An Interview with Paul Wilson
DSL Telecom provides the latest Zoho technology products and support services to SME customers across South Africa. DSL Telecom is also a Zoho Advanced Partner in South Africa. We focus on our customers being successful with their Zoho technology investments and offer expert assistance to customers during their journey with the Zoho suite of web and mobile apps.
We offer a comprehensive range of Zoho services including: Zoho Licencing Sales, Zoho Training and Zoho Customer Success Plans.
Paul Wilson is the Technical Director at DSL Telecom and is one of the most experienced Zoho Consultants in South Africa and Africa. He has developed skills and expertise in most industries in SA due to the range of projects he has worked on. His primary focus is helping customers make smart technology investments and improving their Zoho Software business practices that ultimately save time and money.
Paul's Zoho application expertise spans across popular Zoho applications namely: Zoho CRM, Zoho Desk, Zoho Campaigns, Zoho CRM Plus, Zoho Recruit, Zoho Books, Zoho Workplace & Zoho Projects. He has helped implement Zoho's technology to a wide range of companies across various industries including education, construction, transportation as well as finance.
In a recent interview with Andrew, Zoho Africa's Business Development Manager, Paul discussed how the latest Zoho technology solutions are the smartest investments for South African Businesses.
Here is what they discussed:
Q : Andrew
Hello, good day and I welcome everybody to this Zoho live episode. Today I’m joined by Paul Wilson from DSL Telecom.
A : Paul
How is it going Andrew? Thanks for having me.
Q : Andrew
Ok Paul, let’s get into it. Starting with a few questions. ‘How long has DSL Telecom been a Zoho Advanced Partner in South Africa?’
A : Paul
For just over 8 years now, since 2012.
Q : Andrew
Okay brilliant and how long have you been using Zoho’s technology?
A : Paul
We’ve been using Zoho's products since 2010. We started using Zoho CRM and Zoho Desk (for support teams and helpdesks), in our own telecommunications business. After seeing the change that it gave us in our business, we thought it was just too good not to share with the rest of the country and the rest of Africa.
Q : Andrew
Definitely! And which type of businesses have you helped implement Zoho’s technology or various technologies?
A : Paul
We have predominantly been the only Zoho partner in the South African market and have helped a lot of businesses in various industries from education, construction, transportation and finance, companies that consist of only 1 person to companies of 280 people. I’ve always said from a technology perspective, that sometimes the smaller companies, the companies with fewer people, actually need more technology than the larger businesses.
Q : Andrew
I completely agree with you. Having been a partner since 2012, which has been the best Zoho product that has been created?
A : Paul
In the last eight years, there have been tons of advancements. I think anyone who's been using Zoho for a long time would have seen this. A few years ago, there were about 25 Zoho applications available and today, correct me if I’m wrong, there are about 50 to 60 Zoho apps available! If I had to try pinpoint down to one product, it’s a tough question, but I’d have to choose Zoho One, because it is the grouping of all applications together at a single price point. I think from the South African perspective, costs have always been an issue especially with the volatile Rand Dollar exchange rate. Zoho One has irradicated this. Having a bundle of products at a single price point really changed the game, and also having those applications at your fingertips makes a big difference. So I think if I had to choose any particular product it would be Zoho One, and I’m sure many people will agree with that.
Let's get into the South African business-focused questions
Q : Andrew
Many South African businesses are having to implement business continuity planning. What is your advice to business owners needing to implement technology to allow their staff to just work, collaborate, and communicate during this time?
A : Paul
Obviously it’s been a trying time for everyone. We deal with a lot of businesses, we work with a lot of people in different industries and we’ve seen how some industries have thrived and some people have suffered, but the golden thread that we’ve seen throughout, is that companies have been able to use technology as a crutch or as a tool to advance. So in terms of business continuity, technology is important and it's vital that businesses remember that change is also important. Change is going to happen whether we enforce the change or whether it’s enforced upon us. Here's where technology can be used to excel through these times.
Having Zoho One and most of our customers working with Zoho One and having tools like Zoho Cliq, Zoho Meeting and a cloud-based telephony system, really has made a difference in allowing companies to power through this time of COVID-19. What we have noticed in the South African market, is that our customers that have had the ability to change and adapt using technology are able to come out on top because they’re just so much more advanced whereas their competitors are doing almost nothing.
Q : Andrew
Definitely, I completely agree with you. I’ve seen a lot of companies that have been prepared and some that aren't prepared. And I think it’s not only something that's happening right now, it’s something that’s going to happen in the future and also the technology advancements are allowing businesses to be able to have their staff work remotely if necessary. Another question that I have for you is: How do business owners get their staff to accept this change with new technology that they might not be familiar with?
A : Paul
When we talk about change and change management throughout technology implementation, that’s probably one of the most important things. When I say important things, it's one of the biggest issues or hurdles we deal with and that is getting people to change. We all know that where technology and are concerned, the software is only as good as the person using the software. If it’s not there and it doesn’t happen, then the technology takes seconds seat and becomes almost worthless, so getting people to change is something that’s very important and in saying that we take that very close to heart when it comes to implementing these Zoho products for our Zoho customers.
It’s where a lot of our focus lies. One of the most important things for business owners, directors and managers is choosing the correct software. First of all, does the software or the technology suit the need? If we can answer that question correctly, then we should have a higher uptake and change is going to be easier. Secondly, we look at the staff and the users since they’re potentially the most important part of this puzzle. If they don’t fit, the technology doesn’t fit right. In addition, it's important for us to train people and teach people that the software is not there to make their lives harder, nor to change the way things are done, but always for the better and to make their lives easier. I think often from the surface of technology changes, change is hard for people inherently, but if we can teach people about the power they can gain, we definitely see a better uptake, better usage from staff, from employees and in turn, definitely better productivity and growth from the technology itself.
Q : Andrew
I completely agree with you. The next question I have for you is: How can South African businesses differentiate themselves from their competitors using various types of Zoho technologies?
A : Paul
I think all businesses understand that technology is a necessity. It’s not a nice-to-have any more, it’s definitely a necessity. The companies that aren’t using technology are definitely going to fall behind and we’re seeing that in the marketplace and we’re seeing that the people using technology are definitely excelling and moving forward. I remember when we started doing this in 2012, working with customers and technologies in their own businesses and in those days, pen and paper were the preferred methods of storing data and storing information. Things have changed dramatically and as the younger generation has come through and started businesses, the idea of technology is certainly embraced more. We’re seeing a lot of young CEOs, younger managers and younger business owners embracing technology and seeing technology advancements as the competitive edge over competitors.
If we had to look at elements of technology that make a difference in business, it really comes down to customer service at the end of the day. A happy business has happy customers. If we can use technology to keep our customers happy, we’re definitely going to have a competitive advantage. We’ve seen features such as customer portals and defined process flows where data is kept and easily-accessed, so that employees can monitor and gain quick access to customer data. Obviously, the pen and paper and the diary method never really worked for this as it always took time to page back. Being able to track the stage of a deal and making sure that communications and relationships are both upfront, makes a big difference. CRM systems are obviously one of the primary serving products we see out there and we’ve definitely seen this to be one of the major competitive edges of customers using CRM systems versus customers not using them.
It's also critical for a business to understand the true value of data. If we had to look from a worldwide business perspective, a business's two biggest assets are: Firstly - it’s staff, the people that operate and secondly, it's data. If the data’s looked after, if it’s cared about and updated regularly, we definitely have more value within the business. The guys that are doing this and using technology to do this are definitely a couple of steps ahead of the rest. I think from a data perspective that’s where we stand—advancements.
Q : Andrew
Yes definitely. The next question I have for you is: When looking for a technology solution, what is the most important thing for South African businesses to look out for?’
A : Paul
I think the cost is a major one. A business will always look at costs first and foremost. Somehow Zoho has been solid in their costs and pricing, and this new release of the South African pricing is really making difference as we see people making that decision of technology a little bit easier now that it’s not linked to the Rand Dollar exchange rate.
Added to cost, is security. Like I mentioned previously, data is important and valuable. If good security doesn't exist, we can’t manage users correctly, and t’s definitely something that South African businesses lookout for. Our data is valuable and should it get into the wrong hands, it can become a problem.
Businesses also need integrations! As we grow and technology becomes used more widely in business, what we’ve noticed is that different departments or different sectors in the business start to define apps that they need to use and having these apps talk to each other and integrate with each other is certainly something that we need to look out for.
I suppose that brings me back to why Zoho One is my favourite Zoho app. It just gave the power of these applications to the business. You wouldn’t have to go and look for an application to do another job, your support team would have Zoho Desk available to them, your sales team and the company would have Zoho CRM complete with digital signing tools and Zoho Cliq for internal communication. Things that are available that easily integrate with each other make a big difference! I've noticed that businesses have changed the old dynamic of looking for a software application to patch a hole, and instead are sourcing a suite of software software applications to run an entire business.
Flexibility is another big thing. Within the South African market, every business likes to be themselves. They like to put their own mark on things. From a technology perspective, flexibility is important. It’s important to adapt and to build a system to manage your flow, your process, and to put your own mark on it.
Q : Andrew
I completely agree, a lot of South African businesses are unique and I think the one thing is that you can customise the Zoho solution to fit your business. I also want to find out from you: What type of features, like technology features are most requested by the South African market?
A : Paul
It’s an interesting question. We have worked in many many sectors and every industry or sector has a specific way they want things to be done, which is natural. If I had to look at the overarching features or requests, things like payment gateways or integration to a payment gateway to streamline their payments and collections. Telephony integration is one that I personally hold very close to my heart because I’ve been working on it for the last two years, trying to get a good South African phone system that integrates to the software products or to Zoho CRM products. We finally have one of these products so we don’t have any more voice quality issues. It integrates with many products, Zoho CRM being one of them. This cloud-based phone system also integrates with other CRM systems in the market and we’ve seen the awesome impact users have experienced.
What we’ve seen is that with technology and working remotely, being able to monitor and understand how people are operating, is very important and I think integrating something like telephony has made all the difference, because not only can we see our people on phone calls and working remotely from a cloud-hosted or cloud based system, we can also report on it. We can see what phone calls have been made to what customers at what time and how long that call taken. We can start to look at the data and we can start to dig into the data.
Telephony integration is definitely the number feature one that’s been requested the most during the last eight years. It’s something that we’ve had available since March 2020! I’m happy to say it’s a hundred percent ready and we’re ready to roll it out! A lot of customers ask for, want and need a telephony integration.
Other than that if we move back to talk about the process and how customers want their own process. I think one of the features that stands out not necessarily that’s been requested but that has been used the most since it’s been implemented is Zoho's Blueprint. Zoho Blueprint readily allows customers to put their own mark, their own process and their own flow onto the system - it defines the process to find the flow.
Q : Andrew
Yes, now I can completely agree with you! The Zoho Blueprint feature is a really good feature for businesses to make use of and I think I've also viewed demo video of your telephony integration into Zoho CRM. People can find that demo on the DSL telecom YouTube channel if I’m not mistaken?
A : Paul
Absolutely, and if anyone wants an in-person demo, we can organise that too!
Q : Andrew
That is great! Okay, we have noticed that the biggest hurdle for South African businesses in the onboarding process is to onboard the Zoho technology and the Zoho products into their business.
A : Paul
It’s interesting, and as I said earlier at the beginning of this session, we’ve worked with multiple companies, multiple industries, from one user to two hundred and eighty users and there are various hurdles that businesses face when it comes to implementing the Zoho software.
The first hurdle is choosing the right software. So we’ve got to make sure that it is the right fit. When I first sit down with a customer I say to them: ‘' You’ve got to be a hundred percent sure that this is the right product that’s going to work for you and your business, because if it’s not, then you are wasting your time and I’m wasting my time and we might as well stop right here’'. It’s quite a harsh thing to say and maybe it comes across as if it’s not what the customer necessarily wants to hear, but it's important that the choice is made correctly from the beginning.
Cost and time is another hurdle. We look at the time and cost simultaneously. For smaller businesses, cost is a big issue and for the bigger businesses, time can be a huge issue. A Zoho implementation can often be quite a costly exercise and it takes a lot of work and time to get things right. DSL Telecom has successfully developed multiple Zoho offerings to accommodate all types of South African businesses.
We offer Zoho Training where we can go in and give administrator training for customers so they can learn how to use Zoho applications themselves. One of the beauties of the Zoho products is the fact that it’s not rocket science to go and put this in for yourselves. To implement the system it is not rocket science, it just takes know-how to implement it properly. Our Zoho training programs give the customers the know-how .
DSL Telecom also offers full Zoho Implementation services, where we partner with multiple development firms. We can do anything you know - the sky is really the limit.
These products are certainly revolutionary and they need to grow with the business. Businesses change all the time, I think we’ve all seen that in the last eight weeks. I think everyone’s here in business listening will attest to that, that things change whether we want to change or whether we are forced to change.
At DSL Telecom, we also offer Zoho Customers Success Packages. It’s about driving system success, especially when we’re talking about a suite of Zoho applications. It’s important to get the value out of that. Take something as simple as Zoho Lens - many people might not know what that is. It’s a smaller product but it can be used very effectively, and having someone like us as a Zoho partner in South Africa makes a big difference.
Andrew
Yeah, just exactly as what you said, I’ve seen so many people get the Zoho technology and they can do it themselves, but the thing is that they’re not experienced like yourself, so it might take them quite a few months or maybe even years to understand the system and how it works, whereas if they come to you—with all your experience you will point them in the right direction because the system can be coded in so many different ways.
You can have it flow in so many different ways and I think it is actually vital that a business goes to somebody like yourself who’s got the knowledge to kind of say to them ‘listen you know you can’t do it that way but I’ve found in my, you know 10+ years of experience that this is a better way to do it’. So I definitely, completely agree with you that it’s a hurdle when you know a person takes the system and tries to build it themselves and then eventually realises that it’s not working. It's definitely not advisable and I’d like to thank you for today's interview and for sharing your insight, knowledge and experience with us.
Paul
Thanks for having me and just keep doing what you guys are doing. It’s great to see the advancement with Zoho products and it’s great to see everything happen quickly and that you are giving customers what they need. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to share a bit of knowledge. I hope people can learn from it and I hope it makes a difference.
For more information about our Zoho offerings:
Zoho Software Training 👉 https://www.dsltelecom.co.za/zohotraining
Zoho Implementation 👉 https://www.dsltelecom.co.za/zohoimplementation
Zoho Customer Success Plan 👉 https://www.dsltelecom.co.za/zohocustomersuccess
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