game—one that often requires manual workarounds or clunky patches.
There's also often a clash between tech's typical "ship first, debug later" philosophy and the careful, safety-first approach that operational environments demand. A software glitch in a spreadsheet is annoying; a snafu in a power plant or at a chemical facility can be catastrophic.
Striking a careful balance between proactive innovation and prudent precaution will become ever more important, especially as AI usage becomes more common in high-stakes, tightly regulated environments. Companies will need to navigate a growing tension between the promise of smarter operations and the reality of implementing them safely at scale.
Humans at the heart of transformation efforts
With the buzz over AI and automation reaching fever pitch, it’s easy to overlook the single most impactful factor that makes transformation stick: the human element. The convergence of IT and OT goes hand in hand with the rise of digital employee experience. DEX encompasses everything from logging into systems and accessing applications to navigating networks and completing tasks across devices and locations. At its core, DEX is about ensuring technology empowers employees to work efficiently and without disruption—no matter where or how they work.
Companies investing in DEX technology are seeing measurable gains—from reduced help desk tickets and system downtime to harder-to-quantify benefits like higher employee satisfaction and retention. Frictionless digital workplaces, supported by real-time monitoring and automation capabilities, help organizations attend to IT issues before users experience disruptions or productivity levels dip.