How to boost financial services employee satisfaction by fixing invisible technology inefficiencies

Ever wondered why some employees seem disengaged or struggle to deliver their best, despite robust systems and talented colleagues? In financial services, where trust and precision are everything, leaders prioritise client satisfaction, regulatory compliance, and operational resilience. But even these pillars are under pressure. Economic headwinds are forcing firms to do more with less. According to the Confederation of British Industry’s Financial Services Survey (Q2 2025), business activity fell at its fastest rate since December 2023, staffing declined by 7%, and over half of firms expect further headcount reductions.

As organisations cut costs and streamline workforces, the risk of demoralising remaining employees grows, especially when their daily technology is unreliable or misaligned with how they work. Slow systems, frequent crashes, and poor digital experiences quietly erode engagement and performance.

That’s why improving the digital employee experience (DEX), defined as how effectively people interact with the technology they rely on each day, should no longer be just an IT concern. It needs to be a strategic priority. Drawing on my experience in IT performance optimisation, supported by Lakeside Software’s data-driven insights, I’ll explore how financial firms can strengthen this digital employee experience using IT observability and end-user experience monitoring to reduce friction, retain talent, and drive better business outcomes.

Identify hidden technology issues impacting performance
Start by gaining visibility into the performance issues your employees face every day. Fragmented data often hides issues that frustrate employees, like a CRM system delaying adviser-client interactions by 15 seconds per transaction, eroding morale and hindering client service. Industry analyst Forrester reports that companies prioritising both employee and customer experience see 44% higher employee engagement, 43% better customer retention, and stronger revenue and profit growth. This reinforces a key point: elevating digital experiences for employees isn’t just about internal efficiency, it drives business performance.

IT observability, the practice of collecting and analysing real-time data on application performance, device health, and user behaviour, helps uncover these hidden inefficiencies. For example, a financial institution identified unused software licences slowing systems, causing delays that frustrated staff. Optimising these resources saved up to £3.4 million annually and improved workflows. With many firms facing cost pressures and staffing adjustments, as noted in the CBI survey, IT observability tools ensure employees have the reliable technology they need to stay productive and deliver strong client outcomes.

Adopt proactive IT management with end-user experience monitoring
Shift from reacting to IT issues to proactively managing them before they impact your workforce. Frequent application crashes or slow load times, such as a compliance tool stalling for 10 seconds, build frustration, lowering productivity.

End-user experience monitoring software tracks system performance to detect anomalies like potential outages or network delays before they impact operations. A financial services firm with 75,000 employees cut issue identification time by 350 percent, preventing disruptions that could frustrate traders during critical market hours. By surfacing real-time issues early, IT teams can reduce inbound helpdesk tickets, auto-create tickets, or initiate remediation via workflow platforms like ServiceNow — saving hundreds of thousands in support costs and avoiding operational downtime.

This visibility also helps IT teams prioritise fixes that will have the biggest impact on employees, not just those most visible to leadership. As firms anticipate tighter budgets and staffing changes, configuring automated alerts for metrics like application crashes or system latency ensures a smooth workplace technology experience that supports client-facing efficiency and employee morale.

Align IT fixes with employee and business needs
Prioritise improvements to the systems employees depend on most. In financial services, success hinges on people, from traders and advisers to compliance officers, having tools that match the pace and complexity of their roles. When critical platforms are slow or outdated, it directly affects client service and employee morale.

For instance, a sluggish CRM that forces advisers to spend 15% more time on administrative tasks reduces both productivity and engagement. Similarly, compliance officers using outdated risk platforms may face longer turnaround times, increasing operational friction across teams.

According to IDC’s 2023 Future of Work Global Survey, 36% of organisations identified a positive impact from improved employee experience (EX) on customer experience (CX), with 28% able to prove it. This underscores a key truth: when tools work well, people stay engaged, and businesses deliver better outcomes.

By analysing system usage and performance through IT observability, firms can pinpoint which tools need optimisation, such as prioritising CRM performance to accelerate client responses. And with the CBI noting that many firms are looking to the UK Chancellor’s upcoming Mansion House speech for reforms to boost competitiveness, aligning IT improvements with employee needs isn’t just operationally smart — it’s strategically essential.

Optimise resources to eliminate wasteful inefficiencies
Conduct a data-led audit of IT resources to target inefficiencies, reduce costs, and improve performance. Many organisations unknowingly overspend on unused licences, redundant software, and outdated hardware that drains IT support time and frustrates users.

For example, a financial services firm used end-user experience monitoring to optimise application performance, reducing IT costs by 20%, saving £1 million annually, while improving system reliability and employee satisfaction. But optimisation isn’t just about savings, it's about supporting a high-performing, motivated workforce.

End-user experience monitoring software can surface granular insights on which devices are underperforming, which applications are rarely used, and where support requests are spiking. This allows IT teams to prioritise upgrades, consolidate tools, and reduce noise on service desks, ensuring that tech investments align with actual employee needs.

In a climate where firms are not only tightening budgets but also facing rising sustainability expectations, reducing digital waste also supports ESG goals. Streamlined systems consume less energy and generate fewer emissions, contributing to long-term efficiency beyond the balance sheet.

Sustain improvements through embedded workflows
One-time fixes aren’t enough - sustaining employee satisfaction and operational performance requires continuous insight and action. That means embedding digital performance data into daily workflows so issues are resolved before they disrupt work.

For example, a Lakeside Software banking client saved £237,000 annually by proactively fixing application freezes that were driving up service desk calls and frustrating compliance teams. By integrating IT observability and end-user experience insights with workflow platforms like ServiceNow, firms can automate remediation, reduce manual intervention, and keep employees focused on high-value work.

As financial institutions prepare for sector reforms signalled in the Mansion House speech, this kind of feedback loop will be critical.

In summary, employee satisfaction drives the client satisfaction, cost efficiency, and operational resilience that financial firms prioritise, especially as they navigate economic challenges like those highlighted by the CBI, with banks leading a sector downturn. By following these five steps - gaining visibility with IT observability, managing proactively with end-user experience monitoring, aligning fixes to employee needs, optimising IT resources, and embedding insights into operations - firms can resolve invisible inefficiencies, improve satisfaction, and strengthen the outcomes that matter most.

To see how this works in practice, a demo of a data-driven Digital Employee Experience platform can help discover where small IT fixes can make a big impact on employee satisfaction, service delivery, and cost control.