Digital workplace success: four ways companies are achieving it

Global organizations face similar pressures: complex operations, distributed teams, rising costs, sustainability expectations, and the need for seamless digital experiences. Optimizing your digital workplace is one of the clearest ways to address them. 

Forward-looking enterprises in manufacturing, food production, commercial real estate, and other industries are modernizing how work gets done. We recognize that real-life stories provide some of the best lessons. Toward that end, we’ve previously surveyed 1,000 IT and business leaders, evaluated those insights, and shared the common performance gaps and business strategies for a successful digital workplace.  

Here’s how four global organizations worked with Unisys to transform operations, strengthen resilience, and realize measurable value.  

#1 – Empower frontline and knowledge workers 

Employee productivity is arguably the biggest predictor of success. Global beverage leader Heineken wanted to streamline IT support delivery to its 40,000 employees, including a large frontline workforce that depends on reliable digital access. Multiple languages and diverse technology resources across 13 countries slowed ticket resolution and increased costs. 

The company worked with Unisys to overcome the operational challenges of this complex, decentralized technology environment and streamline IT support. By introducing Unisys Next-Generation Service Desk and Enterprise Service Management featuring automation, generative AI, and other capabilities, Heineken accelerated ticket triage and resolution and freed up IT team time for strategic initiatives.

#2 – Advance strategic initiatives

Managing day-to-day service delivery can stall momentum on broader digital priorities. The right workplace solutions change that equation and build resiliency along the way. Industrial manufacturer Flowserve sought a path toward greater innovation and worked with Unisys to introduce Next-Generation Service Desk, Enterprise Service Management, and Device Subscription Services.

With Unisys’ predictable IT support costs, Flowserve can allocate resources more strategically.

“Data is obviously our most important resource. We capture it. We analyze it. We want to use it. And of course, we want to protect it,” said Earl Barnes, Flowserve’s former head of infrastructure, operations and cybersecurity. “Unisys definitely has a role in our ability to support any new initiatives that we deploy globally.”

With digital workplace solutions, the company realized several benefits that support the company’s strategic initiatives, including:

• Exceeded first-call resolution rate target for consistent service delivery 
• Gained a more predictable budget even in volatile markets 
• Adapted faster to changing business needs across locations 
• Minimized workflow interruptions with streamlined support processes 
• Boosted employee productivity through device management and responsive IT support 

#3 – Decrease service desk costs

Inefficient service delivery means wasted resources that could be used elsewhere. With more than 52,000 employees spread across 400 offices in almost 60 countries, global commercial real estate services leader Cushman & Wakefield sought to increase help desk efficiency. By deploying the Next-Generation Service Desk and Enterprise Service Management solutions, the company created a more consistent support experience, including 24/7 access to AI-powered support and real-time translation. 

More than 150 automated workflows and coordinated IT support across finance, IT, and HR streamline issue resolution and direct the right services to employees. When remote resolution isn’t possible, skilled field service teams can step in. These digital workforce changes, along with advances in its cloud, security, and project management strategies, led to significant cost savings. 

“Over the five years of our partnership, our goal was to save $35 million,” said Cushman & Wakefield CTO Simon Springett. “We’ve not only achieved that, we exceeded it by a significant margin.”  

In addition to decreasing costs, the company was also able to:

• Increase automated issue resolution by 13%
• Reduce mean time to resolution by 40%
• Achieve 99.99% “four nines” infrastructure availability
• Decrease major infrastructure incidents by 73%

#4 – Scale operations with your ambitions

Organizations can often measure progress by their level of scalability. Dutch animal nutrition and fish feed producer Nutreco N.V. wanted to scale its intelligent workplace infrastructure quickly to accommodate global expansion. With more than 12,500 employees in over 35 countries, the company must provide consistent, high-quality IT services across its entire workforce.

Nutreco introduced Next-Generation Service Desk, Enterprise Service Management, and Unified Endpoint Management solutions to smooth operations across time zones and continents, enabling them to:

• Expand the business rapidly to seize opportunities.
• Provide timely multilingual support for smooth global operations.
• Minimize complexity when entering new markets.
• Maintain consistent service standards while adapting to local requirements
• Onboard new employees from acquisitions without disrupting operations.

Build a stronger digital workplace

As these stories spotlight, operational clarity, cost predictability, employee empowerment, and long-term scalability are the true drivers in modernization. Technology is what puts those outcomes in reach. These stories share a few characteristics:

• Global standardization that drives local impact 
• Data visibility that encourages smarter decision-making 
• Positive employee experiences that increase operational performance 
• Predictability that reduces risk and costs

Explore our digital workplace solutions to learn how they can support your efforts to revamp your digital workforce or reach out to talk about how our solutions could work within your organization.