The Evolution of Businesses’ Needs

By Casper de Villiers SVP: Data, Compliance and Shared Services Operations Data & Compliance

Where it began 20 years ago

I believe Maslow was more accurate than many of us could ever realize. His theory hierarchy of needs is true in more ways than just personal lives.

Twenty years ago, when Clickatell set out to make a change in the world, the focus was to enable others to make things better and easier. As we grew, we started to focus on businesses, and we had a new microenvironment to understand. Our initial focus was on service delivery and solving real-world problems. This seemed like a problem we could easily solve with the right product or service offering and the right team behind it. Anybody likes a solution to a problem or challenge. Fulfilling this was deemed a very achievable task.

Then the change started

We all know generations are labelled Baby Boomers, Gen X, Gen Y, etc., but the same is true for businesses. There is an evolution in business that is important, and likely as tricky to master as the evolution of human generations. We have noticed how business needs evolve from the service and solution-centered approach to a world where cost is the major driving force. The challenge for technology solution providers is to continue the innovation and service delivery but in a manner that commoditization does not impact the ability to remain profitable. However, managing cost and optimizing vendor relationships are achievable if you do proper planning and execution.

The next, unexpected wave

Profitability seems like the logical focus for any business, yet another step in the evolution of business happened these past three years. There were a sudden interest and attention on data. This is where Maslow was right– the importance for all individuals to ensure their identity and sense of belonging are respected and kept safe – allowing them control over their own information.

Similarly, businesses also are required to respect this philosophy by truly caring about the information of their customers and ensuring it is kept safe.

I have never seen such a big wave of change where businesses and individuals from all over the world place value on the protection of information. I believe it was a tick-box exercise in the beginning, but I now notice a cultural change where the protection of information is becoming an integral part of all business transactions.

When we can all ensure our customers’ information is safe with us – we build trust and we give individuals the freedom of mind to engage with their trusted partners – unlocking the world to so many more possibilities. Ultimately, provide them the ability to embrace the supernova of technology that is there to transform our lives in a way that will help us get back time as we reduce wasted time on inefficient processes.

Time to embrace

History has proven that success lies in the ability to adopt and adapt and it is time for everyone to adjust to this new life where careless care of information is as damaging as a pandemic. Make the change, improve your processes, and invest in technology to safeguard what is most important to everyone in the world – identity.