Many Kiwi businesses are focusing on AI, when really they should be looking at how they can solidify their tech stack, says a workplace technology expert.

Jamie Hall, who is country manager for Logitech NZ, says many businesses face digital frictions, like clunky audio-visual tools in the meeting room or connectivity issues that make life difficult for both their employees and their consumers.

Every business now has some sort of IT or technological capability, regardless of what they’re selling or doing, and as they grow in size and scale, ensuring their tech keeps up is paramount.

And while the COVID era drove virtual collaboration across platforms like Zoom and Microsoft Teams, as well as increased investment in hybrid work set-ups, a lot of that equipment now needs to be refreshed.

It’s a conversation that becomes particularly prudent as AI continues to steal the limelight and businesses also look to encourage employees to spend more time in the office.

“It’s easy for a business to mandate a return to the office, but if the IT equipment and the IT assets aren’t up to scratch, you can throw pizza parties and you can offer food trucks at lunch, but… if it’s easier to work from home, then people are going to just naturally lean that way,” says Hall.

He cites global data from TeamViewer’s 2025 report, The Impact of Digital Friction, which shows 69% of people believed these frictions contributed to employee turnover within their organisation.

On the flipside, another global report by Qualtrics looking at employee experience found that 85% of people said that with the right tech tools, they would be more likely to stay in their jobs for three years or more.

What causes digital friction?

There are two main factors that create digital friction in the workplace, says Hall. The first is that as technology has developed, expectations have lifted.

“It wasn’t that long ago that you’d lose your phone line just to connect to the internet. But now, if a page doesn’t load fast, we get frustrated and try to reboot things and blame whatever we can find,” says Hall.

“There’s plenty of examples out there where users don’t know how to use the technology correctly or they’re fumbling with the software. It creates a bad or negative brand impresson. So it’s also putting that onus on these tech companies to make sure it’s as simple as possible.”

The second factor is that businesses frequently adapt to the technology they have, rather than using tools and equipment tailored for their needs.

“There’s lots of technology out there to choose from, but if you go and buy the one that’s not tailored to your business, you’re potentially going to run into issues,” says Hall.

This is where his mantra comes in: connect with a tech expert who can recommend equipment and platforms that specifically suit the business.

While asking Google or ChatGPT for solutions might seem like an easier option, these platforms are more likely to give an answer that makes you happy, rather than the one that would be most beneficial for the business, says Hall.

“Then once it gets installed and set up and the managing director or customer is dialling in and they can barely understand anybody – they’re just not going use the meeting room, right? And all that money is wasted.”

He adds that Aotearoa is lucky to have a smaller market, which means many of the tech specialists operate as a one-stop shop across different areas from meeting room and collaboration aspects to IT infrastructure and cybersecurity.

Simple is better

Sometimes, the answer is actually simplifying the tech stack and again tailoring it to your business, Hall explains.

With Aotearoa being made up of small to medium businesses, many of the global tech solutions are not fit for purpose.

“There’ll be a lot of stuff in there that may not even be relevant. And yet, you’re paying for a whole bunch of things that you’re not going to use.”

AI can help here by streamlining even the most complex tech into something easier to manage.

Conversational assistants trained on the business’ infrastructure and systems can also help with IT management by taking on board the typically manual tasks like sifting through the error logs and acting like a help desk for users.

“A whole bunch of things that was requiring humans to do a very manual or time-induced tasks, which then frees them up to be focusing on strengthening the experience, rather than the IT guy out in the back room digging through log files all day.”

To get started in this space, Hall recommends forgetting about the technology and focusing on the business’ priorities.

“Whatever it might be, go back to your core business priorities – because if the technology lines up with that, then you’re probably on the right track. If you’re getting steered down a path that doesn’t align to your business priorities, chances are you’re caught up in the hype.”

Sustainability is also important: businesses want tech that’s compatible with what they are already working with, rather than having to rip and replace every time they need to upgrade.

For tech that does have to be retired, organisations like the Abilities Group or Echo Tech can safely recycle equipment while also dealing with the data side, says Hall.