In IT, it’s easy to fall into the trap of assuming that if no one is screaming, things must be fine. But silence isn’t always golden—it might just mean that employees have given up reporting their frustrations. That’s why smart IT leaders are shifting focus from simply counting tickets to capturing real employee sentiment through targeted surveys. Because in the end, good IT isn’t just about uptime—it’s about uplifting the people using the tools.
Let’s unpack why measuring Digital Employee Experience (DEX) matters, what it actually gives you, and address some of the common objections IT leaders raise.
So What Is Digital Employee Experience, Really?
Think of DEX as your internal user experience scorecard. It’s about how employees feel about the digital tools they use every day: their laptops, video calls, collaboration platforms, service desk interactions, and more. When done well, DEX measurement reveals:
- What’s working (keep it up!),
- What’s not (fix it!),
- And where to invest (do it smartly!).
Measuring this gives IT departments the insights they need to reduce friction, support productivity, and make sure the digital workplace isn’t a source of frustration, but a solid springboard for doing great work.
“But we already measure IT performance through ticketing surveys…”
That’s like judging restaurant quality by only surveying people who complained about the soup.
Ticketing surveys are limited by design. They often only capture reactions to issues and tend to skew toward emotional responses (especially angry ones). Response rates? Typically low. Impact? Even lower.
If you want to know what everyone thinks—not just the most frustrated users—you need to zoom out. Broader DEX surveys go beyond the reactive, gathering structured feedback from a representative group about their day-to-day digital experience, regardless of whether they’ve opened a ticket.
“Our MSP already sends us dashboards with red, green, and orange lights.”
Right. That’s like asking your babysitter to rate themselves and report back if they deserve a raise.
While it’s great that your vendor wants to show performance, their measurement usually reflects their KPIs—not necessarily your employees’ experience. Plus, when every dashboard shows 95% satisfaction, you might want to ask: satisfaction with what, exactly?
DEX surveys from independent experts give you unbiased insights with methodology rooted in people science, not just service-level reporting.
“We already track IT performance using AI-powered diagnostics.”
That’s fantastic—like having a thermometer in a smart house. But what if the people inside are still freezing?
Technical performance data is essential. But it doesn’t tell you how it feels to use the tech. Are employees working around issues? Are they annoyed by slow login times they no longer bother to report? Are they bypassing formal channels because they’ve lost faith in the support process?
Only by combining technical diagnostics with user sentiment can you understand the full picture—and prioritize improvements that matter.
“But HR already runs an employee engagement survey that includes IT questions.”
True. And your HR survey is like a company-wide weather forecast: useful, but not specific enough to pack your bag for a mountain hike.
Employee engagement surveys are designed for broader themes—culture, purpose, leadership—not the nuances of your digital workplace. They’re often too general, infrequent, or limited to a few IT questions that won’t guide real IT decisions. If your IT roadmap has serious investments, relying on piggyback questions from HR isn’t enough.
You’re not competing for people’s attention. In fact, when done well, employees appreciate being asked about their experience with technology—especially when they see action taken as a result.
“We already own tools to run DEX surveys ourselves. Why outsource?”
Using your own tools is like owning a top-tier camera and assuming you’re ready to shoot a fashion campaign. The tool is only part of the story.
Expert support matters. What you really need is:
- The right questions, rooted in research and benchmarks.
- Strategic guidance on frequency, audience, and storytelling.
- Cross-company insights on what others in your industry are doing.
- Clear, accessible reporting that moves decision-makers.
- Credibility that comes from independence and specialization.
DEX measurement isn’t a checkbox exercise—it’s a long-term strategic approach. And while your tooling cost might be low, internal time and effort can easily outweigh it, especially if the results end up collecting dust.
Final Thought: DEX is the IT Thermometer and the Employee Mood Ring
To really lead your digital workplace, you need more than numbers. You need narrative. Sentiment. Insight. And that only comes when you ask—not just track.
Partnering with a company that specializes in digital employee experience means you get:
✅ Meaningful benchmarks
✅ Actionable insights
✅ Smarter investments
✅ And ultimately: happier, more productive people
Because in IT, as in life, the goal isn’t just to keep the lights on… it’s to light the way.