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Digital Alignment: A digital transformation with the customer at the centre Project partners

Digital Alignment: A digital transformation with the customer at the centre Alessandro Crisci, SVP of IT for Amplifon Americas, talks digital transformation and how an aging customer base is more digitally enabled than ever before...

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he role of the CIO and the significance of an IT function has changed dramatically. Given the rise of digital solutions, digital transfor-

mations and the digitalisation of business, this comes as no surprise. No matter the industry, no matter the market specialization, the challenge for any business remains the same - serving the customer. The customers of today, and the customers of tomorrow, demand seamless experiences and digitally enabled interaction with their service providers. These demands are constantly shifting and so businesses over the world continue to radically shift their internal IT infrastructures to enable a level of agility and resilience that fosters innovation and allows them to continue to better meet the needs of this evolving customer base. “The world around you is constantly evolving thanks to new technologies and new market challenges; your customers are changing too,” says Alessandro Crisci, Senior VP of IT for Amplifon Americas. “There is a major generational change happening and so whatever you were prepared to face five years ago has changed quite a bit. “Every company has to continually adapt to be relevant in the market and to be relevant to the customer, whoever they are.” Amplifon is the leading global provider of solutions and services in the hearing care space. With more than 10 million customers worldwide, Amplifon provides a number of services ranging from comprehensive hearing tests, consultation on hearing aid solutions, fitting of hearing devices, and hearing care assistance. With more than 10,000-point of sales (POS), and 17,000 people across all 4

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five continents, the challenge of meeting

clinics and stores) and Amplifon Hearing

the changing customer base is amplified

Health Care (managed care space serv-

significantly.

ing members of insurances, employers or

Crisci is the SVP of IT for Amplifon Americas, which is made up of four key brands; Amplifon Canada (business to

associations that are providing hearing aid benefits to their members). Through his role, he serves all four of

consumer retailer), Miracle-Ear (the larg-

the brands with a shared and unified IT

est brand made up of franchisee and

team. “I am here to drive the digital trans-

corporate-operated clinics), Elite Hearing

formation of Amplifon in the Americas

Network (offering services to independent

Region,” he says. “It’s important to w w w.t h e i n t e r f a c e . n e t

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U N D E R S TA N D I N G E Q A N D H I R I N G F O R I T I N A P O S T- PA N D E M I C W O R L D

recognize that this is not just an IT journey,

to a digital transformation, and Crisci is

it’s a joint journey. We are transforming the

keen to highlight the one true common-

company in the way we operate, and we

ality in any journey. “It has to be relevant

are doing it in conjunction with all of the

and start from the customer,” he says. “At

business.”

the end, we transform to better serve our

This transformation aligns to a broader

customers. A transformation done just for

global journey of Amplifon called One

the sake of adopting technology does not

Amplifon Transformation, which will see

make sense.

the company truly align and leverage all of

“We look at all the aspects of the

its global assets, solutions and ‘know-how’

customer journey and customer experi-

while still remaining relevant to its local

ence and we define a roadmap based

markets.

on what is relevant for them. Then we

The term ‘digital transformation’ is

have regular alignment discussions with

incredibly overexposed and, with it, comes

all business unit leaders, and corporate

a key challenge in trying to define what it

and global colleagues, and we execute

even means for a company. Each company

against them. That’s the basis for this

has its own focus, priorities and approach

transformation.”

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Placing the customer at the very centre

old. We found that even if you think they

of the transformation sounds simple

are unfamiliar with digital channels, that’s

enough on paper, but to maintain this

not actually true; a good portion of them is

approach requires a constant dialogue

very active on the digital channels.”

with the customer and keeping a close

This has forced Amplifon Americas

eye on the market. This allows the busi-

to think a little more about its own digi-

ness to ensure that any decision it makes

tal channels and recognize and iden-

is made with the customer’s needs and

tify a number of key ways in which it can

expectations in mind.

improve and better serve this customer

“As a company, of course we observe

base. Crisci is keen to highlight that as

the market. We observe the trends, and

Amplifon has such a huge global network,

we make our own studies,” he says. “One

some of which are further along this digi-

thing that we’ve found particularly inter-

tal maturity curve than others, he can

esting about our customer base is that

tap into and leverage best practices

normally they are around 60-65+ years

and successes from them. This proves

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“It’s important to recognise that this is not an IT journey, it’s a joint journey. We are transforming the company in the way we operate, and we are doing it in conjunction with all of the business” —

ALESSANDRO CRISCI SVP OF IT FOR AMPLIFON AMERICAS

essential when establishing businesses

piece.”

cases for digital solutions, as opposed to

Amplifon Americas’ digital journey

simply following the digital trends in the

looks closely at three different areas:

markets.

digital interaction, the evolution of hear-

“You need to be aware of technology

ing aid products and the transformation

and to study both your market and the

of systems and technology to enable its

other businesses to see what is available,

people to serve the customer better. As

especially when the investments are large

Crisci noted above, the majority of the

and they change how your business oper-

customer base sits in the 60-65+ age

ates,” says Crisci.

range but market evaluation recognized

“It’s very important that you have solid

that both this group and the younger

business case study. There are some

55-60 age group are digitally active,

things you can try and pilot; a quick solu-

and so digital interaction becomes a key

tion that you can put there and see if it

priority.

works. When we invest in technology,

The company has invested in overhaul-

we have to start by asking how we can

ing its websites and the experience, capa-

better serve our customers. We try to look

bilities and the functionalities behind them

end-to-end and at the customer journey;

as well as launching a branded mobile

what they will experience? How can we

app. “We also looked at the digital inter-

provide a better experience? Or better

action not just with our end customer, but

products, solutions and a better service?

with our partners,” says Crisci. “Here we

We then try to define the technology

launched new portals to be able to interact w w w.t h e i n t e r f a c e . n e t

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digitally with our providers. With custom-

channel. “Audiologists and hearing care

ers, we now have a scenario where they

professionals are at the centre of our

can go on our website or app, find a store

customer experience, and they need to

close to them, book an appointment, and

be enabled with tools and capabilities to

schedule a consultation online.”

provide an excellent experience,” he says.

As a market leader in hearing care

He envisions a situation where a customer

services and solutions, Amplifon does

enters a store and the shop or clinic

not actually manufacture hearing aids. It

personnel know who that person is and

works with partners to make hearing aids

knows in advance what issues they might

available on the market and provide new

have if they use a hearing aid.

solutions to the customer, which are more

To achieve this, Amplifon focuses on

advanced and more connected. Falling

the digitalization of enterprise processes

under Amplifon America’s largest brand,

and customization of the experience:

Miracle-Ear, the company launched an

“The more you streamline your enterprise

initiative called the Miracle-Ear Product

processes, the more precise, timely, and

Experience. This is a comprehensive prop-

reliable you are in serving” he says. “As per

osition for its customer, which encom-

providing a personalized experience, this

passes both the technology solution

means you look at an increasing number

(hearing aids) and services like hearing

of data and truly know your customer,

care and support. “This proposition is fully

because if you know your customer, then

connected,” explains Crisci. “Your hear-

you can provide better services because

ing aid is connected through your mobile

you understand their challenges.”

app and can be connected through other

Evidence of this can be seen in how

devices in the house. You have a fully inte-

Amplifon Americas has worked to improve

grated journey, and you can also provide

its capability as a third-party administra-

care to the customer. Remote care is a

tor in the managed care space. These

growing trend, so this is becoming more

improvements allow the company to seam-

relevant to Amplifon.”

lessly integrate with large payers like insur-

For Crisci, the third area is very impor-

ers and employers to be able to better

tant, and for him it’s a case of enabling

serve their members, be more respon-

Amplifon’s people to serve the customer

sive and streamlined and have immediate

better, irrespective of the customer

access to the right information. This can w w w.t h e i n t e r f a c e . n e t

include what benefits they have or what process and even what insurance claim they might have. Amplifon Americas can now do this much more effectively in an integrated and automated way. Elsewhere, Amplifon Americas has also launched its One Big Data program, which allows the company to have a comprehensive view of its customers, including visits to any of its clinics as well as what their purchases are. On top of that, thanks to the integration with the mobile app, the company can understand if they are using their hearing aid effectively and can assist them in optimising their distinctive experience. “Ultimately, the aim of this is to have a better understanding of what the customer needs in order to serve them better,” adds Crisci. “We can use this to offer the best solution to fit their needs and provide them with counselling and care throughout the journey so that they make the best use of it.” One can be forgiven for thinking a journey like this is a simple and pain free experience, thanks in part to the great successes achieved so far. But, as we all know, technology breeds great opportunity and great challenge and no company is immune to these challenges. For many, a key challenge is buy-in. After all, a transformation brings change and some 12

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may not feel the need for change. “Any

work and deliver results and prove that

successful transformation is successful

he is doing the right thing. Having experi-

only to the extent that it’s fully embraced

enced success helps the conversation but

by the team,” he says. “I think it’s manda-

you have to continuously work to engage

tory, and a pillar of your transformation

and stimulate your team, and the entire

should be to continually promote and

organization. “Apart from the buy in of the

explain the journey, and to have ambassa-

business, a transformation is resource

dors promoting the idea and the change

demanding and intense,” he says. “Seeing

through the organization.”

results and seeing the fact that they are appreciated helps build the morale of the

“There’s also the need to integrate your transformation journey with the running

team,” he says. “That’s an important aspect

of your daily operation,” he adds. “You

too, where I work a lot with my team in

have to serve your customers on a daily

getting suggestions from them on which

basis, all while running a transformation.

type of communication, interaction and

I don’t think there is a secret sauce here

discussion they want to have. That’s some-

to face this, but you have to carefully plan

thing we work a lot to be all aligned in this

resources and not underestimate the

journey.” Aligning and energising the people is

importance of knowing which people you

something that Crisci and his team are

need to do what.”

incredibly proud of.

With a digital transformation, there is no

“The team that I have today has signifi-

clear end in sight. Businesses find themselves in a continuous evolution and Crisci

cantly evolved from the one I met almost

is one of many who must continuously

two years ago when I joined,” he says.

“A pillar of your transformation should be to continually promote and explain the journey, and to have ambassadors promoting the idea and the change through the organisation” —

ALESSANDRO CRISCI SVP OF IT FOR AMPLIFON AMERICAS

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ALESSANDRO CRISCI SVP OF IT FOR AMPLIFON AMERICAS

“There is a good part of the team which is

cannot be achieved alone, and Amplifon

still the same, but with a different energy

Americas works closely with a number of

and interest. There are people who are

partners on this journey. Some of them

energized talking about new technol-

have been partners for a long time, and

ogy and a new role of IT in the company.

others brought in specifically for this

They are passionate about learning and

journey.

evolving.”

Crisci is keen to highlight a few that he describes as, “the backbone to providing

Vendors and partners A transformation is something that simply 16

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services to our customers”.

A time of crisis

“Think about the journey we are doing.

At the time of writing, the world has been

We are transforming the way we run our

gripped and devastated in many ways

operations. To us, it’s very important that

by the COVID19 pandemic. For business,

the partners bring their experience and

this has been a time of uncertainty and

perspective. Have honest, constructive

opportunity and Crisci is quick to highlight

and open conversations,” he says. “It’s

that the strength of these partnerships

much easier to deal with partners, where

(coupled with the work completed so far)

you can talk straight, you can have an

has been key for Amplifon Americas to

honest conversation, you can give feed-

remain strong throughout.

back to each other, and we can improve w w w.t h e i n t e r f a c e . n e t

together. I think that’s the type of partner that we of course look for, and those are the partners we try to work with.” The next few years will see increased optimisation of the IT infrastructure and it will also see a degree of harmonisation, bringing the best practices from one brand into the others; aligning the people, and the businesses, together. Crisci reflects on what has been key to success for him and what will remain key moving forward - is it the best technology? Or is it investing great deals of money? “It’s simple: listen to your customer,” he says adamantly. “I have a lot of internal customers who I work in partnership with and we have a lot of mutual trust. For a transformation it’s about managing the change, the priorities, the team and the organization “If you openly discuss with everyone and manage it together and if you work in partnership and align on the priorities, then you are achieving success from the very start.”

Ricoh IT Services “We have a complex, IT infrastructure, some of which is in the public and private cloud space. Ricoh supports us in managing our private cloud and the data center infrastructure. We started a journey with 18

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them to increase virtualization to our scalability. That’s very instrumental for us: for our ability to expand, to better serve our customers, to be able to operate at speed, and to be reliable.”

Sycle.net, “They provide the solutions which we use in the clinics to handle patient care, so they are a critical part of our infrastructure. We want to provide an omnichannel journey for our customers. If you come from a digital channel, or you’re going to the shop, or you use our mobile app, the interaction you have with us is visible and is consistent across the channels. They are the master of our customer data and if you take an appointment from the web, it’s synchronized and it’s visible in the store, and our hearing care professional can serve the customer better. They’ve been instrumental here.”

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corporate.amplifon.com