Karin Kruger, Operations Director at Innovation Group South Africa, discusses why the evolving contact centre agent role will be vital in reshaping the industry, along with customer perception of businesses and brands, and millennial career options.
“Good day and welcome to our convenient automated self-service customer care line. Please listen to the available options and make a selection. Press 1 for billing. Press 2 for administration. Press 3 for…” 5 minutes later and you realise you got side-tracked and stopped listening.
“You have not made a selection, please make a selection so we can better assist you. Press 1 for…”You growl in frustration. Here we go again! This time, you pay close attention, finally making a selection… only to be redirected to another series of prompts. And all the while, you’re just waiting to hear the only thing that can save you from that frustratingly robotic automated voice.“…or press 9 to speak to an agent.”
Finally!
This is the contact centre of today, or at least, this is how most people think of it. In their minds, the contact centre agent is a dying breed, rendered almost entirely redundant by new technologies. But surprisingly, the opposite is true.
Millennials are so in tune with their tech that they’re practically bionic, and most of us baby boomers wouldn’t know how to use 90% of the apps on our phones without them. The same can be said for the technology which the contact centre of tomorrow will operate on – we’ll need savvy digital natives who we can rely on to run it. That’s why the introduction of new technology into the industry is actually gradually increasing the need for agents, and reinventing them at the same time.
Gone are the days of the contact centre agent as a disembodied voice on the other side of the phone – an easy target for angry callers to vent their frustration on. Instead, the customer experience orientated contact centres of tomorrow will require agents to fulfil a more exciting multi-facetted role.
They will be well-versed communication specialists on all platforms, whether it be over the phone, email, WhatsApp, Facetime, or social media. They will work with data provided by personal user preference profiles, speech analytics and biometric identifiers to deliver the best possible, personalised experience to callers, while ensuring the security of their confidential information. And finally, they will be master communicators and networkers.
Clearly, digital transformation in the contact centre industry is being built around agents, not over them. So, like the motor in any machine, they will be at the heart of the contact centres of tomorrow, driving memorable customer experiences. Since their attitude toward their job will be a great determining force in garnering brand loyalty and stimulating growth for businesses and brands in the long run, their value as staff in the modern working world is about to skyrocket.
Yes, the contact centre of tomorrow is primed to become one of the most exciting career tracks for the multi-talented and ultra-connected millennial generation in the years to come. And it’s the companies that are ahead of the game, investing in new business processes to take the industry further that will attract the best candidates. This should be every organisations aim if they hope to disrupt and succeed in this digital era.
So, ask yourself, are you ready for the contact centre of tomorrow?
Karin Kruger, Operations Director: Innovation Group South Africa
We’ve all heard the buzz around FinTech lately – in fact, most of us use it every day without even realising it. It is revolutionising the ways in which we bank and transact, as well as save, lend and borrow.
There has, however, only been a marginal uptake by the insurance industry of the variety of new technological tools at their disposal. The 2016 PwC Global Fintech Report shows that:
In the digital age, customer service plays a critical role as a key competitive differentiator and a means to attract and retain a steady stream of clients. For these reasons, the biggest game-changers that InsurTech is currently supporting are big data analytics (to generate better, faster risk assessments and enhance underwriting capabilities) and responding to rapidly shifting customer needs and habits through a better UX.
And that’s just the beginning. Even bigger disruption is thrown into the mix when we take into account the world of IoT, with trendy wearables and smart sensors adding to the avalanche of data that only cutting-edge FinTech applications are able to transform into meaningful consumer insights. In every industry, the prevailing shift is toward personalisation of services to individual consumers’ needs. Insurance is far from immune to such demands from their own clientele, especially considering the number of smaller, more agile players entering the market with nothing more than some clever technology driving them forward. InsurTech can help insurers stay relevant and agile by building more defined groupings of risk, allowing products to be priced more competitively and dynamically price premiums according to the observed customer behaviour. In the digital age, every customer expects an individual insurance solution that fits them perfectly – and if their current provider cannot provide it, it’s a certainty that consumers will flock to a provider that can.
So, how can established insurers, begin to take advantage of the rising tide of InsurTech solutions?
The most successful are unafraid of change – and know just who to ask to help them innovate. Many international incumbents are carefully monitoring trends in technological innovation hotspots. They are also exploring strategic partnerships with start-ups and small tech players to stay on top of the latest innovations and how they can be applied to the insurance arena. Many are even investing in strategic acquisitions and getting involved with start-up incubators to make research and development of such products an everyday internal function within their organisations, granting them the ability to address specific issues as and when they want to, rather than waiting for an appropriate solution to come along.
To some insurance providers, InsurTech is seen as a threat, but to those that will survive and even thrive in the coming disruption, it’s more of an opportunity – to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and deliver new products and vastly improved services to new markets as well as existing customers.
This is only the tip of the iceberg. A tremendous influx of capital, cash and start-up talent threatens to completely reshape the industry within the next two to three years. Without a doubt, Insurtech is here to stay.
Drew Schnehage, Commercial Director: Innovation Group South Africa
Balancing the demands of a connected and digitally advanced consumer base, a waning economy, and shrinking budgets, the automotive industry is on the precipice of big change.
Future thinking and strategies will have to include ways to balance the adoption of new technology to improve sales, amplify marketing, and cut costs, without sacrificing tried and trusted processes that would put business continuity at risk.
According to Andries van Staden, MD of Innovation Group South Africa, there are three big digital disruptors impacting the automotive industry:
“It’s not an understatement to say that the largest driving force behind the automotive industry’s evolution is the connected customer.
“Before reaching the showroom floor, the digitally savvy consumer has already done extensive research on the make, model, and colour of vehicle they want. The focus of the traditional dealership model has changed and consumers no longer spend hours over a weekend browsing for the vehicle they want,” says Van Staden.
That’s not to say the internet doesn’t present a tremendous opportunity. In a digitally competitive environment, greater collaboration between original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and dealerships become key in the attraction as well as retention of clients. The internet offers an unparalleled distribution channel.
“Not only does it minimise the number and expense of retail outlets, but it enhances inventory control and significantly extends geographical reach,” he says.
It’s not just the customer that’ll be connected, but the car as well. In the future, customers will expect navigation and driver assistance, like collision mitigation, to be installed in even the most affordable family sedan. And if competition and innovation continue at the current rate, we’ll see even the most affordable vehicles able to display information like directions directly onto a transparent display superimposed over the windscreen.
“It won’t be the fact that cars know where the nearest restaurant or petrol station is that will change the driving experience, that is until they can drive there themselves, avoiding accidents and traffic along the way,” says van Staden. “Ultimately, convoy platooning by smart cars should do away with accidents and congestion altogether.”
To do that, smart (autonomous) vehicles will remain connected to the outside world indefinitely, through the use of the internet of things (IoT) devices. We’ll see street lights, wireless application protocols (WAPs) and other vehicles continuously communicating with a host of internal devices – engine monitoring, predictive maintenance, road logistics, visual sensors and GPS navigation to name a few.
Digital disruption and technology advances are also creating a shift in the market segmentation and the demands for connectivity in these segments. Aspirational customers still want connected, semi-autonomous vehicles that regulate their fuel efficiency and performance intelligently and without the need for driver input. But lower income markets and first-time buyers want fuel efficiency before performance and cost before connectivity.
Says Van Staden: “That’s not to say that aspirational buyers don’t want applications in their cars that enhance the driving experience, save them time and positively contribute to their lifestyle, but it’s not going to be the driving factor in their purchasing decision. In fact, affordability and economic stability play a key role for the aspirational buyer. The likelihood is that, before considering the purchase of a digitally savvy and connected vehicle, they will most likely navigate to car sharing services like Uber.”
In the premium sector, where connectivity and features override affordability, the opportunity exists to make use of the digital advances to market smart, value-add services that make the journey a more seamless, less frustrating and more entertaining one.
Innovation Group, a global business process outsourcing company and equal opportunity employer, is paying homage to the impressive women who helped shape the company by asking these ladies to speak for themselves this Women’s Month.
In every industry and sector of business, women are on the rise. And Innovation Group is proud to be one of the organisations championing their ascent, most recently welcoming another powerful female presence to its ranks, with the appointment of a new commercial director, Drew Schnehage.
“I’m very proud to be part of a company that is so passionately dedicated to the advancement of women,” says Schnehage. “It’s an organisation that has changed numerous women’s lives and they’ve helped shape Innovation Group in turn. I think it’s safe to say the company wouldn’t be where we are today without them.”
Innovation Group shares Schnehage’s sentiment. BPO organisations provide invaluable support services to their clients – including many companies run by women – and as Innovation Group’s female workforce has grown, so has its success. Today, more than half of the company’s workforce is female, with thirteen women holding senior management positions. These stats speak for themselves, but Innovation Group wants to remind its clients, fellow businesses, and the public to look beyond the numbers.
Anyone who uses social media will know this Women’s Month is also Women Crush Wednesday. In the spirit of connecting and sharing, Innovation Group is joining in on the fun, proudly presenting you with a few #WCW frontrunners among its staff, to pay tribute to women both in and outside of the boardroom:
Karin Kruger: Operations Director
Karin joined Innovation Group in November 2016 to drive positive change in the company, including growing the female presence. She is strong, assertive and especially committed to maintaining the company’s people-focused culture – the very reason she fell in love with Innovation Group in the first place. Karin treats her work not just as a job, but as a quintessential part of her lifestyle, and is a shining example to the other ladies in the company.
Delia Gross: Head of Direct Sales
Delia is Innovation Group’s mother hen. Blessed with a strong maternal instinct, she is always looking out for everyone else. Friends, family, colleagues, team members or strangers – it’s all the same to her. She’s a constant reminder to those around her to strive to be the best version of themselves. If there’s one lesson every woman can learn from her, it’s that a whole lot more gets done when women work together to build each other up.
Karin van der Berg: Head of Claims
Karin has always credited Innovation Group for their equal treatment of female and male staff. “The new and old Management and Executive teams were just so uplifting, positive and excited to grow this company, that it rubbed off on me,” says Karin, who champions the policy of treating everyone with the utmost respect at work. “It makes it a pleasure to do what we do and work where we are.”
Naye Sihoyiya: Direct Sales Agent
Naye is a powerful and constant force of positivity at Innovation Group. Driven and always up for a challenge, she doesn’t need anyone to tell her that she’s equal to the task, whatever it may be. She already knows it. Naye is also exceptionally committed to the company, extolling its sincerity to its culture and values, and remaining grateful to Innovation Group for the profound effect that working there has had on her life.
Faith Nnete: Manager, Telephony
Faith is celebrating a decade at Innovation Group, having climbed her way up from Helpdesk Administrator to get to where she is now, through unfaltering enthusiasm and hard work – though she applauds the company for helping to make it all possible. “The thing I love most about my job is that my opinion matters,” explains Faith. “I am able to investigate a telephony solution, present it to my superior and implement that solution once approved. Supporting and maintaining a system that I was a part of implementing gives me a great sense of ownership and pride.” And Innovation Group is just as proud to have Faith among its ranks, with her constant willingness to learn and grow.
Precidise Moyo: Campaigns Specialist
Starting as a Sales Professional in 2012, Precidise was recognised nationally through the Contact Centre Management Group (CCMG) as the best Sales Professional in the country in 2014, before being promoted. However, she remains humble, always eager to interact and contribute to the sense of pride Innovation Group has for its people, work ethics, culture and most of all, a sense of family.
“Innovation Group would like to thank its staff for their devotion and support today, not just to the company, but in helping to pave the way for a greater equal opportunity society,” continues Schnehage. “I look forward to making my own contributions in the weeks, months, and years to follow, both professionally and personally. And I’m sure that after reading these brilliant women’s stories, so will many others.”
It has been said that data has become the world’s most valuable resource – even more valuable than oil, because of its potential to revolutionise the way we do business. Just as oil and the internal combustion engine revolutionised transportation for every sector and industry, the application of big data to help drive cost savings and improve efficiency is practically limitless in any business environment, when applied creatively.
The state of technology today means that a business’s customers have access to thousands of options when seeking out a product or service, and access to other customer reviews of each business at the click of a mouse. Customer service – as one of the only remaining available avenues for a business to differentiate itself – is at the forefront of the data revolution. Businesses in every sphere of operation are frantically seeking out ways to use the insights gathered from big data, to maintain their competitive edge and retain customer loyalty – and for a large organisation, that means applying data in the contact centre.
Data gleaned from customers is everywhere. In a stock-standard working environment, it is being gathered and recorded in many ways throughout the day, from call recordings and email archives to website enquiries and social media reviews. The contact centre is responsible for generating much of this data, but the difficulty comes in sorting, organising, processing and extrapolating that data into something meaningful – an actionable insight that can tangibly improve the customer experience and the ability of contact centre agents to immediately meet the customers’ specific requirements.
A big part of keeping your customers happy is the ability to predict their needs. That’s why a modern data management system is vital. Automated analysis of voice calls can enhance performance of call centres by measuring and shortening call-waiting times. Speech analytics can offer insights into agents’ ability to reach resolutions to customers’ problems quickly and professionally. Depending on the business involved, a fully digitised contact centre means that many tasks can also be entirely automated, saving precious hours of labour on mundane tasks, like providing order and delivery status updates via phone, or appointment reminders over text or email. It also opens up the option of exploring the utilisation of RPA’s (robotic process automation) to further streamline mundane tasks that don’t have to be performed by live agents.
All of this has one end goal in mind – to personalise the customer experience to never-before-seen levels, while freeing up even more time and resources in the contact centre. Providing agents with instant, updated and highly relevant information on their customers is one of the best ways to accurately anticipate exactly what each caller wants, and to provide it in a way that creates an outstanding customer experience.
Contact centre data management has become so pervasive and multifunctional over the past few years, that many organisations have difficulty grasping all the ways it can streamline their customer service operations. For this reason, it is essential to deal with experienced and knowledgeable providers, who can guide them through the variety of applications available today and to make the right choices regarding the features that would be most valuable to their business and their customers.
At Innovation Group, we have built our success on helping our clients achieve just that. We aim to create and implement cutting-edge digital management systems that bring business processes into greater harmony with people’s lives, to improve the customer experience, save time, and open the possibility for insight and better planning for the future.
Karin Kruger, Operations Director: Innovation Group
Randburg, South Africa – July 19, 2017 –Innovation Group (Pty) Ltd, today announced the appointment of Drew Schnehage as Commercial Director.
Drew brings over 28 years business experience to Innovation Group, including strategic planning and execution, business plan execution and executive leadership. Having spent the majority of her career within financial services and insurance industry, Drew has a passion for the industry and making a notable change. She currently serves as Ambassador for the Insurance Institute of Gauteng (IIG) and also served four years on the South African Underwriting Managers Association (SAUMA) council.
“We are pleased to welcome Drew to Innovation Group,” said Andries van Staden, Managing Director. “Her background in the financial services and insurance industry and her proven track record in organisational growth will stand her in good stead as we evolve and grow our business.”
Economic uncertainty seems to be the buzzword on every South African’s lips these days. While individuals review their insurance premiums and take a closer look at their food and travel budgets, businesses, too, are looking for ways to keep the lights on with the prospect of dwindling international investment hanging over their heads.
The good news is that for many companies, Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) can go a long way toward tightening the corporate belt – without leading to job losses or restricting cash-flow – while precarious markets stabilise and the effects of South Africa’s recent ratings downgrade begin to subside.
With increasing interest from local and international organisations, South Africa’s BPO sector is thriving, and could well prove to be South African businesses’ saving grace when it comes to streamlining operations without downsizing. A report by Deloitte reveals that telecommunications and data services are some of the most commonly outsourced functions and that South Africa’s struggling rand is making our shores a more attractive prospect for international companies who are intent on cutting costs. And on the local level, the advantages of a strong BPO sector are even more promising. Deloitte’s report asserts that the sector contributes R50 million to South Africa’s annual GDP and provides employment for 215,000 people.
In fact, BPO has been identified as one of the best ways for South Africa to shift its priorities to better suit our economic downturn. So much so that the government has framed BPO as a vital tool against recession, a buffer against the country sliding backwards into even more desperate levels of joblessness and economic stagnation.
Speaking to CNBC Africa at the Business Process Service Action Lab in Johannesburg, Gauteng Premier David Makhura recently extolled the abilities of BPO to help fight unemployment through partnerships between business and government.
“We have a powerful presence of CEOs and BPO companies, many of whom are global companies or local companies with a global footprint. They are already providing back-office services all over the world, and we have forty such companies here today, led by their most senior representatives. They have made commitments to working with the government in promoting Gauteng as a preferred BPO destination, to help address youth unemployment and attract investment in our economy.”
As previously mentioned, communications and contact centres are particularly popular BPO options, helping international companies cut costs and offer better levels of service (Durban is a particularly popular choice with multinationals). On a local level, South African companies can reduce their operating costs, protect their customer-base, and free up precious resources by outsourcing these labour-intensive and time-consuming functions to the people that do it best.
And BPO holds far greater potential than just helping business cut costs in tough economic times. Outsourcing certain business processes allow a business to transform their costs from fixed to variable, refocus their resources from peripheral to mission-critical, and improve their competitiveness through innovative enhancements to their customer service.
Companies from every sector are now beginning to see the importance of including BPO in their corporate strategies to help them weather our current economic storm, which threatens to wash even the larger and more established players away.
Andries van Staden, Managing Director, Innovation Group South Africa
Our world is built on information. There are unimaginable amounts of data pouring in from every direction, just waiting to be analysed, and put to good use. Whilst data was once limited in volume, well-structured and easy to use, the massive amount of data generated today is unstructured and complex to analyse. For businesses with the courage to tackle it head on, Big Data holds untold potential for driving business forward.
Data is constantly generated from smart technologies, sensors, mobile devices, social media interactions, and thousands of other sources. Since much is generated by analysis of personal habits, preferences and behaviours, it can be used to form actionable insights to help businesses form more specific, targeted, and personalised engagement strategies.
Here are just four areas where, if applied properly, Big Data can translate into big business success:
Data-driven businesses need to be agile. Key decision makers need to be able to rapidly change course in response to shifting business trends. Doing so would be impossible without access to the data that enables informed, sound decision-making in real time. Basing these decisions on month-end reports, bills and financial statements is nowhere near fast enough to provide the kind of flexibility that today’s businesses need to be capable of. Quick decision-making is the key to operational efficiency, and Big Data is the fuel that drives it.
What if you could free up your business, its employees, and a large part of its operating capacity just by making a few tweaks? Big Data and predictive analytics can help you achieve it. Using historical information on your business’s operations, systems and processes, bottlenecks can be quickly identified and attended to. Decision makers can now easily spot where materials and efforts are inefficient and improve these processes to run optimally.
Before the advent of big data, information about the various departments within an organisation were isolated in silos that limited internal communication and collaboration. Gone are the days of looking at data sources one at a time to yield small answers. Big Data draws information from a broad range of sources and all corners of an organisation, including customer relationships, purchase histories, competitors, partners, social media and many more. Thanks to Big Data analytics platforms, corporate information can easily be shared across all levels and departments of an organisation, enabling them to work collaboratively, share insights and formulate aligned strategies that drive results.
There are many benefits to using Big Data in the development of new products and services. Businesses can create products that appeal to and increases value to their customers, mitigate product launch risks, and manage product development resources more efficiently. With the ability to rapidly develop products and services, businesses can better serve their customers and attract new ones based on their preferences.
Big Data continues to prove itself to be an extremely powerful tool for those organisations with the foresight to embrace it. Investing in the necessary IT architecture and infrastructure, staff training and development of a data-driven company culture, will give organisations the competitive advantage in information-driven markets and enjoy sustainable, profitable growth for years into the future.
Andries van Staden, Managing Director: Innovation Group South Africa.
No one wants to be left stranded on the side of the road during the Easter period due to a mechanical vehicle fault. More so, nobody wants to deal with the unforeseen costs of having to pay for these damages. Fortunately, automotive value-add products can mitigate the potentially exorbitant out-of-pocket costs that you can incur. “Last year we saw claims starting at around R5 000 and reaching a staggering R50 000,” says Andries van Staden Managing Director: South Africa, Innovation Group. “In fact, last year, there was an average of 557 claims during the Easter period.”
Innovation Group manages critical incidents in the car and home on behalf of the world’s leading insurers, brokers and fleet managers, together with warranty and service plan provision for many automotive manufacturers globally.
Even with comprehensive vehicle insurance and value-add products, no one should be subjected to the frustration and danger of an unforeseen mechanical failure. That’s why we’ve put together a comprehensive checklist for everything that you need to know about travelling long distance.
There’s more to tyres than pressure, although that is definitely worth checking. But be sure to also check the tread on your tyres. Worn tyres compromise road traction, as well as your ability to brake. Wheel alignment is another important check, and we recommend that you ask a tyre expert before undertaking any road trips to avoid undue accidents or breakdowns.
Whether you use coolant or plain old tap water, it’s important that you top up before travelling long distance. Without sufficient fluids to keep your engine cool, you could cause very serious, expensive damage to the engine.
Oil is just as important to check. A lack of lubrication will quickly reduce your engine to scrap metal, so be sure to check your oil. Finally, make sure your fan belt and hoses are in working order.
Cellphones increase your chance of having an accident by as much as 400%. So, no matter how tempted you are, you should not be using your cellphone on the road.
With your depth perception and vision compromised, every hazard on the road becomes that much more dangerous at night. Before leaving on your trip, be sure to check that your car’s exterior lights work properly – front and rear, reverse, brake lights and high beams. When driving, keep a fair distance between you and the car in front of you, and always be on alert.
By ensuring these items are in your car, you can avoid all sorts of nasty circumstances:
Now that you’re ready to go, we want to wish you, from everyone at Innovation Group, safe travels over the Easter period.
Andries van Staden, Managing Director: Innovation Group South Africa.
Millennials and the technology-infused world, in which they live and work, are without a doubt creating a stir within the traditional customer engagement model. New, future-thinking models of engagement are needed if brands are hoping to claim their slice of the Millennial Pie.
Generally well educated and socio-culturally diverse, Millennials will soon be the largest consumer segment. According to research, approximately 58% of Millennials prefer unique goods over mass produced products and 87% have their phones by their side every second of the day. They require different styles and means of communication, as well as individually targeted relevance from customer service agents, or they’ll take their business elsewhere.
The race is on to formulate a customer engagement strategy that focuses on a population segment that trusts social media influencers’ more than traditional brand and advertising tactics. Here’s how forward thinking businesses today are updating their contact centre strategy for the Millennial Generation:
Millennials are inundated by direct marketing initiatives on a daily basis, ranging from cold-calls to SMSs, emails, or social media advertising. Too much exposure can inevitably lead to desensitisation and your contact centre’s efforts are more likely to be ignored especially if you have not tailored it to the unique needs of the Millennial. When approached with an offer or dealing with a customer service issue, this generation is more likely to favourably engage with a brand if the message is tailored around their individual needs and requirements. The perceived value from the interaction is derived from the personalisation of the message or customer service interaction and not the actual product or service. Technology is able to provide this type of personalisation through big data processing and automated market segmentation, ultimately leading to more relevant messaging and more interested and engaged customers for those businesses who apply this.
Leading companies are increasingly funnelling customer contacts through their digital channels based on the type of query. They are also using proactive contact during complex interactions to ensure the customer’s issue is resolved efficiently and timeously. Whilst the dominant thinking a few years ago was that allowing customers to reach you on any channel, the future thinking for today’s leading contact centres is to move away from a multichannel strategy, to a “right channel” strategy. Here, customers are guided to the most appropriate channel for their query. Whether through voice contact, intelligent online FAQs, social media or live video chat, every query is dealt with in the manner that is most likely to lead to a quick and agreeable resolution for the customer and on a channel that meets their requirements.
In addition to adopting the “right channel” approach, modern-day businesses are proactively contacting customers who need help during complex online processes. Customers who spend longer periods of time on a web page are proactively offered contact through a “voice” interaction, via a live chat channel – the perfect merging of technological efficiency and the warmth of the human touch.
At the end of the day, the shift towards a more interactive engagement strategy allows businesses the opportunity to provide the right type of customer support that today’s “switched-on generation” and the generation that come after them require. It allows customers to be communicated with on their own terms and to have their needs met more quickly and efficiently than ever before. With more and more options for innovation in the contact centre, those who are quick to embrace the resources that technology offers are perfectly positioned to gain the competitive edge.
