Technology is ubiquitous and the pace of change is hard to keep up with, but in terms of usage, it appears that consumers use more technology in their daily lives than businesses do.
It is the perception that businesses are using the latest technology, but from what we have witnessed, the majority arent despite the fact that they could use technology a lot more to improve processes, productivity, customer service and margin.
Businesses need to catch up with consumers, if they dont they will be left behind.
Blinded by choice too little time!
There is an abundance of technology in the market for businesses to deploy and benefit from. The range spans from: basic to multi-media contact centres, to audio and video conferencing solutions, and the ability to access all features and functionality that you have on your desk phone to your mobile.
Full mobile and collaboration solutions such as Microsoft Skype for business enable you to make voice calls, video calls, instant message, screen share, and collaborate on documents together.
The list is endless and here lies the problem; the market is saturated with technology – how do you know which one to select and which technology will make a difference
Businesses are of course deploying technology to improve their processes and services but there are still a lot out there that arent. They are missing out on the difference it could make to their business.
People are so busy with their day jobs and that they often miss out on going back to basics to identify objectives and strategy and how they will achieve it, they simply have too much to do! Businesses need to look at their technology operations in a strategic manner, and realise that going back to basics is often fundamental to success or failure.
Businesses are blinded by the amount of technology available in the market and also dont know what they require it to do. Ironically often businesses have the technology in place but they dont know what it can deliver, or what it could be used for, and what it could achieve.
Demolishing the silos
Historically, the IT manager or the telecoms manager would ascertain the businesss requirements and deploy it.
Now, with the advancement of changing work lifestyles such as remote working, working at home and the hot topic of improving customer experience, senior management and members of the board often including the CEO are championing how technology can increase efficiencies, or certainly wanting to get on the bandwagon but not quite sure how to.
There is a massive disconnect between the board and the IT operations as they dont appear to be communicating, never mind speaking the same language.
We have realised that whats missing is the fact that silos still exist between the different departments in businesses and organisations, and people are not communicating with each other.
If people in the different departments dont talk to each other and understand what they all do, and the different ways it affects the business then it becomes impossible to all work together in synergy to achieve the same objectives.
It is not just about the lack of communication between the different departments it is often about the lack of ownership of a new technology, which can then lead to internal politics, and disgruntled employees where no one knows what they are doing.
Going back to basics could be the answer to developing your company’s technology. But achieving this is not always easy read on to discover how to deliver a back-to-basics approach.
Also, a lack of training is evident in businesses; the user experience is essential when implementing new technology. The solution needs to be easy to use and will make the employees job easier otherwise they wont use it.
Many businesses and organisations think that once they have deployed the technology that the job is done, but ownership of a project needs to be announced from the start. Training requirements also need to be put in place to ensure that everyone understands how to use the technology and that it wont just be a fad and it will be continued to be used on a daily basis.
Back to basics
Businesses need to get back to basics. External providers can work closely with businesses to hold discovery workshops, conduct individual meetings and focus groups with different departments to ensure that technology is part of the main fabric of the business and aligned to the businesss objectives and strategy.
They will discover what technology they need and how to align the business services with the operations, and how to embed the technology into their processes.
The unknown
Businesses often have the technology they require in place but dont know what to do with it or understand how it will help their business. How it will improve productivity amongst staff or how it will improve customer service
Experts can help guide them with this; it maybe as simple as call routing by igniting the auto-attendant so the caller is greeted with pre-recorded messages to ensuring that all calls are routed to the correct person.
Customer is king
Customer experience has never before been so huge; brand reputation is now everything and if a business has an unsatisfied and upset customer then the entire world could know about it in seconds via social media.
CEOs and members of the board are now owning the “customer experience” space, in contrast to it once being a job that lay on the fringes of marketing. It is no longer just about communicating customer experience in marketing material it is about the entire company being focused on owning the customers experience and incorporating it into its culture.
Technology can help to improve the customer journey by implementing a multi- media contact centre and presenting different options for customers to contact the agents, including social media.
Ultimately technology can only benefit businesses if it is aligned with the business objectives, strategy and operations, and correctly embedded into its processes.
The success is dependent upon the silos that need to be broken down, ownerships that need to be established and the lines of communications opened. This will create an open and collaborative working culture where everyone is united and working towards the same goals.
Jonathan Sharp is a director at Britannic Technologies.
