According to Gartner, the use of collaboration  tools has jumped 44% since 2019 (Gartner). That means most employees are working across more digital platforms than ever before, and businesses are still figuring out how to bring those tools together into a smooth, consistent experience.

The result? Communication gaps, inconsistent onboarding, missed updates, and frustration on both sides of the screen.

That’s where a strong digital employee experience strategy can make a real difference. Not by adding more software, but by making the tools you already use work better together: clearing up friction and helping your teams get more done, with less confusion.

In this guide, we’ll show you how to build a DEX strategy that fits today’s workplace. You’ll get eight clear, practical steps, backed by real-world examples, that you can apply across your organization right away.

Digital employee experience (DEX) is everything your employees interact with through a screen while doing their job. That includes the obvious digital tools like Slack, Microsoft Teams, or your HR system. But it also includes the less obvious ones like your intranet, the sign-in kiosk at reception, or the digital signage displaying announcements in the work breakroom.

If it involves a screen, a login, or a workflow, it contributes to DEX.

Communication: Are updates easy to find? Are messages clear and consistent?

Usability: Can employees complete simple tasks like submitting time off or finding policy docs without digging through ten menus?

Access: Do remote and in-office workers have the same level of access to info and support?

Support: When something goes wrong, is it easy to get help? Or are support tickets disappearing into a void?

Think of DEX as your employee’s digital working environment. If it’s full of clutter, dead ends, or broken systems, it leads to confusion, frustration, and wasted time. If it’s clean, connected, and easy to navigate, it helps your people get more done with less effort.

Read More: What is Digital Employee Engagement?

Why is the digital employee experience important now more than ever?

DEX matters now because it directly impacts how well your business runs. Every message sent, tool opened, or ticket submitted is part of someone’s daily workflow. Poor employee experience has been linked to higher turnover, more IT tickets, and slow onboarding. 

But good digital employee experience shows up in faster ramp-up time, stronger engagement, and fewer roadblocks.

So the goal here isn’t to buy a bunch of shiny new software. It’s to build a system that helps people work smarter, not harder.

Step 1: Map out your current digital environment

Gartner found that the use of collaborative tools has gone up by 44% since 2019. Current trends suggest that the figure will keep rising. 

One take away is that most teams are using more tools than they realize and in many cases, they’re overlapping, outdated, or underused. 

So, start by making a full list of every digital touchpoint your employees interact with during the workday. That includes:

Communication platforms (email, Slack, Teams)

File storage and collaboration tools (Google Drive, SharePoint, Notion)

Which digital tools are being used daily and which ones barely get touched?

Are there tools doing the same job (or causing confusion)?

Which tools are causing friction points for employees?

Once you’ve mapped everything out, you’ll be in a much better place to identify what’s working, what’s getting in the way, and build a comprehensive DEX solution.

Step 2: Choose a DEX platform that delivers

This isn’t about adding more useless software, but about consolidating what you have already, and finding the right tools to bring everything together.

You can also call this a DEX management tool or software, but the point remains this: It must help your employees stay informed, connected, and productive.

Unified interface: Digital tools and updates should live in one place, not ten tabs

Mobile access: So frontline or remote teams can get what they need instantly

Integrations: Works seamlessly with the digital tools your teams already use

Personalization: Surfaces relevant info to the right people at the right time

Automation: Cuts down on repetitive tasks and keeps content fresh

Real-time updates: Especially for communication and support systems

Analytics: Gives insight into what’s being used and where things are slowing down

The best digital employee experience solutions don’t just replace old systems; they make it easier to bring people, tools, and content together in one clean experience.

Omnissa, the digital workspace platform recently shared their DEX strategy, and one of the key approaches emphasized streamlined IT management. Specifically, they leveraged data and AI to quickly identify and resolve issues. 

This combined with their employee empowerment tools made the company specifically equipped to tackle the requirements of today’s workforce.

Step 3: Make communication easy and visible

Communication is one of the biggest drivers of digital employee engagement, and experience. Plus, it’s one of the easiest to get wrong. If employees can’t find important updates, don’t feel heard, or are bombarded with irrelevant messages, it erodes trust and slows everything down.

A great example comes from an HR director who shared their experience on a Gartner Forum. They set up regular “listening sessions” with their team, branded as [Company]Listens. These sessions happen over lunch and give employees space to share questions, concerns, and ideas on specific topics, whether planned (like benefits) or spontaneous based on what's happening in the company.

“We’ve found that even if we cannot make a change based on feedback, being heard goes a long way to building trust between the company and employees.”

To build this into your DEX strategy, you could use your office digital signage to surface key messages where people will see them. 

Or, add regular feedback loops through listening sessions, town hall meetings, all hands meetings, or open channels so employees feel like they’re part of the conversation.

Step 4: Get ahead of communication challenges

A poll from Gartner Peer Community shows that communication and collaboration are two of the hardest things to manage digitally. So, your effective DEX strategy can’t just hold simple listening sessions or outsource the responsibility to your workplace technology. It's critical to get ahead of these problems.

Because communication breakdowns don’t always show up in obvious ways. It might be a missed deadline because someone never saw the update. Or a frontline employee feeling totally disconnected from what’s happening at HQ.

Here are some communication problems that lead to a poor digital employee experience, and how to fix them:

When messages are scattered across email, chat, apps, and intranets, people start tuning out.

Fix: Create a clear system for what goes where. For example, use Slack for real-time updates, email for deeper context, and screens or dashboards for the high-level stuff that everyone needs to see.

If employees are getting pinged all day, it’s hard to know what’s actually important.
Fix: Prioritize. Use targeted messages by department or role, and schedule updates instead of sending them ad hoc. Good DEX tools should help segment communication.

Lack of reach to offline or frontline teams

Not everyone sits behind a desk all day. Some teams never check email or may not even have a company email.

Fix: Use physical digital signage, mobile-friendly dashboards, or SMS-based updates to meet those employees where they are.

Communication isn’t complete if you don’t know how it landed.

Fix: Add quick pulse checks, feedback forms, or even emoji reactions to key messages to measure employee sentiment, and see which messages empower employees.

The bottom line? Don’t wait for communication problems to show up in employee surveys or exit interviews. Build systems that help stay on top of your digital employee experience management.

Step 5: Prioritize recognition and rewards

Recognition is one of the most powerful tools in any employee experience strategy. And when it’s baked into your digital workflows, it does more than make people feel good; it can drive motivation, retention, and stronger team culture.

A strong DEX strategy makes recognition part of your everyday digital experience. Not just an annual award or a quarterly HR campaign, but regular, visible, and easy to do.

Your recognition can be as simple as celebrating achievements on employee recognition boards, or creating a space for employees to recognize each other. A simple #kudos channel or a short nomination board will do.

Step 6: Help employees find their work-life balance

A positive digital employee experience doesn’t just help people get their work done. It also helps them stop working when the day is over. And that’s a huge piece of the puzzle when it comes to employee satisfaction, retention, and long-term employee productivity.

The issue? Many digital systems do the opposite. Endless pings after hours, unclear boundaries, and always-on expectations leave employees burnt out and disengaged. So if your DEX strategy doesn’t make space for balance, the rest of it won’t matter for long.

Here’s how to bake work-life balance into your digital setup:

Your digital employee experience isn’t just an IT or ops project. HR plays a huge role, and if they’re left out of the conversation, you’re missing a critical piece of the puzzle.

HR teams are often the first touchpoint in an employee’s journey, but they’re also one of the groups hit hardest by poor digital systems. In fact, onboarding and training are among the most challenging aspects of creating a great digital employee experience, according to HR professionals. 

Without the right digital tools, important information gets lost, processes break down, and new hires start off confused.

Make HR communication easy to access:  Use digital signage, mobile-friendly dashboards, or integrations with Slack and Teams to surface HR content where employees already spend their time.

Streamline onboarding and training:  Automate parts of the onboarding process, break content into bite-sized modules, and track completion digitally. This helps HR stay on top of progress without chasing people manually.

Build feedback into the system:  Let HR collect real-time feedback on onboarding, policies, and training sessions. This gives them the insights they need to improve content, answer questions early, and make adjustments faster.

Keep policies up to date and visible:  A solid DEX strategy makes it easy to update and distribute HR policies instantly. No more printing binders or wondering who saw what version.

Read More: How HR Teams Use Digital Signage to Improve Internal Communication

Step 8: Bring your DEX to life with digital signage

Many companies focus their digital employee experience on laptops and apps, but screens around the workplace are just as powerful. Digital signage gives you a way to reach everyone, from office staff to frontline teams, without adding another tool to their inbox.

There are so many ways to effortlessly use corporate digital signage to improve your digital employee experience.

From mapping digital tools to streamlining HR and IT systems, this guide shows you how to improve your digital employee experience, without adding more software.

Digital Employee Experience: 8 Steps to a Smarter, Simpler Workplace

How to Build a Winning Digital Employee Experience (DEX) Strategy 

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How to Build a Winning Digital Employee Experience (DEX) Strategy

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