How the Internet of Things will transform your world

As a technology company CEO, I’m a technology guy and love technology.

Hard to admit but when the new iPhone gets released, I’m one of the die-hards standing in the queue at 12 am in the dark on mostly cold nights waiting for the release and to be one of the first to get it.

So obviously, when the hype of IoT started I was first in line to try some new, exciting stuff to feed my tech addiction.

I had to wonder, though, is it new and groundbreaking or was it just old things with new names….

The “Internet of things” (IoT) is becoming an increasingly growing topic of conversation both in the workplace as well as around the braai.

More people are using smartphones, more devices are sold with WiFi capabilities.

This, together with bandwidth speeds increasing and cost for these faster speeds going down is almost creating the perfect storm for IoT.

But what exactly is the “Internet of things”, and what impact is it going to have on you, if any?

There are a lot of complexities around the “Internet of things”, but for this article want to stick to the basics.

Think about it in simple terms and how it has brought about our collective new behaviours and conveniences that we just can’t seem to live without or think how did we survive before.

I have listed some simple examples:

• Your decoder can now plug into the internet and give you more things to watch…not that we have time, or
• Switching the coffee machine on with your smartphone while watching the newly downloaded movies (while you were at the office), or
• when you get into your car it already knows where you are going and determines the best route, or
• Get notifications when you start your car based behaviour… home will take 23 min, light traffic, I’m sure you have seen this on your smartphone,
• IoT allows integration to your calendar and knows exactly where you need to be and at what time, making sure you take the best possible route. I left this for last as it possibly the most basic and utilised functionality that has driven our dependence on IoT technology.

IoT describes the growing state of Internet-enabled Things, such as fridges, vehicles, clothing, etc. that can communicate the information associated with them as an integrated part of the Internet.

This means that IoT will enable objects to communicate problems directly to the store making customer service more proactive, product education more critical, and data more relevant.

According to the latest Mobile Africa Study, South Africans are Internet browsing via smartphones now stands at 40%.

34% of these smartphone users either downloading from app stores, doing purchasing research, purchasing online, connecting with companies, etc.

South Africa is also seeing a rise in internet traffic as more people switch to smartphones and smart devices, with internet users expected to reach 27 million by 2019.

A Gartner Survey shows that 43% of organisations are using or plan to implement IoT in the coming year.

So, it is important to choose the right technology partner if you are looking to connect, monitor, and control intelligent devices.

ODEK Customer Engagement looks at how IoT will transform your Centre:

IoT will open the door for Contact Centres to acquire more relevant and important data for better service.

As a business, you now can know when a customer logs onto your website, track the journey they are on (sales or service), like a post on your Facebook page or send you a tweet or uses the traditional contact centre channels (Voice or e-mail) and you could respond to those effectively.

With an effective Big Data strategy, you could also track various decisions and make effective business decisions on how you strategically use this information to enhance the individual customer’s experiences, irrespective of how they wish to interact.

The WOW customised, real and authentic customer experiences are available for your business (not only contact centre) through a passionate and innovation partner like the Odek CG team that has vast experience working with some of the most aspirational large corporations in South Africa.

This enables your customer to be in contact anytime, anywhere, from a device of their choosing that can extend your reach and response and adds another layer to your Omnichannel strategy environment.

The possibilities of a customer contacting is no longer just limited to office hours or is a single device or channel.

The question you need to ask yourself is “how well prepared are you” for the next generation of users that are setting new rules when wanting or need to get service or transact with your brand/product/company.

Couple this with the “next gen” channels coming online soon, such as household appliances, motor vehicles, security systems, etc. and this becomes a set of complex, scary and exciting problems looking for a solution.

With ODEK Customer Engagement you are assured of a business partner that has a proven track record of setting new standards for engagement industry and specialises in providing one-stop hosted solutions for the modern enterprise set to enable the Internet of Things (IoT) and maximise your RoI.

Through strategic partnerships, best in class solution accredited staff and effective project management principles, ODEK Customer Engagement gives your business access to leading experts in all infrastructure disciplines and is innovative, focused and can deploy the latest engagement tools, enabling your readiness to the whole new world that is fast approaching.

ODEK does not just provide the services – the team assists you with architecting and defining the requirements specifically tailored to your business needs.

For more information on ODEK Customer Engagement: