TRENDING
Jan Kuhn , Business Services Executive , INOVO
and all are essential to its growth and sustainability . However , it ’ s important to consider how expensive old methodologies , systems and approaches will become over the long term and to assess what return on investment ( ROI ) lies in looking at a suitable technology investment today . And the keyword here is ‘ suitable ’.
“ There are numerous solutions available to the business that wants to cut corners and save money in the short-term ,” he said . “ They can start small with immature solutions or they can use open-source solutions that are cost-effective and capable or they can simply plug holes with quick fixes . These are common steps taken , but they do introduce their own complexities , many that may end up costing the business even more money .”
Many of these solutions don ’ t come with one very important added extra – technical and business support . Yes , an extensive technology investment is not going to sit lightly on the bottom line , but it comes with several added extras that quick fixes and free systems do not , and one of them is full-service support . With an experienced technology and business partner on your side , you are not expected to set up the business scenarios yourself or train your staff to use new systems that aren ’ t quite fully integrated or spend expensive man-hours establishing how to get the technology to deliver business value . Instead , you have a partner that takes the time to understand your business requirements , properly , and that will extract real , measurable value from any technology investment .
“ You can use a third-party partner with relevant expertise and a full-service technology stack to unpack optimisation strategies and touchpoints that can fundamentally change your operations and efficiencies ,” Kuhn added . “ For example , you can reduce the number of seats you have in a contact centre by leveraging the capabilities of Artificial Intelligence ( AI ) and chatbots . You can also use measurement and reporting tools to reveal insights that drive opportunities for improvement and help you achieve specific business objectives . And these are just the tip of the tech iceberg .”
Technology isn ’ t always going to be cheap . That ’ s not its job . Its real job is to deliver tangible ROI that can be measured across process , cost , system and optimisation . If it doesn ’ t do that , then it ’ s irrelevant .
This is why any reluctance to look at the big picture in addition to the “ now ” is problematic . But instead of letting reluctance limit growth , use it to ensure that any move towards technology involves collaboration with the right partner . That way you are investing in technology that delivers the results you expect . This can be achieved by working from a proof of concept ( PoC ) that can show the ROI and what the technology will bring back into the business . This can showcase where the business will experience measurable value , what the ROI will be and what the solution gives back to the business in terms of customer experience improvements , cost savings and productivity or efficiency enhancements .
“ In the contact centre environment , a PoC that delivers on its promise is invaluable ,” he noted . “ Instead of buying features and functionality that don ’ t deliver a measurable return , a PoC is a commitment to only implementing solutions that deliver on an agreed business outcome . Spend time with your technology partner and get any technology investment right the first time . Then reap the rewards of 300 % ROI , converted customers , great customer experience and more efficient contact centre operations .” p
20 INTELLIGENTCIO AFRICA www . intelligentcio . com