Unique digital transformation
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Providing clients with a unique approach to digital transformation WRITTEN BY
SOPHIE CHAPMAN PRODUCED BY
CRAIG DANIELS
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AVAYA
As Avaya provides tailored services for its clients, the company’s Senior Director of Client Experience Innovation reveals how digital transformation is changing the telecommunications industry
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vaya is a software and services organization that has a long legacy in the telecommunications industry. Headquartered
in California’s Santa Clara, in the heart of Silicon Valley, the business has evolved alongside the industry. “The evolution really came down to the 04
mobile device – the smart phone becoming the entry point for communications across every platform,” explains Tim Gogal, Senior Director of Client Experience Innovation at Avaya. “Looking at it from a corporate perspective, not only do we have a very strong focus on evolving our customer strategies around the evolution of a multichannel or omnichannel approach to customer service, we also internally create and invent software that ties all those things together.” Gogal’s team has developed its strategy to optimize the transition from legacy telecommunications engineering skill sets to software developments that cater to clients’ needs. “I run a sales organization that focuses on evolving our clients’ customer service strategies.
“Digital transformation is ultimately defining that there’s a larger imperative at play; it encompasses much more than just technology” — Tim Gogal, Senior Director of Client Experience Innovation, Avaya 05
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AVAYA
“ The industry itself uniquely allows Avaya to position itself as an industry expert” — Tim Gogal, Senior Director of Client Experience Innovation, Avaya
We’re moving away from simply focusing on contact centers and looking at a larger digital transformation imperative,” Gogal says. “We’re understanding how customers are communicating with brands and social media using crowd sourcing websites, and we’re addressing the larger understanding that customer service today, in a digital transformation mindset, is completely different than the industry as a whole.” Having previously worked as a contact center
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agent, Gogal realized there was a better way of doing business if organizations could align technologies with customer service strategies. Through his analysis of the strategy, Gogal earned his place as a global voice architect which led to him selling the technology that can transform businesses. With the proliferation of mobile devices, Avaya ensures it is offering the most advanced services whilst maintaining a tailored approach, enhancing efficiency and desirability in its communications component. “Digital transformation is ultimately defining that there’s a larger imperative at play; it encompasses much more
CLICK TO WATCH : ‘AVAYA THROUGH THE EYES OF OUR EMPLOYEES’ 07 than just technology. It encompasses
has enabled it to adapt to customers’
the importance of understanding
needs. “We have the ability to integrate
who is at the other end of the commu-
very seamlessly with virtually
nication channel – whether it’s a phone
any enterprise application that’s
call, a chat or an SMS – and giving that
available and bring the contextual data
particular individual the opportunity
sets of those back-office applications
to communicate through the channel
into the overall client experience.
that’s most appropriate and most
We are uniquely positioned to provide
effective for them,” comments Gogal.
our clients with a personalized service
“I have a team of software developers
across virtually any media channel
that focus on creating individual,
and that’s a fundamental game
customized and unique experiences
changer for us,” Gogal adds.
on a case by case basis for each and every one of our clients.” Avaya’s omnichannel approach
“Avaya’s business lineage leads us back to the 1-800 patent. Having such a strong legacy in the communications w w w.avaya . com
space, along with the customer service
for the client leveraging service design
industry, uniquely allows Avaya to
practices focused on streamlined
position itself as an industry expert,”
business process models. “We start
says Gogal. As a business with a great
the process by understanding explicitly
understanding of the industry surround-
what our end customers want from
ing it, the firm uses its knowledge
the brand from an experience perspec-
to stay on top of vertical trends. Avaya
tive,” he notes. Following the initial
combines trends of the future with
stage, the business will conduct
its end customer experience through
interviews to align with the executive
two key areas — service design
level visions of the company. During
and driving business outcomes.
the consulting process, the team will
Gogal will deploy a team of software
build the business model into
developers and digital transformation
a communication workflow that
strategists to build prototypes
focuses on streamlining the experience.
E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE
Tim Gogal, Senior Director of Client Experience Innovation Tim Gogal built his career in the customer service industry. He’s an Entrepreneurial Leader, Strategic Thinker, Cultural Change Agent, with a passion for Anthropology, Ethnology, and Service Design Strategy with a focus on changing the landscape of business technology in today’s digitally disrupted world. His specialties include: Sales & Consulting, Corporate Management, Telecommunications (Voice) Architecture, Business Analytics, Customer Service Operations Management, Application Development.
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AVAYA
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£3.27bn Approximate revenue in 2017
2000
Year founded
8,100
Approximate number of employees as of 2018 w w w.avaya . com
AVAYA
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“We look at whether we have
technologies are in play which can
opportunities for deploying artificial
be leveraged to achieve a digitally
intelligence (AI) via chat bots. We look
transformed experience, with security
at things such as IoT devices and how
in mind, of course.”
we can leverage them to build a better
As an example of the Client Experi-
and more desirable experience.
ence Innovation team’s “Art of the
Are there IoT sensors that can be
Possible” mentality, the group devel-
leveraged in this process depending
oped a prototype last year that
upon each case-by-case basis?
incorporated the customer service
We look at whether or not blockchain
agent and the residential establish-
is applicable as it relates to security
ment – working with technologies such
needs. It is important to understand
as Google Home and Amazon Alexa.
where our clients are today and what
To show how the client experience
their end customers want, and what
is evolving, and how uniquely posi-
“ It’s a delicate balance of understanding high level trends but also targeting the minutia of customers’ business issues and overall expectations, and how we solve for them” — Tim Gogal, Senior Director of Client Experience Innovation, Avaya
of everything that took place within that AI platform,” Gogal explains. As Avaya continues to target each customer’s individual needs, the company looks forward to facing new and distinctive challenges on a case-by-case basis. “The focus is understanding what the uniqueness of each business process is and layering on the Avaya solutions as the communication fabric for making operations as seamless as possible,” says Gogal. “It’s a delicate balance of understanding high level trends but also targeting the minutia of customers’ business issues
tioned Avaya’s open architecture really
and overall expectations, and how
is, they wanted to show how they
we solve for them.” Whilst streamlin-
can enable its clients to book trips
ing the operations of its customers
via voice command. “The idea is in
by removing human latency, striking
creating that use case of booking a trip,
a parallel between technology
selecting your flight itinerary, your hotel
adoption and personalization will
capability, and capturing all those
continue to be a top priority to the firm.
attributes through the in-home AI platform. Then, if there’s a need for a conversation, it can be escalated to an agent or a customer service representative in a contact center who receives the appropriate data along with the contextual history w w w.avaya . com
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Avaya 4655 Great American Parkway Santa Clara CA USA T 1-866-GO-AVAYA www.avaya.com