As the digital workplace evolves, businesses are investing heavily in technology to stay competitive. In research conducted by TeamViewer and Bloomberg Media found that 76 percent of businesses reported a significant increase in their digital transformation budgets over the past two to three years. However, it is crucial to consider that with more tools comes more complexity, and this is where companies are struggling to manage it effectively.
This growing complexity often leads to digital friction, a term that describes the small but persistent disruptions that slow down work. Sluggish apps, frozen screens, broken updates, or unclear processes might seem minor individually, but together they represent a significant and growing productivity drain.
Digital friction adds up
Other studies further highlight the scale of the problem. For example, research indicates that nearly half of employees report losing between one and five hours each week due to IT-related issues, with 69 percent saying these disruptions have caused them to miss deadlines. Globally, it's estimated that workers lose an average of 2.83 hours per week to technology problems - more than 140 hours per year per employee.
While businesses are spending more to enable digital efficiency, many have not yet addressed the root problem. In the report by TeamViewer and Bloomberg Media, 71% of respondents cited data silos as a challenge, showing that even as companies invest in better tools, many are not working together in a seamless way. As employees juggle multiple applications, devices, and workflows, friction creeps in, quietly undermining performance.
Why DEX matters more than ever
This is where Digital Employee Experience, or DEX, becomes essential. DEX platforms give IT teams visibility into how systems are performing from the user’s point of view. They allow organisations to detect, analyse, and resolve friction points across devices, apps, and environments, ideally before the employee even notices an issue.
According to the TeamViewer and Bloomberg Media research, DEX adoption is growing as IT leaders recognise its broader impact. Many now view DEX as a way to improve employee retention, customer experience, and business resilience. Companies with mature DEX strategies tend to have leadership buy-in, dedicated funding, and a clear roadmap for improving performance across the digital environment.
From reactive to proactive IT
Traditionally, IT teams have relied on ticketing systems and user reports to learn about tech issues. But the study shows that many problems never get reported. When employees don’t speak up, issues linger, and support teams remain stuck in reactive mode.
TeamViewer DEX is designed to break that cycle. It gives IT departments real-time visibility into endpoint performance, user experience, and system health across the organisation. Instead of waiting for complaints, teams can detect anomalies, trace root causes, and even automate fixes behind the scenes.
Customer success: RLI Insurance
One example featured in the research is RLI Insurance, a US-based specialty insurer. The company had been struggling with limited endpoint visibility and a reactive approach to support. Employees were often hesitant to report issues, so problems would persist longer than necessary.
After deploying TeamViewer DEX, RLI was able to gain real-time insight into device and application performance across the business. With automated diagnostics and AI-powered monitoring, the company reduced troubleshooting time by 30 minutes per incident. According to Jeremy Roberts, IT Manager at RLI, “We didn’t have to get a call, we detected it.”
That shift from reactive to proactive helped free up IT resources, reduce disruptions for employees, and boost operational efficiency across the board.
Removing friction at scale
Another example from the research is how Swiss manufacturing firm Bühler Group, utilizes TeamViewer’s remote connectivity platform Tensor to centralize its global support operations. This helped eliminate silos, improve remote support, and strengthen cybersecurity.
Building on this foundation, AI capabilities are now unlocking even greater efficiency. TeamViewer Intelligence brings AI-driven insights and automation into everyday operations. Tools like Session Insights automatically generate structured summaries of support sessions, including key actions and tags, while TeamViewer CoPilot offers real-time assistance to IT agents during sessions. These advancements help teams document, hand over, and resolve cases faster and more consistently.
These use cases illustrate how DEX and remote connectivity tools, powered by AI, don’t just improve IT efficiency - they create better digital experiences for everyone. Employees waste less time navigating broken tools or slow systems. IT teams focus on optimisation instead of constant firefighting. And business leaders gain confidence that their technology investments are delivering real value.
The way forward
Digital friction may be hard to see, but its effects are tangible. It wastes time, lowers morale, and impacts performance. As hybrid work becomes standard and digital infrastructure grows more complex, the need for real-time visibility, automation, and experience management will continue to increase.
Platforms like TeamViewer DEX and TeamViewer ONE are helping organisations turn that challenge into an advantage. By combining AI-led diagnostics, real-time monitoring, and automation, these solutions help IT keep systems running smoothly and employees working productively.
To learn more about how organisations are overcoming digital complexity and improving the employee experience, explore the full research conducted by TeamViewer and Bloomberg Media.
