It was a pleasure to have our own Managing Consultant, Vicki Butcher, speak at our latest Future of Service Forum on creating the workplace of the future. In the session, Vicki examined the influencing factors pushing companies to reimagine their operating model, from the shift in customer behaviour to the rapid advance in technology. In addition, Vicki shared ways in which businesses can re-define their operational blueprint, outlining some of the critical decisions influencing operational design. In this article, Vicki re-visits the insights delivered during the discussion. 


We’re continuing to see a significant shift in customer behaviour, not only in how they do their business, but also when they do it and which brands they choose. Whilst the pandemic may have been a catalyst for change, we can see a potentially lasting impact. This is driving businesses to reimagine their operating model, capitalising on the opportunities these changes present. Here, we explore some of the macro-themes.  

A rapid rise in digital 

The rapid increase in technology capability has been incredible, which creates a huge opportunity to redesign customer journeys and maximise the tech capability. Take translation technology as an example, this has evolved to a place where near-real-time text conversations are possible across multiple languages. You may have seen one of our latest posts about Webhelp’s Polygot which does exactly that, creating an opportunity to service online conversations from anywhere in the world. Technology such as this could be a game-changer within the customer journey, creating the ability to serve any customer from any location without language constraints.  

Serving customers anytime and anywhere  

With working from home, the working day is becoming very different. There may not be set times in the day for work life and for homelife - instead, they are blending. Taking the dog for a long walk or taking time during the day to go Christmas shopping, means consumers are pushing their household chores (such as paying the bills) into new times of the day. It’s therefore important for businesses to think about the new times in which they need to be available for their customers; normal peak and demand flows may be very different. This opens opportunities to rethink working patterns and flexible working options, to meet the varying demands of our customers and offer flexibility to colleagues.  This flexibility for colleagues is becoming an increasingly important factor especially given the challenges within the labour market.  A firm's ability to offer flexible options which increase work-life balance could be key in retaining and attracting talent. 


Brand choice and awareness 

There’s been an increasing focus from consumers to select brands based on purpose-driven factors, such as sustainability and ethics. With the rise in digital, consumers also have access to far more information, giving them the ability to research more about what a brand stands for and how other customers have rated and reviewed them. This wealth of knowledge, from customers anywhere in the world, could be a significant opportunity when looking at anything from contact strategy to marketing collateral. In the first of our CX21 series, you’ll hear more from our speakers on this topic, and what this pace of change means for customer experience. 

We are likely to continue to see these changes evolve, presenting a significant opportunity to reimagine the operating model and create the workplace of the future.  

To learn more about this, along with perspectives on how to create a workplace fit for the future, read The Future of Service Forum: Creating the workplace of the future.  

In addition, catch up on the highlights from our previous session The Future of Service Forum: Driving digital adoption.  

At Gobeyond Partners, we have extensive experience in delivering operating model redesign, and will ensure your business operations can fully deliver your business strategy. Discover more about the work we do in our service portfolio.