Mobile phones and smartphones in particular, have been one of the biggest disruptors of business the world has ever seen. Not only have they enabled the always-on connectivity that is a feature of today’s corporate environment, they have been responsible for the rapidly changing business models that are creating an exciting new future.
Mobility has created brand new markets that are growing exponentially. From Netflix, to Uber and the thousands of other mobile-first startups that have become billion dollar businesses in just a few years, mobility has changed operating models, revenues and customer expectations.
The speed and convenience that mobility enables are dictating the way successful organisations need to operate in order to stay ahead of competitors. Today’s on-demand economy is changing the face of business, with the increasing numbers of online service marketplaces leading to – and being formed as a result of – an increased emphasis on entrepreneurship and a demand for flexibility among employees and customers alike.
As a result of the shifting business landscape, digital transformation is rapidly becoming a
priority, says Rikus Jansen, head of Voice and Unified Communications at Network Solutions, a division of EOH. “Digital transformation may mean different things to different people, but it is clear that mobile devices and social media have created a layer across our world, revolutionising companies, products and customers forever,” he explains.
“In such a complex scenario, investing in new technologies such as social media, cloud and big data is critical, but it is not enough to ensure that a digital mind shift is achieved. At its core, digital transformation requires an evolution that centers around employee engagement and customer expectations. In fact, the customer experience is fast becoming a make-or-break factor for all companies today.”
Technology, like smartphones have played a central role in empowering customers, and it will play a vital role in empowering companies to serve those customers in the future, he adds. Cloud, social, mobile and big data are changing the competitive dynamics of the global economy and generating significant value for companies that know how to create business models leveraging these technologies.
New tools and processes are therefore essential to rebuilding the digital customer experience from scratch, leveraging the demands of today’s demanding and educated customers. These days, empowered customers are shaping business strategy, and empowered employees are stepping up to meet the challenges of modern business.
Today’s workforce is more mobile than ever before, so those businesses that thought that the implementation of a “traditional” UC solution would offer them the benefits of mobility are having to re-evaluate their investments. Legacy UC solutions typically focus on deskbound workers who end up becoming frustrated at the lack of freedom provided by the conventional office setup. The emergence of mobility solutions has put the power of information and insight into the hands of employees, connecting workers to better information and increasing their productivity – and in doing so driving a different level of customer engagement.
To find out more about how to gain the benefits of the new world of work, download our whitepaper on Digital Disruption, Mobility and UC: http://www.eoh-ns.co.za/subscribe-form/
