Information and technology services provider, Ricoh Europe, polled 952 European office workers at firms with more than 1,000 employees. Employees said that on average, they spent a 32% of their day on administration and internal communications. This is double the amount of time spent doing work that actually delivers positive customer experience and revenue.

David Mills, CEO of Ricoh Europe, says, “Internal processes and administration are important, but businesses can’t lose sight of why they exist in the first place – to deliver a product or service to the market. Employers need to empower their teams to work smarter so they can focus on delivering higher-value work.”

The research found that one in five employees believe their company has lost revenue as a result of poor customer experience despite best efforts to work efficiently from home, with 48% stating they feel unproductive on admin heavy days.

Over 30% of employees polled said they don’t have enough time to focus on work that delivers the most value to the company. A further 38% of workers stated they feel increased pressure to be online outside of business hours since last April.

Businesses have invested in platforms to try and help ease the workload but 39% said the technology has actually increased the workload. Automation could be the solution, with 49% stating it would ease administrative pressure and allow them to deliver more customer value.

“What’s interesting about this research is that the appetite for automation amongst the workforce is increasing – this is a stark contrast to just a few years ago when AI and automation was greeted with fear and scepticism,” adds Mills.

However, simply buying an automation solution or platform will not be effective. Businesses must identify exactly what is preventing employees from working efficiently and tailor automation investments to suit specific needs and boost productivity remotely.