Tap the Power of the

Collaborative Employee
Driving Digital Business and Engagement through
an Application Platform

Executive Summary

Organizations across all industries continue to adopt todays most innovative

technologies to ensure business success. Appian recently conducted an industrywide survey on business trends, technological adoption and current goals in
process excellence. To no surprise, most respondents expressed value in emerging
technologies as critical components of their business that ultimately preserve
customer satisfaction.
The challenge for businesses moving forward remains how to make sense
of enterprise technologies such as mobile, social, data and cloud as an allencompassing approach to sustainable business. IT departments can no longer
keep up with in-house software customization, where development is limited to a
single purpose, app-by-app design approach.
Though survey results indicated that enterprise technology will continue to play a
large role in digital business transformation, a crucial ingredient for success was
missing. Alarmingly, not a single person surveyed thought improved employee
experience was a factor in achieving business goals.
The following white paper examines how a modern enterprise application
platform can serve as the ideal solution to both business challenges. Business
transformation from an application platform approach allows organizations to
harness mobile, data, social collaboration and cloud in single solution, deployed
across the entire company. Making data and process available through an intuitive
platform allows employees to be more engaged than ever, connected to the
knowledge and awareness needed to achieve business results.

Tap the Power of the Collaborative Employee

Tap the Power of the Collaborative Employee

Introduction

The good news is that digital transformation is more common in the workforce than ever before

Business is rapidly changing, but our goals remain the same. Regardless of the industry we claim

(only four percent of respondents expressed digital transformation as not being a priority for their

as a profession (financial services, insurance, retail, government, etc.) we all strive for the same

company). Technologies that were once only discussed as forwarding looking ideas are now

goals when it comes to growing the business, exceeding customer expectations, and ensuring

driving factors in helping business maintain a competitive advantage and attract new customers.

work productivity.

At the same time, innovative technology has matured to become applicable across a vast spread

Appian recently conducted an industry-wide survey on business trends, technological adoption,

of industries. In financial services, improved interactions from social collaboration allow financial

and current goals in process excellence. The results provided compelling insight into what

analysts to create a more personalized experience for the customers who put their trust in wealth

organizations value in terms of process improvement, digital business transformation, and where

management services. Mobile enablement plays a crucial role for retailers that are now equipped

the future of technology adaption is headed.

with tablets and devices to conduct on-site store inspections in real-time, a crucial component in

As we move further and further along in this fast-paced digital age, many functions of our dayto-day job responsibilities have and will continue to alter. Were on the go, more mobile than
ever. Were able to process greater amounts of information at an increased rate, allowing critical
business decisions to be turned into smarter actions more quickly.

preserving customer brand loyalty. And in the highly-regulated pharmaceutical space, improved
access to data and analytics allows drug companies to better comply with frequently-changing
regulation mandates.
And theres more on the way. More than half of respondents view their companys approach to
technology as successful. More than 70 percent of respondents state that up to a quarter of

Catching up to Innovation
Business has responded to the challenge and opportunity of mobile, social, and cloud
technology. Today, most leading organizations have developed a business strategy to meet

their enterprise business applications are already mobile, and when it comes to cloud, nearly 40
percent of respondents believe that as much as half of their business applications will be hosted in
the cloud this time next year.

increased customer service requirements through apps on our phones, on our tablets, and
in the Cloud. This embrace of digital innovation has driven investment in customer-facing

The Overwhelming Task

applications back-end analytics.

It is more crucial than ever that business act quickly to stay ahead of the competition. In recent

According to the survey, 37 percent of respondents cited data and analytics as the most important
emerging technology to their business success, with enterprise mobility a close second, coming in

years, technologies like mobile, social and cloud has been the ingredient to ignite operational
speed and ensure prosperous companies.

at 30 percent of respondents.* This makes sense, as data and mobility have been hot topics in the

But, as they say, you get better or worse, theres no staying the same. The challenge ahead

enterprise technology space over the past several years.

for business lies in a shift in innovative ideology. Forward-thinking organizations must look at
business transformation holistically, not a series of applications that serve a single purpose.
Though each technology mentioned above certainly plays a role in successful business, they
alone do not meet sustainable growth and customer needs. An app-by-app development
methodology, or business siloed approach, creates a huge burden for IT departments.
A singular purpose app development approach only adds to the poor spending of money that
has created a major flaw in the custom application industry. According to the survey results,
nearly 40 percent of business professionals say their company has a huge backlog of
development work making them slow to implement new technologies. Further halting this
development, 60 percent stated employees still do not have access to key enterprise data
or core business procedures accessible via mobile platform limiting the value of enterprise
mobility for todays on-the-go work environment.

Tap the Power of the Collaborative Employee

Tap the Power of the Collaborative Employee

The Forgotten Ingredient for Success Your Employees

Organizations view technology as a means to drive business growth. When asked what the primary
reason for embracing new technologies for business applications was, the top survey answers
related to improved efficiency, improved customer experience, and increased business agility.
A major piece of the enterprise technology blueprint is missing.
Alarmingly, not a single surveyed person expressed improved employee experience as a factor
in achieving their business goals. Business agility and customer experience are crucial to
organizational success, but its tough to achieve these - or any other substantial goals - without an
engaged employee workforce.

Studies consistently show engagement drives greater

productivity, lower turnover, and a better quality of work.
To quote one Gallup report: Organizations in the top
percentile of engagement outperform their peers by 147
This goes back to the app-by-app development approach. Traditionally, organizations have

percent in earnings per share, and have 90 percent better

developed applications to serve a single function of business. This could be a mobile solution to

growth trend than their competition.

approve timesheets and expense reports, or an application that automates the request processes
for office supplies. These are traditional BPM workflow apps, delivered in the traditional (that is
to say, outdated) way. The challenge developers face is a two-step process: Cease the single-

Modern workplace technologies play a crucial role in the engagement level of employees. Too

purpose application development mindset, and embrace an enterprise platform that encompasses

often, we look at building applications strictly to serve a particular business function or customer

all of todays leading workplace technologies.

need. While this is important, applications must first serve the workforce before they can truly

To provide a concrete example, lets look back at the retail store inspection application mentioned
earlier. At the on-set, the business value of this application is its mobile enablement. Having a
store inspector walk around a particular location using an iPad to assign scores is much more
efficient than pen and paper data compiling.
Consequently, limiting the innovation to mobility does not make this a modern application. There
must be data to support the app, providing store performance history to the inspector. Is the
application hosted in the cloud or on-premise? What does the inspector do once data is collected?
Is there a collaborative interaction with the store manager? Using a traditional design approach,
each of these functions would be its own app, creating maintenance difficulties and high cost of
development for the organization.

ignite behavioral change at the customer level. A mobile app allowing customers to place an
order or lodge an issue is great. But what about the people within the organization that must
then do the actual work to fulfill that request? Where is the cloud, mobile and social technology
innovation for them?
Business applications must be transparent and visible to employees across the entire organization.
Informed, engaged employees are the foundation of the customer experience, and the source of
increased work productivity and performance growth. Well-designed apps must enable business
people to do their work in the same easy and flexible manner that customers can now engage
with a company. Rigid, complicated, hard-coded, and siloed IT solutions will not cut it. Business
employees and IT must collaborate through a shared visual model of business records and
processes to deliver new products and improve customer service. This collaboration and control
over their work empowers and engages employees across the company.

Tap the Power of the Collaborative Employee

Tap the Power of the Collaborative Employee

Collaboration is often overlooked in organizations,

Looking back at the store inspection example, an

but most certainly determines an employees level

application platform provides the ideal solution. By

of productivity. Too often workplace collaboration

leveraging a platform, store inspectors are equipped

is trapped in emails, where project statuses and

with mobile tablets, where visibility and cleanliness

updates are closed off from the larger group. To

scores can be uploaded automatically for real-time

be truly engaged, employees demand a forum

results during a site visit. Due to this rapid reporting

or centralized means of communication where

capability, inspectors can collaborate face-to-face

information, project status, and data records are

with store managers on what areas of improvement

easily accessible, based on security privileges,

are needed to improve store maintenance, ultimately

company-wide. This evokes a more dynamic form

persevering customer brand loyalty. Following the

of communication where increased collaborations

interaction, inspectors can initiate a store report for

lead to improved time to business outcome,

corporate analysis with a single click of a button,

ultimately reflected by better customer service.

shortening a process that may have previously taken

Enterprise applications designed to enhance the employee experience provide the mechanism to

several days down to several minutes.

rally around a business cause for change. Collaboration, coaching, and feedback are at the heart of

Appians approach to process improvement focuses on the entire enterprise itself, as opposed

every great company. Employee engagement begins with a strategic vision, but success requires

to developing a series of apps that each addresses a single function of business. An application

human connections. The challenge for IT developers is to incorporate business solutions that allow

platform that touches all levels of business keeps employees engaged, regardless of their

work to get done across an entire employee base, where employees are empowered with the

department or title. Appians design approach better engages developers by enabling them to build

knowledge and data to make business critical decisions.

applications without writing code. A shared, visual model of the business empowers collaboration,
measurement, and agile response leading to improved engagement company-wide.

A Modern Application Platform

Fortunately for business, the solution to siloed application development and employee engagement

Conclusion

lies in one approach. Rather than looking at one-off applications, new platforms have arisen to

No technology alone can ensure employee engagement, but enterprise platforms combine agile

meet a broad range of needs across the organization. Such an application platform leverages the

delivery methodologies in ways no previous technology can match. Appians modern application

technology innovations of data, process, mobility, collaboration, and cloud to radically accelerate

platform is designed around continuous improvement and enables design flexibility for organizations

application delivery. This is the necessary ingredient to cost-effectively evolve the entire business

to keep up with the fast-paced digital world. This approach empowers employees to experiment,

not just the customer-facing front end across the digital divide.

take risk, and test new products and service lines, adding to their overall feeling of self-worth.

This approach is what Appian calls the modern enterprise application platform to deliver business

The Appian application platform allows business to address their toughest challenges through

transformation. To ensure rapid business innovation, IT needs a single application platform that

modern development. This easy to use, code-free environment keeps employees excited to develop

integrates process, data, mobility, collaboration, and cloud. Thats what Appian delivers.

the next great solution to address a customers ever changing demands and needs, ultimately

Appians application platform design transforms legacy business systems into cutting-edge mobile,
social and cloud connected engines of change and empowerment. More importantly, an application

leading to new found business success.

*Appian partnered with the Process Excellence Network (PEX) to produce the above survey results

platform enables your employees to keep up with a 24/7 consumer culture with continuous
improvement, rapid product introduction, and improved customer engagement.

About Appian
As the market leader in modern Business Process Management (BPM) software, Appian delivers an enterprise application platform
that unites users with all their data, processes, and collaborations in one environment, on any mobile device, through a simple
social interface. On-premise and in the cloud, Appian is the fastest way to deliver innovative business applications. For more
information, visit www.appian.com.