Nov 09 2022
Improve Employee Experience and Retention With Technologies That Support Their Work
Brands and retailers of all sizes share a glaring Achilles heel when it comes to employee satisfaction. In many functional areas, they are using outdated technology that makes enterprise-wide communication more difficult It also diminishes overall efficiency and productivity and causes frustration among workers. Having worked with so many of the world’s most recognized brands, we know this is particularly true in product testing.
If this sounds like an issue for your teams, consider adopting the MESH01 product testing platform. Our product testing platform can help streamline your product development feedback processes and bring departments together. In the end, improving employee experience and retention.
The Role of Technology in Employee Retention
Following the pandemic-driven “great resignation” of 2021 (or the “great reshuffle” depending on who you ask), businesses are being forced to reconcile evolved employee expectations with their current tech stacks.
Harvard Business Review reported that employees are 230% more engaged and 85% more likely to remain at their job for more than 3 years when they have access to technology that supports their work.
Similarly, a Gallup poll found that businesses with high employee engagement – which can be achieved largely through effective technology – experience 23% more profitability and 43% less turnover.
Ease of communication with colleagues, being able to get help with issues, and providing feedback to colleagues are some of the top expectations employees have for technology in the workplace.
We use the term “workplace” lightly here, because more than ever before, employees are seeking hybrid or fully remote jobs. And without the same in-person setting from the pre-pandemic days, offering technology that empowers employees – wherever they are – is crucial.
So, what does all this mean for product development teams working on concept testing and product testing?
Help Employees Work Better With a Single Product Testing Platform
When it comes to digital technology solutions, a single-platform solution is one of the best ways to get the job done. They are designed to deliver on the expectations today’s employees have for technology to power their work. And while certain circumstances may be better solved by a best-of-breed approach that connects multiple solutions, the ability to span the stages of product testing with a single platform is proving to be the preferred approach by the world’s leading brands and retailers.
General benefits of a single-platform product testing solution:
- Tester management, recruitment, and communication all in one place
- The ability to manage multiple feedback types within a single dashboard
- Relevant features that support a range of testing needs from a single experience
- Operating efficiencies that support scaling to large testing programs
- Greater visibility and knowledge sharing across teams
Specific to the product development environment, a single-platform product testing solution allows your organization to manage its entire product testing process. This covers ideation to launch, all in one place.
MESH01 uniquely provides complete visibility across all involved departments. This allows teams and stakeholders to stay informed and engaged with the data and information most relevant to their roles.
You’re able to share fast, detailed reporting of concept and product tests across your organization. You can also notify teams immediately about any pre-market product improvement opportunities.
87% of hiring managers and human resource representatives Forbes spoke to this year said while employee retention is a top priority, 20% find it difficult to maintain a focus on this goal.
Emerging Barriers to Employee Retention
Some of the lost focus on employee retention can be recouped by offering the technology that employees want – and expect. Your employees’ experience with your technology begins on their very first day. Frustrating, cumbersome, siloed, or disparate solutions do little to set them up for success.
Another threat that has been impacting workplaces since the pandemic is the “quiet quitting” trend. This is where employees are simply disengaged at work. They are going through the paces to complete their job as described without putting in any extra effort to collaborate or go above and beyond to meet customer needs.
A recent Gallup survey found that more than half of employees are not at all engaged at work (the quiet quitters). 4 in 10 employees say they’re not even certain what’s expected of them at work.
One of the cited reasons for this growing disengagement was a lack of manager engagement with employees. This has only worsened as a result of remote and hybrid work environments.
Technology can’t solve every workplace issue. Investing in it is a reflection of leadership investment and support. As well as the company and brand itself. Putting emphasis on technology demonstrates that company leaders take product creation work seriously and value the talents of their employees. It can also affirm the new-employee expectations new hires bring to their first day. With brands continuing to invest in product development technologies like product testing solutions, the right tools will make the right first impressions.
After all, your product developers and designers are creating more than just products. They are using their talents to create great product (and brand) experiences for your customers.
Product Testing Technology Delivers Immediate Results
Greater project visibility, improved employee communication, and streamlined product development processes – even on the tightest timelines – are just some of the benefits of using a single-platform solution for product testing.
A single-platform product testing solution adds benefits your employees can leverage right away to enhance the product development process and launch market-leading products.
- Connect with a vast community of qualified product testers who represent your target market and will use your product the way it’s intended.
- Receive valuable feedback on product attributes like fit, performance, design, and durability to ensure confidence in product development.
- Validate product direction or identify new market opportunities with concept surveys.
- Collect feedback data from activity logs, concept, and product testing surveys, image and video uploads, and performance zone heat maps – all in one, easily-accessible place.
- Quickly and efficiently apply all feedback data to product design, development, merchandising, and marketing, keeping your product creation processes on track.
- Make more informed decisions about product design, product development, marketing, and inventory planning.
All of these unique benefits add up to one major outcome that also plays a big role in retaining employees: customer satisfaction. Product success in the market reflects well on your employees and creates validation of their work.
When you empower employees with the right tools and technology, attracting and retaining talent becomes much easier to achieve. Combined with other employee experience and retention efforts, your company will realize greater employee satisfaction with the implementation of a single-platform product testing solution.
