Price is not the same as cost. When organizations evaluate new end-user technology investments, whether that’s laptops, operating systems, or management tools the conversation inevitably turns to Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). TCO studies traditionally focus on direct, measurable costs: hardware procurement, software licensing, support contracts, and lifecycle services. But there’s a growing blind spot in these calculations: the employee experience.
This is where Digital Employee Experience (DEX) scores come into play.
What is a DEX Score?
A DEX score employee’s holistic experience with the digital workplace provided by IT. It is based on the performance of one’s device(s), applications, networks, and end-user sentiment. DEX is a concept that extends beyond IT. It is a key component of the modern Employee Experience and it relates closely to a company’s culture, Employee Engagement, Human Resources (HR), and ability to innovate.
The Limits of Traditional TCO Models
Traditional TCO models excel at quantifying:
- Acquisition costs (purchase price of devices, accessories, and software)
- Operational costs (deployment, patching, security, and help desk)
- Lifecycle costs (repairs, replacements, and retirement)
But they often ignore the hidden costs of poor employee experience:
- Slow logins or application launches that waste hours every month
- Unstable collaboration tools that disrupt meetings
- Poor endpoint performance that leads to disengagement and frustration
- Increased turnover risk when employees feel they don’t have the tools to succeed
In other words, you can have the “cheapest” device on paper but end up with the most expensive environment in practice.
Why DEX Belongs in TCO
When you integrate DEX scores into TCO, you gain a fuller, more realistic view of the true cost of IT:
Productivity Impact
A device that shaves 30 seconds off login times might save 20–30 hours of lost productivity per year, per employee. Across thousands of users, that dwarfs the price difference between device models.
Support Cost Reduction
DEX provides insight into recurring issues before they hit the help desk. Higher scores correlate with fewer tickets, reducing support headcount and outsourcing fees.
Employee Retention & Engagement
Studies show that poor digital experiences contribute to attrition. Recruiting and onboarding new employees can cost 1.5–2x annual salary—a cost that never shows up in traditional TCO spreadsheets.
Business Continuity
Unplanned downtime doesn’t just frustrate employees. It delays sales, support responses, and project timelines. DEX allows you to quantify and mitigate these risks proactively.
Bringing DEX Into the Boardroom
When presenting a TCO analysis to executives, showing device costs without DEX is like showing fuel costs for a car without factoring in maintenance or breakdowns. It’s incomplete.
By including DEX scores, IT leaders can:
- Justify investments (e.g., higher-end hardware, modern OS adoption, better collaboration tools) with hard productivity and experience data.
- Align IT with business outcomes, not just technical metrics.
- Build trust with finance and HR, who care about engagement, retention, and productivity.
The Future of TCO is Experience-Driven
Enterprises that embrace DEX within their TCO methodology are making smarter, more sustainable IT decisions. Instead of racing to the lowest upfront cost, they are building digital environments where employees thrive, which in turn drives measurable business value.
The takeaway: If your TCO study doesn’t incorporate a DEX score, it’s not telling the whole story.