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When IT slows down, the costs add up 

Most leaders know a poor customer experience is costly. Fewer realise a poor digital employee experience can cost just as much — in lost productivity, misdirected investment and service-desk pressure. Conscia's DEX specialists explain how measuring the user's real experience turns IT from firefighting into proactive, data-driven decisions.

Most leaders know that a poor customer journey comes at a high cost. They are now beginning to recognise that a poor digital employee experience can cost just as much, or more.

That is according to Marius Duns, Sales Specialist in Conscia Observability. Together with senior analyst Håkon Reinsbø, he works with Digital Employee Experience (DEX) for large organisations across Europe.

They regularly hear the same question from clients:

Why do employees experience slow PCs, frozen Teams calls, and crashing applications, even when we have invested in the “right” technology?

Conscia’s explanation is clear. Most organisations know that the user experience is not working as it should, but they lack insight into why. As a result, issues go unreported, recur, or are misdiagnosed. Håkon Reinsbø shares an example from one client:

“We saw an employee whose computer crashed with a blue screen four times a day. He had stopped calling support and simply lived with it. That is very common. DEX data showed that the cause was a single driver error, which could otherwise have gone unnoticed for months.”

“When thousands of employees simply live with these issues, the hidden costs become enormous. Productivity is lost, investments are misdirected, and valuable time is absorbed by the service desk. In total, the digital employee experience can cost far more than many leaders realise,” Marius adds.

From firefighting to proactive IT support

DEX offers a different way to understand IT operations. Instead of measuring whether servers and networks are up, it measures the user’s actual experience on their own device.

“Most service desks have limited insight into what is actually happening on the user’s device. Troubleshooting is therefore often based on guesswork,” says Håkon.

Conscia’s agent collects device health data, application performance data, and network quality data without recording content or user behaviour. The data is analysed in real time using AI models that identify patterns traditional IT monitoring does not detect.

“Traditional support is reactive. You wait for someone to report an issue. With DEX, we can identify problems before the user does and often resolve them automatically. This can remove around a quarter of service desk enquiries,” says Marius.

Hybrid and home working have made this even more important. Unstable docking stations, poor home Wi-Fi, or incorrect versions of Microsoft 365 can disrupt the working day immediately while remaining invisible to the IT team.

“Many people assume the PC is underpowered, but the real cause is often another underlying issue that the user cannot see. You only discover it when you have real-time data,” says Håkon.

The hidden costs that run into millions

Most of us recognise the frustration of digital tools not working as they should. A failed login just before a video meeting, for example, creates unnecessary stress and gives the meeting a poor start. But frustration is only the tip of the iceberg. These issues also create hidden costs through lost productivity, misdirected investment, and increased pressure on the service desk.

One architecture firm found that devices costing NOK 50,000 to NOK 100,000 each were perceived as too slow. The plan was to replace devices across the entire workforce.

“Once DEX had been deployed, we could see that the devices were performing well. The bottlenecks were memory and a few drivers. By upgrading instead of replacing the devices, the firm saved several million Norwegian kroner,” Håkon explains.

Another case involved hundreds of docking stations that needed an update. Instead of arranging manual visits, Conscia deployed a firmware fix centrally, saving time, costs, and CO₂ emissions.

At an international gas company, traders experienced slow response times in a trading tool. In a volatile market, this can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

“Everyone assumed the PCs were the problem. DEX data showed that the issue was a network switch. Finding it manually could have taken weeks,” says Håkon.

How to realise the value of DEX

According to Conscia, organisations achieve the best results when they connect DEX to business objectives, not only IT targets.

“We help clients prioritise what will have the greatest impact, whether that is fewer enquiries, faster troubleshooting, or smarter investment. This is about business outcomes, not just technology,” says Marius.

Effective DEX also requires a strong culture and change management.

“Many organisations underestimate the need for internal alignment. DEX affects IT, HR, and leadership. We often support clients with communication and change processes so they can realise the value,” he says.

Predictive AI and smarter decisions

Conscia sees DEX moving into a new phase, from proactive to predictive.

“We are building modules that predict problems before they occur, based on patterns in the data. This could be anything from an unstable version of Teams to devices approaching critical memory usage,” says Håkon.

Predictive insight makes it possible to:

• roll out updates in the right order
• plan device upgrades based on actual need
• reduce the risk of disruption to critical workflows
• automate more types of remediation

“The aim is for the user never to notice that something was about to go wrong. The IT team stays two steps ahead,” says Marius.

For organisations considering DEX, the advice is simple:

“Install the agent, collect data for one to two weeks, and start with the quick wins. The first benefits are almost always visible immediately,” he concludes.

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