How to Avoid App Switching Brain Drain

Frequent switching between multiple platforms can significantly impact employee productivity by causing distractions, cognitive overload, loss of focus and possible data quality issues.

Each time an employee switches between platforms, they need to adjust to a different interface, find relevant information or tools, and reorient themselves, leading to inefficiencies and time wastage.

Common tasks or workflows that are particularly affected by the need to switch between multiple platforms include business and enterprise resource planning (ERP) apps, communication and collaboration, project management, accessing and sharing files or documents, and task tracking.

These tasks often require employees to navigate different tools or systems, leading to workflow interruptions and decreased efficiency.

Best Practices to Reduce App Switching

To reduce the negative impact of app switching on employee productivity, organizations can implement several best practices.

These include providing comprehensive training on the tools and platforms employees use, promoting the use of integrated software solutions, minimizing the number of tools employees need to switch between, and regularly evaluating and updating software to ensure compatibility and efficiency.

Encouraging a culture of collaboration and knowledge sharing can also help employees find solutions and streamline workflows, fostering a more integrated digital workplace environment.

“Reduced employee productivity due to app switching can have several potential consequences for businesses,” says Gary Plotkin, principal, advisory and global ServiceNow lead for KPMG.

“It can lead to missed deadlines, decreased work quality, and increased errors.”

Additionally, employees may experience frustration and dissatisfaction, which can affect their motivation and overall job satisfaction.

“Ultimately, these issues can negatively impact business performance, employee morale, and retention rates,” he says.

Nageswar Cherukupalli, senior vice president and industry head of financial services and insurance for InfoSys, adds during the pandemic, as more and more workplace interactions took place virtually via email, video conferencing, instant messaging, or phone, awareness of the topic increased significantly.

“Many organizations are still figuring out how to manage the friction inherent in managing multiple touch points, with the added complexity of a hybrid and geographically dispersed workforce,” he says.

Cherukupalli highlights point solutions organizations leverage, including unified communications platforms such as Microsoft Teams, Google Workspace, and Slack.

Project management tools such as Asana, Trello, and Jira as well as automated workflows such as Appian, ServiceNow, Unqork etc can also be leveraged as a solution.

In addition, API integrations between different apps can make it easier for employees to share data and collaborate without having to switch between applications and centralized file storage systems such as One Drive, Google Drive and Dropbox.

Leveraging Process Automation, Low Code Solutions

Several existing solutions and technologies can help address the challenges of app switching and streamline employees’ workflows.

Process automation (workflow) technology has evolved into Low Code platforms with robust UI and integration capabilities, supporting rapid configuration and deployment.

These tools support both automation of manual tasks and provide the employee one place and one look and feel, while allowing seamless navigation between disparate applications.

Plotkin says when looking for a solution to handle multiple tasks and platforms effectively, organizations should consider features such as seamless integration capabilities, cross-platform compatibility, centralized data storage and access, customizable interfaces, and robust security capabilities.

“User-friendly interfaces and intuitive navigation are also important to minimize the learning curve and facilitate adoption by employees,” he adds.

Recent innovations around generative AI will further cut down on the number of manual steps and continually learn to improve productivity and free up employees for more value-added work.

Meanwhile, the Low Code providers are actively incorporating generative AI capabilities into their platforms with incredible results.

Reaching out to Employees Directly

“What we hear from employees is a level of frustration over having to switch and real-time comments on how it slows them down,” explains Felicia Lyon, principal, human capital advisory at KPMG.

She recommends organizations interested in helping improve employee productivity should ask the employee directly.

“They often have ideas on how to make their work easier, more seamless and improve their ability to serve your customers,” she says.

Lyon explains customer service is one role she sees that is prime for improved productivity.

“Many of those answering the phones directly to your customers must switch between different systems to get to the heart of the customer and the matter itself,” she notes. “Addressing this is a win-win — better customer service and better employee productivity.”

Cherukupalli agrees one of the most complex tasks is customer service, where employees need to switch between platforms to access customer records, track orders, and resolve issues.

“While performing these tasks and workflows can be frustrating for employees and customers, there also is potential for multiple errors to be made,” he says.

From his perspective, true improvement comes from updating underlying infrastructure, a process that can take years, through replacing legacy systems and moving towards a more microservice-based organizational approach.

He says regardless of whether a company embarks on a complete re-organization or approaches it on a piece-by-piece basis, success relies on two things.

“First is a robust data infrastructure that all apps and tools can access seamlessly,” Cherukupalli explains. “The second key aspect is active involvement and support by senior leadership, including the C-suite, to dismantle silos, overcome institutional barriers, and drive the adoption of new workflows.”