Proposal for Advocacy for Change

Every organization must adapt to change, and employees must focus on what is most important for the team to succeed and compete in the job market. The company needs to figure out where the inefficiencies in the working process are coming from. Once the niche has been identified, the next step is to write a proposal that outlines the goals of the planned change as well as the steps that must be taken to ensure that the change is implemented (Gunasekaran 25). The proposal also outlines the benefits of the change process as well as the potential stumbling blocks. The plan is presented to the concerned body that accesses the importance of adopting the change in the system. Once the benefits outweigh the disadvantages, the proposal can be implemented and be incorporated in the business. Many organizations are proposing changes to their operations so as to give room to technology that has proved to be of concern in the business process. Many companies are writing proposals with the aim of changing the manual systems of operations to move to technology and Internet-based activities. The advantage of this is fast and reliable systems of services (Cheung 276). The paper will compromise a proposal written to the Swish Company intending to bring change to the communication services. It calls for a transformation from the manual communication that involves the use of assistants before reaching the customer care representative to the usage of an automated router system of communication. The new change will be an advantage to the customers and the company in ensuring the success of the business. Again, the customers will no longer require a mediator when they call to report cases in the firm.

Objective of the Proposal

The proposal is intended to streamline, redesign, and simplify the communication process in Swish Company. The change should employ automation and technology so as to improve the effectiveness of communication, improve the productivity, and foster customer trust.

Background

The company has to use the identification of its clients using the manual methods. The customer care has to identify the client either face to face or by a call. This has been a tedious process especially in determining the customer’s needs. Due to the shortcomings, I feel there is the need to write a proposal advocating for the change in the process. The communication process must be made automated so as to easy and fast. The existing process has problems with customer identification and does not allow the communication department to track the clients in case there is a need to. The current process is causing excess manual tracking for the clients with manual manipulation of the identification codes. The result of this has been the loss of vital information that is key to the company and the clients themselves. The customers have to call the helpline number and are answered by a communication assistant who has to enquire first the reason the customer is calling. For example, she has to know whether the client is reporting a new problem or they are checking the progress of a previous issue. The mode of service given to the two cases is different, and this is what needs to be improved. For instance, if the client is calling to enquire of a previous issue, the communication assistant has to ask the customer for an incident identity number. She has to place the customer on hold to call another customer care representative to tell them about the reason for calling and then transfers the caller. The process is tiring and expensive to the client. Therefore, there is a need for a change in the process so as to improve the communication.

The Proposed Solution

It is a must to consider the interest of the customers and work towards making the system favorable and affordable to them. It is possible to replace the role of the communication assistant who answers the calls of the clients with an automated system that provides customers with the opportunity to choose what they want to communicate. For example, the system should have two buttons, one for the new problem and another for previously reported issue. There will be no need to hold a client’s call so as to transfer it to the next communication assistant. If a customer presses the second button, then the system would allow them to enter the incident identity number, and then they will be routed to the customer service representative directly. The automated system of communication and calling will avoid the lengthy procedures involved in the manual system, and it will cut down on the expenses in terms of time and resources. It will also improve the performance of the company and increase productivity. A company that utilizes technology in service provision is likely to succeed more than another of the type that uses manual methods. Therefore, it is a must that the change must be implemented within the organization so as to improve the communication process.

Steps to Follow to Implement the Change

The first phase of the implementation of the process change is buying a new phone routing system that would be capable of accommodating the system. Although this will be an expensive technology to install, it will be profitable in the long run. There will be no delays in the communication with a lengthy procedure to fall. No service mediator will be needed as the case with the manual system (Bhuiyan and Baghel 763). The second step will be installing, programming, and testing the new routing system. Implementing change is sometimes challenging and may fail when the testing was not properly done. The system has to be checked to see if it is efficient and that can carry out the tasks it is intended to. Once the system is seen to work well and accomplish its objectives, it can then be incorporated in the communication process. If the system has more challenges and shortcomings, then it cannot be adopted, and thus other methods should be sought. Another step that must be done is converting the incident identity number from the old format that was a combination of figures and letters to be numbers only. A phone is usually designed with numbers for quick access and entry. It might pose a challenge to the customer in entering letters when they are asked for the identification numbers. The last step should be communicating the change in the workflow and process to the client service representatives and the customers. Communication is critical for any company to succeed. Though the change might be necessary and beneficial to the top management; if the customer care representatives are not involved in the implementation process, it would be a complete failure. Change is necessary and useful only when the whole company is willing to implement it (Rashid and Ahmad 50). The workers in the communication department must be trained on how to use the new communication router. The clients should also be taught on how to use the system and the benefits associated with the change. Time to time, the company should carry out evaluation measures to determine whether the change was worth and where adjustments are needed (Soković and Jovanović 8).

Benefits Associated with the Change

The new communication system will eliminate the need for assistants to answer the customers’ calls. It will also allow them to do other jobs the company may assign them. The process of communication will be easy and shorter as compared with the manual systems where the client’s call had to be put on hold. It is evident that in our company, each communication assistant answers an average of thirty calls from customers each day and takes about 42 seconds per every call. Implementing the new communication router system will save each assistant extra 21 minutes each working day. The time can be used to do other roles in the company. The customer will directly communicate to customer care representative who will ultimately and quickly assist them without the need for an intermediary. The overall result of using the improved systems of communication will be increased efficiency in customer dealing with increased output. Moreover, the company will benefit from the technology that improves service delivery.

Potential Problems

There are potential challenges associated with the change. First, the cost of buying and installing the new phone communication router system is approximately 700 US Dollars. When the company considers the value and compares it with the savings associated with employing more contact assistants; then this will be a problem. However, the accrued benefit of the change, in the long run, will be more compared to the cost. Therefore, the company must take up and implement the change. Moreover, the time that is supposed to be used for the programming and testing of the developed router system is approximated to be 48 person hours. Therefore the time is expected to be more than the initial investment. However, this should not be considered as a reason for neglecting the change because the benefit is worth the investment. Furthermore, the change might meet resistance from customers who may not be willing to deal with an automated system. Many clients may not appreciate the change especially the technology that would involve them in the implementation process. Therefore, the company has to understand that no solution will please every client and thus they should work to make the system appealing to the customer so as to maintain them.

Recommendation

I recommend that the change in communication system should be implemented and incorporated in the company. This is because it will improve the communication efficiency in the organization and reduce costs associated with phone calls. Moreover, the change should be adopted by every employee in the company so as to improve the working of the enterprise. Although, some customers may embrace the change and others may not appreciate it, the company should ensure that the clients do not feel let down. They should look for methods of maintaining the customers before they adapt to the change.

Works Cited

Bhuiyan, Nadia, and Amit Baghel. “An overview of continuous improvement: from the past to the present.” The Emerald Research Journal (2012): 761-771.

Cheung, Yen. “Process analysis techniques and tools for business improvements.” Business Process Management Journal 4.4 (1998): 274 - 290.

Gunasekaran, Angappa. “Implementing Change.” International Journal of Process Management and Benchmarking (2010): 23-45.

Rashid, Omar Adnan, and Mohamad Nazir Ahmad. “Business Process Improvement Methodologies: An Overview .” Journal of Information Systems, Research, and Innovation (2009): 45-53.

Soković, Mirko, and Jelena Jovanović. “Basic Quality Tools in Continuous Improvement Process .” Journal of Mechanical Engineering (2009): 1-9.