Updated on 03/11/2022

Binders full of paper, stacked in rows on shelves: soon, such an image will only be a memory and a past that, of course, few will miss. Why?

It’s a consequence of Digital Transformation, which now pervades all areas of our production and administrative systems, bringing enormous advantages. A digital document that is effectively dematerialized in accordance with regulation (we will come back to this point later), first of all, has a better cost-benefit ratio if compared to the corresponding paper document. With digitization, in fact, archives and warehouses disappear, along with the associated issues of space, maintenance, and related personnel. Compilation errors are also drastically reduced, as are the normal (to date) risks of wear and tear and loss.

We must also consider the fundamental need for research. Finding the single document you need in a mountain of paper can be a slow and inefficient process; a well-organized digital archive, on the other hand, allows almost immediate search of the information contained within. In just a few clicks the dematerialized document is available on any type of device. Then, consider the complexity required, in an analog archive, to not only find the document you need but to search for a specific part of a document. Digital makes this process easy and fast. 

All of this is linked to the further need to share information, another operation that, in a dematerialized ecosystem, is extremely safe and effective. So far, we have focused on a number of advantages that immediately translate into greater efficiency and related savings in time and money. But that’s not all.

Dematerialization, if managed in an intelligent way, allows us to seize “less direct” opportunities that, however, produce enormous advantages in the medium to long term.

In this previous article, we explained to you what the positive effects can be on the fundamental processes of customer communication. Now we want to focus on another area, which can be affected by document digitization: that of the Employee Experience, which in turn is linked to Business to Employee (B2E) strategies. We’ll start by explaining dematerialization (a concept different from that of simple digitalization) and introducing the legislative framework where it is relevant in Italy. Then, we’ll focus on B2E and Customer Experience: what it is and why it is increasingly important.

Finally, we will identify a central point: that of data segmentation and personalization, a process that can (and must) start from a smart and effective digitalization, and that can (and must) have positive consequences on the improvement of B2E and on the Employee Experience.

However, it is important to underline a preliminary fact right from the start: in order to take full advantage of these opportunities, it is essential to rely on companies that specialize in both dematerialization and in the field of customisation and data-driven and customer-oriented services. Among these, Doxee has more than 10 years of experience and collaborations with leading companies (Enel, Fastweb, Engie, just to name a few) and public administrations.

What is dematerialization and how does it go beyond digitalization?

In this post, we focused on the rules governing the production of a valid digital document from an administrative, legal, and evidential point of view.   However, we will summarize these central themes below.

Let’s start from the definitions: dematerialization is, in its simplest form, the process of converting a paper document into a computer document. A process that must guarantee the preservation of the document’s legal and evidential value but also the essential elements related to the archival context of reference. It is, therefore, a concept that goes beyond the simple digitization of a paper resource. 

Dematerialization, and the related production of electronic documents, is regulated by European Regulation; the last major update is the eIDAS Regulation 910/2014/EU, which establishes a legal framework for electronic signatures, electronic seals, electronic time stamps, electronic documents, certified electronic delivery services and services related to website certificates of authentication.

To remain in a more strictly Italian context, dematerialization in the Public Administration began with Legislative Decree no. 82 of March 7, 2005, which came into force during 2006 and sanctioned the birth of the so-called Digital Administration Code (CAD). Starting from this Code, all documents having legal relevance can no longer be produced on traditional paper, but – finally – also on a computer. The standards for correct dematerialization are established by article 22 of the CAD itself (and we have always dwelt extensively on these).

Finally, it is important to remember that since 2006, the CAD has been the subject of 29 updates; the most recent and significant is the Legislative Decree of December 13, 2017, no. 17. This high frequency of updates could continue in the years to come as technology innovations continue to progress.

What is the Customer Experience, and why it is becoming increasingly important for companies in every sector

The employment market has become increasingly fluid, dynamic, and hyper-competitive. It is an unstoppable mechanism, triggered by changes in legislation, in society, but also by a transformation in the mentality of workers themselves (starting with the youngest). The continuous evolution of technologies also pushes in this direction.

In such a scenario, it is essential for companies in all sectors to be able to attract and – above all – to be able to retain the best talent within their workforce. And it’s not just a question of salary. In fact, it is increasingly a question of the quality of one’s working life, of the quality of the workplace experience: this is the so-called “Employee Experience“.

Consider the fact, when it comes to “millennials,” according to a Fidelity study, younger U.S. workers are willing to receive up to $ 7,600 less per year in exchange for a better quality of working life. So, if companies are interested in increasing corporate retention and keeping excessive turnover (and its effects) at bay, they must improve this aspect. 

Consider Deloitte‘s “Global Human Capital Trends Survey 2017,” which involved more than 10,000 business leaders and HR managers from over 100 countries around the world. In this survey, about 80% of respondents identified the employee experience (at all levels) in the workplace as “important” or “very important”.

There are many levers that can be used to improve the work experience, but they all have one thing in common: making employees feel deeply involved in the company’s mission and strategies, stimulating their engagement, and putting them at the center of the business; a fundamental aspect that becomes a real best practice valid for any indutrial sector.

Consider the following data:

  • As many as 82% of employees at companies with the best performance in terms of growth and turnover consider themselves very engaged in the mission and dynamics of their company.
  • Highly engaged employees tend to change jobs 87% less than disengaged employees.
  • Companies with a high rate of employee engagement produce, on average, revenues 2.5 times higher than those with low levels of employee engagement.

All of this is addressed by Business To Employee (B2E), an approach that focuses on employees, improving their work experience, increasing engagement and loyalty, and thus aiming at healthy corporate retention.

These are delicate processes that start from the recruitment and onboarding phases. It also incorporates team-building strategies, training courses, schedule flexibility, bonuses and special offers for employees, and benefits of various kinds.

The central point, however, is about putting the individual employee at the center of the business, in other words, it’s about personalization. All of this is made possible also thanks to the digitization of processes and dematerialization. 

Enhancing Employee Experience and productivity 

Enhancing the Employee Experience is not easy, but it is possible thanks to dematerialization. The impact of efficient dematerialization on the quality of working life is very important in any type of company (but even more so in a large one). And it has a major impact on productivity and individual employee satisfaction.

Here, too, we start from a significant figure that concerns younger workers: 93% of millennials consider the availability of up to date technology one of the most important aspects in the workplace.

Translated: a company that is in step with the times, that knows how to implement all aspects of digital transformation, is a company that attracts talent, and that knows how to keep talent. But that’s not all. There is an important issue related to personalization, which is closely related to dematerialization (again, especially for large companies). In the end, it is a question of applying the same data-driven approach that companies take toward their own target customers: understanding the characteristics, the behaviours, the needs. Therefore, segmenting this “target” into coherent clusters, and going as far as the individual. 

It is a question of doing all of this, but instead of turning outside, applying this inside one’s own company.

Through the dematerialization of communications and documents drawn up with employees and collaborators, it is possible to collect as much data as possible on one’s own workforce. Based on this data, you can then communicate and share information in a way that is as tailor-made as possible, in a way that is clear and simple, user-friendly, interactive, and multi-channel.

See the case of Doxee who has created a campaign for Poste Italiane based on personalized videos. With this tool, individual employees were able to quickly decide how to take advantage of company benefits, all in a few clicks through a campaign aimed at the large number of company employees. 

Operations of this type can have a massive positive impact on corporate retention (which in turn has a heavy impact on revenue, turnover, and market share). Of course, to put them on track requires important know-how both on the issues of dematerialization and on those of personalization, which only leading specialized companies can guarantee.