Reversing the Sprawl…And Why More Isn’t Always Better

Sometimes transformation isn’t about adding something new. Richard Farrell from Netcall explores why organisations should simplify what they already have before layering on more technology.

For years, organisations have responded to new challenges by adding new technology.

Need a new capability? Buy an application. Need to connect two systems? Add an integration. Need to bridge a process gap? Create a spreadsheet, an inbox or another workaround.

Individually, each decision can make perfect sense. Collectively, they create something much harder to manage: Technology sprawl.

And as organisations now look towards AI and autonomous agents for the next wave of transformation, there is a danger that we simply add another layer to the problem.

The Gap, the Tangle and the Trap

Most organisations are trying to achieve broadly the same thing – joined-up operations, seamless experiences and the ability to change quickly and cost-effectively.

But years of technology investment can make that increasingly difficult.

First Comes the Gap

Core systems rarely support everything an organisation needs, so additional applications are introduced and teams create manual processes to fill what remains.

Then Comes the Tangle

Applications overlap. Data sits in different places. Processes move between systems, spreadsheets and email. People become the integration layer, moving information from one place to another simply to keep work flowing.

Finally, the Trap

Every new requirement appears to demand another piece of software, adding another licence, another supplier, another integration and another system to support and change.

The technology estate grows, but the organisation does not necessarily become more capable.

The Hidden Cost of Application Sprawl

The obvious cost is software licensing. But that is only part of it.

Every application brings support, training and administration. Overlapping systems duplicate functionality and data. Integrations need maintaining. And when a process needs to change, the impact can ripple across multiple applications and teams.

The result is a compound change overhead.

That matters because transformation is not simply about delivering something new. Organisations need to be able to keep adapting it. A fragmented technology estate makes every subsequent change harder.

Don’t Release Autonomous Agents into the Sprawl

AI creates an important new dimension to this challenge. Autonomous and agentic capabilities promise to perform tasks, make decisions and move work forward with less human intervention.

But where are we asking those agents to operate?

“If the underlying environment consists of disconnected applications, duplicated data, inconsistent processes and manual workarounds, giving AI more autonomy does not resolve the fragmentation. It risks automating the mess.” – Richard Farrell, Chief Innovation Officer, Netcall

Before asking how autonomous an AI agent can become, organisations should understand the process it will operate within, the systems and data it needs and the rules governing the outcome.

Because AI works best when it becomes part of a joined-up process rather than another isolated technology.

From Application Accumulation to Composable Capability

There is an alternative to continually buying another application for every requirement.

Many seemingly different applications are built from the same underlying capabilities: capturing a request, managing a case, presenting the right information to the right person, automating workflow, connecting systems and using data to support decisions.

A composable platform approach allows organisations to reuse those capabilities across multiple services and processes.

But that does not mean ripping out every existing system. Some systems of record will continue to do their job extremely well.

Instead, the opportunity is to simplify around them by replacing duplicated point solutions where appropriate, connecting what needs to remain and building new services from capabilities the organisation already owns.

Simplify First, Then Automate Intelligently

The next phase of transformation will undoubtedly involve more AI, automation and autonomous capabilities.

But organisations should resist the temptation to add them indiscriminately to an already fragmented estate.

Map the process. Understand the gaps. Remove unnecessary applications. Connect the systems that need to remain. Then introduce automation and AI where they improve the end-to-end outcome.

Because the objective should not be to make the sprawl work faster. It should be to reverse it.

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This post has been re-published by kind permission of Netcall - view the original article.

Call Centre Helper is not responsible for the content of these guest blog posts. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect those of Call Centre Helper.