Business VoIP Featured Article

Is Lack of Change Driving You Insane?

July 12, 2013

By Susan J. Campbell, Business VoIP Contributing Editor

The status quo, staying the course, not rocking the boat – all of these concepts suggest “business as usual” is the only way to successfully conduct business. Whether an employee is afraid to upset the apple cart or the owner doesn’t know which way to go, change is often put on the back burner is favor of sticking with what works.


Einstein defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. This approach to business is very common as leaders often expect the results to change even though the activities driving those results have stayed the same. While business tradition is comfortable and may have worked for a time, it’s important to explore the opportunities afforded with innovation to see how they could help a business produce the results they actually want.

Take business VoIP, for instance. Countless studies have been conducted to support the claim by providers everywhere that business VoIP can deliver true value in the corporate environment. The platform can reduce the cost of communications, seamlessly connect disparate systems and put a streamlined approach in place when it comes to capturing all interactions for business intelligence. The challenge for the business leader is making the decision to accept the change as a move in the right direction as it is an unknown.

Simply staying the course is a dangerous proposition, however. This is especially true if revenue is shrinking. If sales are on the decline, it’s time to take a closer look as to why so that effective changes are made. It’s important to determine what products are not selling and why customers are no longer buying. The process can involve tedious research, but it’s a step that must be done.

If current customers are leaving at an increasing rate, this is an alarm. It’s not enough to look at internal processes to make change; the business leader must poll those exiting customers to determine why they are leaving. It’s important that assumptions are not made here. After all, the satisfied customer won’t leave just because of a lower price – there is something else going on. A failure to determine the motivation can quickly lead to the failure of the business overall.

A new competitor in the market can certainly affect performance. When this happens, it’s important to evaluate what they offer that is attractive to the potential customer and if changes need to be make internally and with products or services offered to more effectively compete. It’s tempting to copy the competition, but the business leader should think in terms of taking it one step further – make a better copy.

Finally, a disruption in the market can also affect the outcome. This disruption may be the result of new technology, changed government regulations or other external elements. When this happens, an internal change is a must. Business leaders should focus on the pain the customer is feeling and how their solutions can alleviate that pain.

Whether change needs to happen throughout the entire organization or simply with the communications system in the form of business VoIP, the important element is to approach change as a positive catalyst that can help continue to drive the business forward.




Edited by Rachel Ramsey

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