Optimise your business with Microsoft Dynamics 365

In the near future, every business will be a digital business. C-Suite business leaders must now make explicit choices about their strategy to win in a digital economy. 

Organisations need to reassess business operations, aiming to adopt an agile and innovative digital transformation approach to achieve business resilience in a time of disruptive change. 

Leading through digital change requires leaders to have a vision of how to activate the whole organisation in the move from defence to offence to gain and maintain competitive advantage in a digital-first world, addressing the urgent opportunities now. 

Transforming your business to succeed in a digital world requires connected operating models from Finance, HR and IT to marketing, sales, and manufacturing. It means bringing together every function, reimagining your business operations by digitally transforming how you empower employees, engage customers, optimise operations, and data analytics, as well as automation. 

Business digital transformation

 Digital transformation does not happen overnight, even in the fast-moving environments in which we operate our businesses today. Any transformation process goes hand in hand with a potentially sizeable financial investment, as well as a considered and appropriate change management intervention to ensure overall success. 

This transformation will impact all industries and all areas of business going forward. Those businesses that fail to deploy and implement a successful digitalisation strategy will soon be faced with challenges they may find exceedingly more difficult to overcome. Each business should consider their own challenges and conduct thorough research on the changes expected to occur in their industries. 

Organisations and leaders will need to reorganise processes and strategies to obtain the benefits of implementing connected business applications across business operations. An effective enterprise-wide digital transformation strategy will drive business growth and operational efficiency as underlying business models evolve. 

Preparing your organisation for the future of work can no longer wait – the time for leaders to shift their thinking and implement strategies and connected digitalised business to operate like a digital company is now! It’s not about procuring a single solution and deploying only that solution.

The answer lies in a flexible suite of technologies and software solutions to reinvent your business in a digital world. Organisations need to identify scalable solutions that support the digital transformation of the business.  

The benefits of a reinvented digital business

• Business and revenue growth through improved profit margins, increased productivity and improved processes.
• Reduced operational costs and optimised operations.
• Unlock talent and potential of people.
• Allows for collaboration the flow of work with anyone, anywhere.
• Enable organisations to operate as one business, everywhere.
• Data-driven decisions and streamlined operational efficiency.
• Elevate customer experiences – seamless and frictionless.
• Drive connected commerce, providing increased cross-channel visibility. Improve customer retention.
• Enhance financial decision-making.
• Collect and analyse data for real-time insights.
• Gain insight to offer customers and employees personalised experiences.

Technology is both a disruptor and catalyst for growth. The goal is not to simply add capability but to change the business model. In this fast-moving digital era, it is important to pick your technology partners carefully, making sure they not only have the capabilities you need, but that their approach empowers your agility, efficiencies, and differentiation.         

Microsoft Dynamics 365 – Business Applications   

Microsoft Dynamics 365 offers any organisation powerful flexibility and limitless possibilities with its options to tailor and-build on your existing solution using the Microsoft Cloud -Microsoft Power Platform, Microsoft Azure, and Microsoft 365 - or hundreds of other familiar business tools. You can also add mixed reality, artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) for innovative new experiences .

“In today’s fast-paced business environment, productivity is critical to success. Microsoft set out on a mission to increase business agility by creating a digital transformation journey roadmap. The Microsoft Dynamics 365 application stack is designed to enable that digital transformation journey across multiple industries. Parity, a Gold Microsoft Partner is geared to help businesses through the everchanging and improving world of digital transformation”, said Warren Williams, Parity Chief Executive Officer.   

With Microsoft Dynamics 365, you can tap into a connected commerce ecosystem of solutions which makes it easier to integrate and access information for smarter business decisions, greater customer satisfaction, reinventing your digital business. 

To book a demo or workshop session with one of Parity’s experts to take you on a journey to reimagine your business with the Microsoft Dynamics 365 offerings, that will digitally transform your business today. Visit www.paritydigitaltransformation.co.za..  

64% of employees agree blocking out noise increases their productivity.(1)

Today, work happens everywhere — in busy open-plan offices and contact centers, at home, even coffee shops. This flexibility is great for business and people, but with it comes a new challenge: noise. Distraction caused by noise reduces productivity and well-being and, in contact centers, detracts from a positive customer experience.

Studies show that it takes 23 minutes to recover from distraction(3) and over 58% of employees are distracted multiple times each day.(2) That represents a significant impact on your customers’ businesses you can easily help avert through proven noise reduction strategies and products.

Managing Noise: In the Contact Center

In the contact center, noise remains the biggest complaint among employees(4) and can negatively impact customer satisfaction.(3) But managing noise effectively can raise productivity,2 improve customer experiences(5) and impact the bottom line.(1) Plantronics creates technologies that manage noise to help contact centers be more effective and businesses be more successful.

Customer Service Representative (CSR) - Needs to handle urgent requests from customers quickly and efficiently. Key challenge: Hearing and being heard by customers.

Help Desk Support - Manages intense, often lengthy, customer calls. Key challenge: Wearing headset all day (comfort, battery issues).

Supervisor - Supports CSRs with call assistance and training. Key challenge: Background noise and audio quality on escalated calls.

High-Level Support - Guides and supports CSRs on most challenging calls. Key challenge: Mobility within office to help with urgent situations. 

How do you handle these challenges within your business? 

Contact Center Solutions

Plantronics engineers solutions that help people manage the noise around them so they can be more effective — no matter where they work. Together, we can help your customers reduce distractions caused by noise so their businesses can thrive.The all-day comfort and superior sound quality of our headsets empowers contact center workers to provide exceptional service. Explore how you can provide a better customer experience, and empower your staff with better products, newer technology, and smarter workplace design. The EncorePro series is a great option, delivering the all-new generation communications technology for customer service centers and offices, designed for the future, and built on experience. The EncorePro series is available in South Africa through authorized distributors. More information about solutions available in your local area are available at www.plantronics.com/za 

Plantronics is an audio pioneer and a global leader in the communications industry. We create intelligent and adaptive solutions that support our customers’ most important needs: experiencing and facilitating simple and clear communications while enjoying distraction-free environments.  Our solutions are used worldwide by consumers and businesses alike, and are an optimal choice for open office environments. From Unified Communications and customer service ecosystems, to data analytics and Bluetooth headsets, Plantronics delivers high-quality communications solutions that our customers count on today, while relentlessly innovating on behalf of their future. For more information visit www.plantronics.com/za 

1 Oxford Economics, “When the walls come down – the evolution of the workplace.” 2 Plantronics Noise in the Workplace Global Study, 2017. 3 The Cost of Interrupted Work: More Speed and Stress Study from the Department of Informatics, University of California, Irvine, 2008. 4 Plantronics Persona Research, 2017. 1 Oxford Economics, “When the walls come down—the evolution of the workplace.” 5 Dimensional Research for ZenDesk, Customer Service and business results: A survey of customer service from mid-size companies, 2013.

Johannesburg - Digital marketing strategies to improve customer engagement, social media, e-metrics, loyalty and digital sales enablement is just some of the themes to be addressed at the upcoming Digital Customer Engagement & KYC Conference 2018. The event, which will take place on 7 & 8 March 2018 at the Indaba Hotel, Fourways, Johannesburg, showcases a top speaker panel, all experts in the marketing and financial arenas. 

Targeting financial professionals dealing with customer engagement, the programme will highlight challenges, opportunities and the latest developments regarding digital channels and customer relationship. 

Conference Project Manager, Michandre Malan said banks and financial institutions must engage customers at every stage of their purchase journey. This will make the customer journey for financial institutions a reality, and improve customer on-boarding and retention. The speaker panel consists of representatives of Cornerstone Performance Solutions, Karabina, Avatar SA, Consumer Profile Bureau, 8 Bit Platoon, NXT/Digital Innovation, Genesis Analytics, Prana Business Solutions, Striata Marketing Solutions and many more.

 Malan said the event is aimed at professionals from the financial sector. Improving the customer journey is the top prediction this year for financial institutions.

• Normal Registration fee: R9 100.00 + VAT = R10 374.00
• 12% Discount: Group registration fee for 3 or more delegates: R8 008.00 + VAT = R9 12.12 p.p.
• 20% Discount Group registration fee for 5 or more delegates: R 7 280.00 + VAT = R8 299.20 p.p.

 To register as a delegate email, Project Manager, Michandre Malan on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. enquiries are handled by Jason Joseph This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or call both on 011 803 1553. Otherwise visit www.tci-sa.co.za for more information.