Let’s face it. Customer expectations have been taken to a whole new level.
Technology trends and the need for digital transformation have advanced to a point where last year’s gaps are this year’s formidable divides. Meanwhile, finding the right balance between technology and humanity has never been more critical to the overall customer experience (CX). How are digital leaders navigating these fine lines?
Let’s face it. Customer expectations have been taken to a whole new level.
Technology trends and the need for digital transformation have advanced to a point where last year’s gaps are this year’s formidable divides. Meanwhile, finding the right balance between technology and humanity has never been more critical to the overall customer experience (CX). How are digital leaders navigating these fine lines?
Let’s face it. Customer expectations have been taken to a whole new level.
Technology trends and the need for digital transformation have advanced to a point where last year’s gaps are this year’s formidable divides. Meanwhile, finding the right balance between technology and humanity has never been more critical to the overall customer experience (CX). How are digital leaders navigating these fine lines?
Let’s face it. Customer expectations have been taken to a whole new level.
Technology trends and the need for digital transformation have advanced to a point where last year’s gaps are this year’s formidable divides. Meanwhile, finding the right balance between technology and humanity has never been more critical to the overall customer experience (CX). How are digital leaders navigating these fine lines?
15% of a siloed contact center agent's time is spent trying to get information to serve customers.
Aberdeen, The ROI of Uniting Unified Communications and Contact Center
15% of a siloed contact center agent's time is spent trying to get information to serve customers.
Aberdeen, The ROI of Uniting Unified Communications and Contact Center
15% of a siloed contact center agent's time is spent trying to get information to serve customers.
Aberdeen, The ROI of Uniting Unified Communications and Contact Center
15% of a siloed contact center agent's time is spent trying to get information to serve customers.
Aberdeen, The ROI of Uniting Unified Communications and Contact Center
Creating happy employees and customers.
IT leaders are now broadening their focus to consider how best to support and optimize agent-to-agent, agent-to-customer and agent-to-employee communications in this new operate-from-anywhere, engage-from-anywhere environment. Information and organizational silos created by unified communications (UC) and contact center (CC) point solutions are being torn down in favor of a single platform. This one vendor, one admin, one tool approach fosters communication, collaboration, and the secure sharing of data to reduce friction and frustration—and to help uncover and solve employee and customer issues.
Because, as the saying goes, if your employees aren’t happy, your customers aren’t happy.
Creating happy employees and customers.
IT leaders are now broadening their focus to consider how best to support and optimize agent-to-agent, agent-to-customer and agent-to-employee communications in this new operate-from-anywhere, engage-from-anywhere environment. Information and organizational silos created by unified communications (UC) and contact center (CC) point solutions are being torn down in favor of a single platform. This one vendor, one admin, one tool approach fosters communication, collaboration, and the secure sharing of data to reduce friction and frustration—and to help uncover and solve employee and customer issues.
Because, as the saying goes, if your employees aren’t happy, your customers aren’t happy.
Creating happy employees and customers.
IT leaders are now broadening their focus to consider how best to support and optimize agent-to-agent, agent-to-customer and agent-to-employee communications in this new operate-from-anywhere, engage-from-anywhere environment. Information and organizational silos created by unified communications (UC) and contact center (CC) point solutions are being torn down in favor of a single platform. This one vendor, one admin, one tool approach fosters communication, collaboration, and the secure sharing of data to reduce friction and frustration—and to help uncover and solve employee and customer issues.
Because, as the saying goes, if your employees aren’t happy, your customers aren’t happy.
Creating happy employees and customers.
IT leaders are now broadening their focus to consider how best to support and optimize agent-to-agent, agent-to-customer and agent-to-employee communications in this new operate-from-anywhere, engage-from-anywhere environment. Information and organizational silos created by unified communications (UC) and contact center (CC) point solutions are being torn down in favor of a single platform. This one vendor, one admin, one tool approach fosters communication, collaboration, and the secure sharing of data to reduce friction and frustration—and to help uncover and solve employee and customer issues.
Because, as the saying goes, if your employees aren’t happy, your customers aren’t happy.
“Best of suite trumps best of breed. Fifty-five percent of businesses will consolidate their UCC tools into a single suite within the next 12 - 24 months.”
Tim Banting
Practice Leader, Enterprise Communications, Omdia
“Best of suite trumps best of breed. Fifty-five percent of businesses will consolidate their UCC tools into a single suite within the next 12 - 24 months.”
Tim Banting
Practice Leader, Enterprise Communications, Omdia
“Best of suite trumps best of breed. Fifty-five percent of businesses will consolidate their UCC tools into a single suite within the next 12 - 24 months.”
Tim Banting
Practice Leader, Enterprise Communications, Omdia
“Best of suite trumps best of breed. Fifty-five percent of businesses will consolidate their UCC tools into a single suite within the next 12 - 24 months.”
Tim Banting
Practice Leader, Enterprise Communications, Omdia
The digital transformation tightrope.
As the lines between employee experiences and customer experiences blur in favor of a better overall experience, tech trends around actionable analytics, AI, edge, video and platform consolidation (among others) are catalyzing digital transformation.
Gartner forecasts that “through 2024, businesses will be forced to bring forward digital business transformation plans by at least five years as a survival plan to adapt to a world that involves permanently higher adoption of remote work and digital touchpoints.” Making remote work...work is so last year. The bar has been decidedly and permanently raised. A new tightrope has been laid out.
The digital transformation tightrope.
As the lines between employee experiences and customer experiences blur in favor of a better overall experience, tech trends around actionable analytics, AI, edge, video and platform consolidation (among others) are catalyzing digital transformation.
Gartner forecasts that “through 2024, businesses will be forced to bring forward digital business transformation plans by at least five years as a survival plan to adapt to a world that involves permanently higher adoption of remote work and digital touchpoints.” Making remote work...work is so last year. The bar has been decidedly and permanently raised. A new tightrope has been laid out.
The digital transformation tightrope.
As the lines between employee experiences and customer experiences blur in favor of a better overall experience, tech trends around actionable analytics, AI, edge, video and platform consolidation (among others) are catalyzing digital transformation.
Gartner forecasts that “through 2024, businesses will be forced to bring forward digital business transformation plans by at least five years as a survival plan to adapt to a world that involves permanently higher adoption of remote work and digital touchpoints.” Making remote work...work is so last year. The bar has been decidedly and permanently raised. A new tightrope has been laid out.
The digital transformation tightrope.
As the lines between employee experiences and customer experiences blur in favor of a better overall experience, tech trends around actionable analytics, AI, edge, video and platform consolidation (among others) are catalyzing digital transformation.
Gartner forecasts that “through 2024, businesses will be forced to bring forward digital business transformation plans by at least five years as a survival plan to adapt to a world that involves permanently higher adoption of remote work and digital touchpoints.” Making remote work...work is so last year. The bar has been decidedly and permanently raised. A new tightrope has been laid out.
“By 2021's end, 80% of enterprises, informed by the experience of the shift to a primarily remote workforce, will develop a mechanism to double the acceleration of the shift to cloud-centric infrastructure and applications.”
“By 2021's end, 80% of enterprises, informed by the experience of the shift to a primarily remote workforce, will develop a mechanism to double the acceleration of the shift to cloud-centric infrastructure and applications.”
“By 2021's end, 80% of enterprises, informed by the experience of the shift to a primarily remote workforce, will develop a mechanism to double the acceleration of the shift to cloud-centric infrastructure and applications.”
“By 2021's end, 80% of enterprises, informed by the experience of the shift to a primarily remote workforce, will develop a mechanism to double the acceleration of the shift to cloud-centric infrastructure and applications.”
The customer experience high-wire act.
With a focus equal to that on the human element, organizations now need to be able to meet or beat increasing customer demands for improved, intelligent self-service.
While self-service has been on the rise since the advent of the smartphone, today, the vast majority of customers choose self-service first. Chatbots have practically become table stakes. More than 70% of organizations now have some type of AI-based capabilities integrated into their business communications software, according to an 8x8 survey.
SMS use for assisted, self and proactive customer support is also skyrocketing. And when self-service and automated experiences fail, customers expect an immediate connection to the person best equipped to handle their issue. Brands must ensure their lines between self-service, agent-assisted service, and agent assisted by internal subject matter experts are tightly connected and rarely get crossed.
The customer experience high-wire act.
With a focus equal to that on the human element, organizations now need to be able to meet or beat increasing customer demands for improved, intelligent self-service.
While self-service has been on the rise since the advent of the smartphone, today, the vast majority of customers choose self-service first. Chatbots have practically become table stakes. More than 70% of organizations now have some type of AI-based capabilities integrated into their business communications software, according to an 8x8 survey.
SMS use for assisted, self and proactive customer support is also skyrocketing. And when self-service and automated experiences fail, customers expect an immediate connection to the person best equipped to handle their issue. Brands must ensure their lines between self-service, agent-assisted service, and agent assisted by internal subject matter experts are tightly connected and rarely get crossed.
The customer experience high-wire act.
With a focus equal to that on the human element, organizations now need to be able to meet or beat increasing customer demands for improved, intelligent self-service.
While self-service has been on the rise since the advent of the smartphone, today, the vast majority of customers choose self-service first. Chatbots have practically become table stakes. More than 70% of organizations now have some type of AI-based capabilities integrated into their business communications software, according to an 8x8 survey.
SMS use for assisted, self and proactive customer support is also skyrocketing. And when self-service and automated experiences fail, customers expect an immediate connection to the person best equipped to handle their issue. Brands must ensure their lines between self-service, agent-assisted service, and agent assisted by internal subject matter experts are tightly connected and rarely get crossed.
The customer experience high-wire act.
With a focus equal to that on the human element, organizations now need to be able to meet or beat increasing customer demands for improved, intelligent self-service.
While self-service has been on the rise since the advent of the smartphone, today, the vast majority of customers choose self-service first. Chatbots have practically become table stakes. More than 70% of organizations now have some type of AI-based capabilities integrated into their business communications software, according to an 8x8 survey.
SMS use for assisted, self and proactive customer support is also skyrocketing. And when self-service and automated experiences fail, customers expect an immediate connection to the person best equipped to handle their issue. Brands must ensure their lines between self-service, agent-assisted service, and agent assisted by internal subject matter experts are tightly connected and rarely get crossed.
Gartner predicts that 85% of customers will start with self-service first in 2022.
Gartner, Delivering Relevant Content and Knowledge to Customers is Key to Great Customer Service
Gartner predicts that 85% of customers will start with self-service first in 2022.
Gartner, Delivering Relevant Content and Knowledge to Customers is Key to Great Customer Service
Gartner predicts that 85% of customers will start with self-service first in 2022.
Gartner, Delivering Relevant Content and Knowledge to Customers is Key to Great Customer Service
Gartner predicts that 85% of customers will start with self-service first in 2022.
Gartner, Delivering Relevant Content and Knowledge to Customers is Key to Great Customer Service
The intelligent answer.
To better connect the lines between self and assisted service, establish what problems you are trying to solve and evaluate how, for example, an intelligent IVR or virtual assistant can help. That could be to enhance current traditional self-service options, ensure 24/7 availability, or improve efficiency by automating routine calls while freeing up agents' time for more complex interactions. The operational and financial benefits can be easily quantified.
Also think of how the current or future use of AI can help with looking at data to recognize and solve customer issues in real-time or detect trends. Aberdeen research shows that adopters of AI-enabled contact center technologies demonstrate clear improvement in customer retention, CSAT, and customer effort score. Remember, the use of AI doesn’t mean zero live agents, it means better, more effective live agents and faster resolution.
The intelligent answer.
To better connect the lines between self and assisted service, establish what problems you are trying to solve and evaluate how, for example, an intelligent IVR or virtual assistant can help. That could be to enhance current traditional self-service options, ensure 24/7 availability, or improve efficiency by automating routine calls while freeing up agents' time for more complex interactions. The operational and financial benefits can be easily quantified.
Also think of how the current or future use of AI can help with looking at data to recognize and solve customer issues in real-time or detect trends. Aberdeen research shows that adopters of AI-enabled contact center technologies demonstrate clear improvement in customer retention, CSAT, and customer effort score. Remember, the use of AI doesn’t mean zero live agents, it means better, more effective live agents and faster resolution.
The intelligent answer.
To better connect the lines between self and assisted service, establish what problems you are trying to solve and evaluate how, for example, an intelligent IVR or virtual assistant can help. That could be to enhance current traditional self-service options, ensure 24/7 availability, or improve efficiency by automating routine calls while freeing up agents' time for more complex interactions. The operational and financial benefits can be easily quantified.
Also think of how the current or future use of AI can help with looking at data to recognize and solve customer issues in real-time or detect trends. Aberdeen research shows that adopters of AI-enabled contact center technologies demonstrate clear improvement in customer retention, CSAT, and customer effort score. Remember, the use of AI doesn’t mean zero live agents, it means better, more effective live agents and faster resolution.
The intelligent answer.
To better connect the lines between self and assisted service, establish what problems you are trying to solve and evaluate how, for example, an intelligent IVR or virtual assistant can help. That could be to enhance current traditional self-service options, ensure 24/7 availability, or improve efficiency by automating routine calls while freeing up agents' time for more complex interactions. The operational and financial benefits can be easily quantified.
Also think of how the current or future use of AI can help with looking at data to recognize and solve customer issues in real-time or detect trends. Aberdeen research shows that adopters of AI-enabled contact center technologies demonstrate clear improvement in customer retention, CSAT, and customer effort score. Remember, the use of AI doesn’t mean zero live agents, it means better, more effective live agents and faster resolution.
“It’s not just the operational value when it comes to the platform - it’s the data insights, and the ability to which you can make those insights readily available across the organization to help us do our job better.
“The more we can use the data to help us make informed business decisions -- it all comes back to ROI.”
Brian Himstead
Sr. Director of Technology, Kansas City Royals
“It’s not just the operational value when it comes to the platform - it’s the data insights, and the ability to which you can make those insights readily available across the organization to help us do our job better.
“The more we can use the data to help us make informed business decisions -- it all comes back to ROI.”
Brian Himstead
Sr. Director of Technology, Kansas City Royals
“It’s not just the operational value when it comes to the platform - it’s the data insights, and the ability to which you can make those insights readily available across the organization to help us do our job better.
“The more we can use the data to help us make informed business decisions -- it all comes back to ROI.”
Brian Himstead
Sr. Director of Technology, Kansas City Royals
“It’s not just the operational value when it comes to the platform - it’s the data insights, and the ability to which you can make those insights readily available across the organization to help us do our job better.
“The more we can use the data to help us make informed business decisions -- it all comes back to ROI.”
Brian Himstead
Sr. Director of Technology, Kansas City Royals
Chapter Two Review
To walk the customer experience high wire when it comes to cost, quality, and innovation, IT leaders need to eliminate silos, facilitate collaboration, and provide and improve on intelligent self-service. And they need to do this in a secure, reliable, grounded way that now supports the requirements of partially or fully remote agents. Point solutions are limiting organizational efficiency, effective data use and overall digital transformation. Consider a unified communications and contact center platform approach to bring business communication, collaboration, contact center, analytics and AI augmentation together to lift your customer experience - and overall business results - to new heights.
Helpful Resources
Learn more about 8x8 Contact Center
Request more information on 8x8 or a demo
Unified Communications ROI Calculator
eBook: Unified Communications Trends to Watch in 2021
Webinar: Customer Experience Trends to Watch in 2021
Infographic: The High Cost of Siloed Communications
Report: Gartner Magic Quadrant for Contact Center as a Service
Chapter Two Review
To walk the customer experience high wire when it comes to cost, quality, and innovation, IT leaders need to eliminate silos, facilitate collaboration, and provide and improve on intelligent self-service. And they need to do this in a secure, reliable, grounded way that now supports the requirements of partially or fully remote agents. Point solutions are limiting organizational efficiency, effective data use and overall digital transformation. Consider a unified communications and contact center platform approach to bring business communication, collaboration, contact center, analytics and AI augmentation together to lift your customer experience - and overall business results - to new heights.