| | July 20168CIOReviewIoT--Brand-Building Opportunity for Customer Service OrganizationsIt's been said that of all technology trends, the Internet of Things (IoT) will give us the most disruption over the next five years. Industry analyst Gartner predicts that IoT devices will encompass more than 6.4 billion connected objects in 2016, a 30 percent rise over 2015. Likewise, Intel states there will be roughly 26 smart objects per human by 2020. As an `IT guy' for a global Business Process Outsourcer (BPO) serving the contact center and IT outsourcing needs of top global brands, these stats and statements get my attention. As many of our customers grapple with how to make their products smarter (that is, embedded with technology that connects to internet and communicates with other devices), I'm often left with a sense that it's the calm before the IoT storm. Whether consumers have heard of IoT or not, they will experience it increasingly in their daily lives in the near future. The challenge for contact center executives will be how to manage all of this new connectivity without adding customer service complexity. Supporting the IoT ecosystemLet's take smart homes as an example. While the industry is still in its infancy, the number of smart home products being introduced into the market is growing rapidly. Major brands like Nest, Samsung, General Electric, Whirlpool and Philips now offer smart products (intelligent thermostats, security systems, smoke detectors, appliances or light bulbs) that enable you to control your abode from Android or iOS apps.But to create a truly smart home, at some point these devices will need to talk to each other ­ and when they do, who supports it? Are customers expected to call each manufacturer independently to figure out the piece of the puzzle that is broken? Or can they call one support center By Michael Ringman, CIO, TELUS InternationalMichael RingmanIN MY OPINIONThe challenge for contact center executives will be how to manage the new connectivity without adding customer service complexity
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