Successful companies understand that they must provide not just excellent customer experiences, they must also provide high-quality employee experiences. How else can they attract and retain talented employees while encouraging productivity?

A big part of providing employees with a positive experience is listening. This is not simply a matter of hearing what they say in meetings or in the breakroom--some of the best listening is accomplished with technology.

In a recent article published by Qualtrics, written by Daniel Saunders in August 2019, three examples of high-quality listening were discussed. These case studies involved Qualtrics’ own employee listening and that of companies to which Qualtrics has provided consulting and services.

The first example, “Giving every employee a voice--in a scalable way,” suggested that listening to employees involves much more than just a suggestion box. The Qualtrics employee feedback system included tracking and even peer voting.

“We’re often asked by organizations how they can provide employees a way of giving feedback on their own terms,” wrote Saunders, “especially regarding topics that have no end-date, or so that employees can recommend new, better ways of serving customers. Each employee is able to follow the progress of their idea and see how it’s acted on over time.”

In the second example, “Using the intranet to meet employees in the moment,” Saunders described a scenario in which employees were complaining about the lack of useful information and functionality within their internal network. Instead of fielding general complaints in the usual ways (via e-mail or other message tools) Qualtrics used an application that followed employees into their internal network and detected when they got stuck. The application then furnished the frustrated employees opportunities to provide specific feedback in that very moment and in an online context. Knowing exactly where and how employees experienced problems within this internal network made the redress of those problems easier.

The final example of effective listening was, “Gathering feedback at a time of upheaval and change.” Saunders wrote, “Mergers and acquisitions are a very heightened time of change, particularly for the company being acquired.”

To track employee satisfaction through a major acquisition, Qualtrics developed a feedback system that kept an eye out for certain terms and expressions that might indicate serious employee problems. When these words and terms were spotted in employee open-form feedback responses, the acquisition team was immediately alerted. This meant that the acquisitions team could respond more quickly to certain serious issues.

Providing your employees with opportunities to speak up in meaningful ways is something that Pulse For Good kiosk technology can provide. Collecting suggestions and complaints from employees, managing this feedback effectively, and putting it to use for the benefit of employees will enhance your employees’ experience, thereby improving your organization from within.

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