RIA? Isn't that a tax deferred savings plan?
Posted by Hoyt Mann on Mon, May 25, 2009 @ 07:23 PM
Uuuuhhhhmmm, no.
RIA stands for Rich Internet Application aka Rich Interactive Application aka Rich User Application (even though the letters don't match).
OK. Well, that's clear as mud. So what exactly are we talking about here? Just tell me, OK?!?!?!?!?!
Rich Internet Applications, RIAs for short, make it possible to have your customer service and support software (actually, any application) that is currently on your desktop offered over an internet browser without loss of features or configurability/customization options.
Without slowing things down.
And making the application accessible regardless of which computer or operating system you are using. No need to have the application on-premise when it can be in the "cloud".
That's not to say that some businesses aren't better off keeping the application on-premise for a variety of reasons, but if cloud computing is what you want to do, RIAs go a long way towards making that happen.
An RIA makes the user experience more dynamic by increasing the interactivity of the application over the internet so it is more closely aligned with desk top capabilities.
Previously, web pages were very static and user controls were limited and cumbersome: radio buttons, check boxes, and form fields. Whenever information was entered, the entire page had to reload before any changes could be seen. A far cry from using a desktop application where you can quickly and easily drag-and-drop, edit inline, and perform other actions of that nature.
Software built with RIAs have significantly increased interactivity; it is faster, has more flexibility, and is more dynamic and engaging than HTML pages. In essence, RIAs allow "partial page updates". Instead of requiring the entire page to reload after input, only the part of the page affected will update. This increases the speed of the update and the smoothness of the user experience.
In addition, more detailed information can be placed on a page than before and feedback, confirmation messages, and error messages are provided immediately on the same page. Data visualization, product showcasing on the website, and process efficiency are all made possible with RIAs.
It's just WAY more fun to use!
"So what does that do for me?" you ask.
If you are the one who wants to use software and have it delivered as a service (SaaS), who wants to be able to ignore operating system and hardward differences, yet who wants the same experience using the software as if it were on the desktop, then software designed with RIAs makes it happen.
Think of what this can mean to your customer service and support center:
- Ease of use means higher productivity for your staff and cost savings for you.
- Greater interactivity means more frequent usage of your self service center, which controls costs by deflecting calls.
- SaaS delivery means no need for the hardware required to have the software on-premise, a significant savings.
- It is an easy way of standardizing the desktop and application, plus updates to the software will take place in the cloud, instead of system by system. Everybody gets updated at once.
- For the same reason, incremental changes are easier.
- RIAs provide opportunities for collaboration and knowledge sharing not available before. This could increase first call resolution rates.
Want some numbers? Forrester Research came up with these in their paper "The Business Case for Rich Internet Applications":
- An ROI model for a PC manufacturing site showed an ROI of 185% to 443% after 1 year.
- An ROI model for a hotel reservations site showed an ROI range of 665% to 1,354% after 1 year.
Granted, these are models, but of the businesses surveyed that had implemented an RIA solution, 69% thought it met or exceeded expectations of success. Only 10% felt it was less successful than expected. The rest hadn't measured the business impact.
If you are currently using a customer service and support solution through SaaS, you are likely limited in what can be customized unless the solution was designed with RIAs. If you switched from on premise to SaaS, you probably were not able to have the same screens, capabilities, or flexibility you had with your on-premise solution.
RIAs change all that. I can't wait, can you?