Employee surveys aren't simply a way of checking on staff satisfaction – though they are a very effective way of doing so!
In fact, they can provide business decision makers with very useful information about all kinds of different things.
An excellent example came this week (April 9) with new research released by Dimension Data on the uptake of unified communications and collaboration (UCC) in businesses across the globe.
UCC essentially means communications that are integrated to optimise business processes. These can include instant messaging, telephony (including VoIP), video conferencing, data sharing as well as email, voicemail, SMS and fax.
According to the Dimension Data 2013 Global UCC study, adoption of UCC by businesses continues to increase, with nearly four-fifths (78 per cent) of IT decision-makers polled saying they had a current plan and budget to implement at least select components of UCC.
Business decision makers are clearly seeing the benefits of switching to UCC communication systems, with some of the most common cited being cost savings, employee uptake and productivity gains.
Yet Dimension Data found that despite businesses banking on employees taking to new communication systems, only 38 per cent of large enterprises said that they profiled their employees.
One in five (21 per cent) said they believed all their users had the same requirements, and 13 per cent said they simply didn't see the value in seeking feedback.
Dimension Data group general manager for converged communications Craig Levieux says that a lack of staff awareness "could pose a risk to the success of those UCC investments".
In an era when employees are increasingly bringing their own devices to work, Mr Levieux says that a disconnect between staff and decision-makers on this subject could prove truly costly.
"For organisations looking to formulate or refresh a UCC, employee feedback is critical," said Mr Levieux in a statement.
Decision makers that wish to gauge the UCC needs of their staff could use survey software to ask precisely the questions that they need answered. This way they could make purchase decisions with more confidence.
Exceptional Survey. Solutions