This post was written by Jason Alley, lead consultant at Vanguard Communications.
Last Tuesday night I called to see how my kids were doing at their grandparents’ house over Spring Break. I was amused to discover my call had interrupted a fiercely competitive Wii bowling tournament…that my parents were willingly participating in! Those that know Bob and Erin Alley know they are far from the video gaming type. Or so we thought...
If you have yet to experience the Wii first hand, it is a video game console that has revolutionized the home gaming industry by delivering:
The Wii did not really offer any new, breakthrough technology, but it did apply existing technology in a revolutionary new way, creating a truly unique user experience. The result has been a buying frenzy across the globe. Nintendo has successfully broadened the addressable market for gaming – they have my parents playing Wii bowling for goodness sake!
Stores cannot keep Wii consoles on the shelf and, according to one source, Nintendo often outsells its competition 3:1 in North America and 6:1 in Japan – with no real sign of slowing. This is all pretty amazing given Nintendo delivered the Wii to market in the midst of what appeared to be their inevitable demise at the hands of Sony and Microsoft.
To give you a better feel for the Wii experience, here are two pretty cool YouTube videos:
So, what in the heck does this have to do with IP Contact Centers? Let me explain…
Following my call Tuesday night, I was hit hard by the realization that Microsoft and IBM are really attempting to change the rules of the game in the enterprise voice world much the same way Nintendo did with the Wii in the gaming industry. Microsoft announced at VoiceCon Orlando that they are making an equity investment in Aspect. IBM previously announced an OEM relationship for parts of the Siemens OpenScape functionality. No surprise, but clearly both companies are extending their product capabilities in the area of voice communications. Will either or both be able to apply Unified Communications (including voice) to the customer experience in a way that economically and intuitively traverses beyond the boundaries of the traditional Contact Center?
The key to making this happen is for these (and other?) suppliers to deliver innovative products that revolutionize the customer experience (again, much like Nintendo did with the Wii). As we learned from the Wii and other disruptive products (think of Tivo and the iPod), it is critical to get tangible, well defined products in the hands of end users so they can experience the benefits first hand. Nintendo explains, “To truly understand how Wii revolutionizes gaming, you have to try it for yourself.”
How can that same concept be applied to Contact Centers? I think we will see innovative new products in the hands of end users that deliver the same kind of disruptive jolt to the Contact Center market – through the application of Unified Communications technology in a way that changes the game in terms of how customers and enterprises interact. And, these products will likely deliver similar value as the Wii:
It will be interesting to watch what Microsoft and IBM are able to accomplish with their partners over the next few years. And, the more traditional suppliers will likely respond as well. Wii Economics could very well kick in, benefiting enterprises and yielding a windfall to a timely innovator. What a great opportunity for new, old and yet-to-be-known players to change the way we think about the customer experience and emerge as market leaders.
What does this new customer experience look like to you?
How can technology be applied in revolutionary new ways to compel us to do business differently?
What can we do to accelerate Wii Economics in the Contact Center?
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