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To Digitalize Or Not To Digitalize?

I know what my definition of digitalization is. How about you?

For me, it’s all about Zeros and Ones. Do you love me or do you hate me? Are you a woman or a man? Should I stay or should I go? Is it about using business process management tools or about acting on our feelings? Do we have CRM or we do not have CRM?

Digital is all about data. It is about gathering data, using it in order to understand our business, our customers’ behaviours, predicting their needs and wants… Up until now, everybody agreed about these statements. That is until we started acquiring huge amounts of data with little knowledge on how to make sense of it...

What kind of data is useful to us? Where and how can acquire it? Are we making sense of it and how do we benefit from the conclusions that were drawn from it? Today, CRM renovation projects show that the majority is still operating on CRM 1.0 specs. The latter include standard demographic data such as names and addresses, maybe one or two phone numbers, maybe gender, link to the products used, etc. Today communication with end customers is done using multiple communication channels, including but not limited to call centers (the word »CallCenter« is still being used in 2017!!), SMS and e-mail communication channels.

I say we’ve wasted enough time dealing with CRM 1.0! Why don’t we skip CRM 2.0 and switch to CRM 3.0 instead? Why are we still not using multiple channels like web, chat, video, e-shop, mobile app, proximity, etc. to gather information about our end customers and keeping all of these in one place, available to all of our customer facing employees regardless of the physical or communication channel used? As an end customer myself, I am using two different browsers on my smartphone, again two or three on my PC, same goes for my tablet, and my car will soon be equipped with an Android operating system which will allow me to browse the web from my car. I wish someone put all those cookies I’ve accepted to a good use! By that I mean not solely for the sake of gaining more information about my behaviour, but to actually integrate the vast amounts of data, make sense of it and ultimately improve my experience whilst browsing the web.

Through my involvement in the CRM market, I’ve reached the following conclusions:

Chat and other instant messaging channels are estimated to have a yearly growth of 20%;
E-mail is still the most widely used communication channel by far (e.g. comparing 1,7 billion Gmail users of to 1 billion Facebook users);
Social media is growing, but we’re only talking single digit growth range;
In App communication is a must for extending the usage of our Apps (e.g. nearly nine out of 10 doctors in Brazil are communicating with patients using WhatsApp).

So we need to integrate all of these channels in our communication system. We should get rid of separate siloses and move towards an “interactionship” system.

So how to switch to that 3.0 CRM? First, communication channel usage should be made as simple as possible. For instance, when communicating with your customers, give them the opportunity to send you their electricity reading in a single word or number. The more parameters you request from them, the more likely something is to go wrong. When that happens, neither you nor your customers are satisfied. Further, the likelihood that your users will send their monthly reading in time is likely to decrease provided the process is simplified. At the end of the day you need those readings to be sent in to reduce the need for extra employees going from door to door asking for the required information. So why don’t you simply send your customers a kind reminder? You can use SMS, Messenger, WhatsApp or Skype etc. Depending on which apps your customers prefer to use, you can simply send them push notifications.

Sounds simple… so why aren’t you doing this despite having the opportunity to know exactly which apps your customers are using? Because these are siloses and as such they are not integrated into your outdated CRM 1.0.. The latter does not enable you to run cross-channel campaigns, and it certainly puts you far from the true omnichannel engagement you aspire to. When trying to understand your customers’ needs and wants, always remember we like things simple, intuitive and convenient! For example, paying for a parking spot can be a pain, especially if you’re a tourist, or low on change. In Serbia, parking fees are paid by sending out a simple text message in 93% of cases! Simple because texting in itself is simple, intuitive because we’re all familiar with texting and convenient because I might not always have the exact change but I always keep my phone with me.

For me, this is what Digital is all about. Simplification of our communication and engagement with the end customers, understanding their behaviour, altering our service to meet their needs, and offering personalized service to every single one of them. Would someone even think of changing their bank if the one current is adding value to their life by making it easier by keeping track of exactly what was communicated via e-mail, discussed in the branch or via mobile application? Further, on top of merely keeping track what if that information was used in a way that enabled the customer to sort out their problems with a single visit to the branch, a phone call or just one e-mail? What if a bank would show it genuinely cares about its customers? Show it wants to make their customers’ lives simpler, happier and allow their free time to be used in a more rewarding way than dealing with personal finances?

I wish I could find such a bank! Although my current one offers by far the best e-banking system I’ve ever experienced, they have no clue what I need. Although I offer them vast amounts of personal data, they still don’t know much about my typical behaviour as an end customer, nor what kind of service I like to enjoy. Seems as if they do not care about me!

Today, CRM transformations are happening in nearly all industries – banks, healthcare, telecommunications, etc. But unfortunately, the majority is aiming for an update to CRM 1.1.. So why not do some disruption and go straight for CRM 3.0 instead? We have the resources and capabilities needed in order to do just that. All we have to do is digitalize!

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Description	User Trainings	Advanced User Trainings	Developers Training
Training Duration:	Min 1 day	Min 1 day	Min 1 day
Location:	Customer premises	CDE premises	CDE premises
Participants – target group:	COCOS system users: agents, operators, consultants, supervisors / team-leaders, call center, customer care, sales, marketing managers, administrators.	Advanced users: administrators, supervisors / team-leaders, IT personnel.	Technical personnel with a basic knowledge of programming: knowledge of WinOS, basics of MsSQL, basics of programming, general technical knowledge of computer networking and computer telephony integration (CTI technologies).
Training objectives:	understanding of COCOS software operations, software administration and management, understanding of work results and conditions, understanding of reports and statistics, preparation of reports and analysis.	understanding of COCOS software operations, advanced usage of COCOS tools and modules (VSS, CC Administrator, CATI Editor, Campaign Manager and other tolls, etc.), 1^stlevel technical support trainings.	understanding of COCOS software operations, advanced usage of COCOS tools (editors), where basic development knowledge is required, introduction of methods for integration with other (external) systems, CIM/CRM system set-up – on a real customer case or test case.
Training topics:	Presentation of COCOS portfolio - presentation and placement of COCOS products and solutions into customer business processes. COCOS CC Administrator, COCOS CC Agent and PC phone, call campaigns (preparation, import/export, statistics), presentation of CIM/CRM applications, work flow management (multi level tasking), using of other user tools and modules (depending on the complexity of implemented system, communication channels and modules).	Presentation of COCOS portfolio - presentation and placement of COCOS products and solutions into customer business processes. Some of the possible topics: COCOS environment (modules, relations between modules), agent workstation installation and administration, call center administration (users), call center server installation and administration, call campaigns management (generation, import/export, statistics), call center statistics – advanced level, entry forms – surveys (basic level, CATI editor), IVR/VRU server – installation and administration, WFS server installation and administration, COCOS CRM model.	Presentation of COCOS portfolio. Some of the possible topics: main modules, mutual relations, operations of each module from data flow perspective, VRU / IVR server - script language, COCOS CRM model, CSL language – basic level, syntax, its usage in CATI forms, CSL language – advanced usage (SQL & WFS – work flow management support (integration in applications – user forms).
Training methods:	lecture, practical demonstration, discussion.	lecture, practical demonstration, practical exercises, discussion.	lecture, practical demonstration, practical exercises, workshops, discussion, test.

COCOS CC CERTIFICATE I:		Basic technical training for maintenance experts of COCOS software solutions
Training topics	Training duration	Participants – target group	Training objectives
presentation of COCOS portfolio, COCOS Call Center and Customer Care Suite.	3 days	Advanced users: administrators (system administrators, maintainers), technical personnel. Minimum knowledge required: knowledge of WinOS, MsSQL basics, general technical knowledge of computer networking and computer telephony integration (CTI technologies).	knowledge of COCOS portfolio, understanding of COCOS software operations, independent administration and installation of COCOS software solutions, ability to independently perform 1^st level technical support for COCOS solutions.

COCOS CC CERTIFICATE II:		Advanced technical training for maintenance experts of COCOS software solutions
Training topics	Training duration	Participants – target group	Training objectives
presentation of COCOS portfolio, COCOS Call Center and Customer Care Suite – advanced level.	3 days	Advanced users: developers, SW integrators, creators of entry forms. Minimum knowledge required: participation in COCOS CERTIFICATE I training, advanced knowledge of WinOS administration, advanced knowledge of SQL & MsSQL DB / administrative tools, programming knowledge in at least one programming language (for example: Visual Basic,...), understanding the programming techniques, general technical knowledge of computer networking and computer telephony integration (CTI technologies).	knowledge of COCOS portfolio, advanced usage of COCOS software solutions – also to be able to independently install and administer CIM/CRM solution using COCOS tools and modules, to be able to integrate COCOS solutions into customer environment.

COCOS IP PBX CERTIFICATE I:		Basic technical training for maintenance experts of COCOS IPPBX
Training topics	Training duration	Participants – target group	Training objectives
COCOS IP PBX	2 days	Telecommunication network administrators Minimum knowledge required: knowledge of voice technologies, knowledge of PBX and IP telephony, knowledge of ISDN/Centrex technologies, voice and data networks.	knowledge of COCOS portfolio, understanding of COCOS IP PBX operation, independent administration and installation of COCOS IP PBX, ability to independently perform 1st level technical support for COCOS IPPBX solutions.

COCOS SALES CERTIFICATE:		COCOS sales training for sales reps
Training topics	Training duration	Participants – target group	Training objectives
presentation of COCOS portfolio, call center organization, customer care management, call center services and products.	1-2 days	Sales network: sales reps, distributors; Sales and management personnel.	knowledge of COCOS portfolio, knowledge of customer care & call center management and organization, knowledge of CC services and offer in terms of sales, knowledge of CC elements, offer / tender formation and different implementation methods (purchase, outsourcing, hosting).

Communication	Leadership	Working with Clients	Motivation and Stress
First Voice of the Company telephone communication.	CC Organization & Management call center organization, achieving high quality support, establishing a winning team.	Customer Care Management loyalty as the competitive advantage.	I want – I must = Motivation motivational trainings.
Business is communication basis of business communication.	Leadership of teams creating a sociological profile of managers.	Telephone sales techniques
Convince me with arguments successful persuasion is half of the success.		How to make your customer your friend

To Digitalize Or Not To Digitalize?

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