Contact center and customer experience (CX) leaders have weathered an unfair share of change since the start of the decade, including a sudden and unyielding demand for optimized voice and digital engagement, a talent shortage of epic proportions, and competitive disruption from players many never saw coming.

And did we mention Gen Z expectations, remote work demands, and the accelerated evolution and use of AI? All these and more have set contact center and CX leaders back on their heels, bracing for a future that most could not have anticipated, nor were they remotely prepared for.

In a recent global survey commissioned by 8x8, Hanover Research asked approximately 500 contact center, CX, and IT leaders to share their views on today’s challenges and competitive stance, as well as the future of work and its impact on customer and employee experience. Here are eight eye-opening statistics from our 2030 Vision report:

1. Forty-six percent (46%) of contact center, CX, and IT leaders believe that customer experience will be the top differentiator for brands by 2030. When it comes to contact center and CX leaders, that percentage increases to 56%, trumping employee experience, product quality, corporate responsibility, and price in that order.

2. Between now and 2030, 48% of contact center, CX, and IT leaders say that customer service will be the department most impacted and changed by the future of work.

3. More than half (53%) of contact center and CX leaders view recruiting and retaining talent as their key challenge today, followed by operating cost reduction, cybersecurity, the reliability of current communications technology, and IT security. Less than half feel their organizations are prepared to address future challenges.

4. Forty-two percent (42%) of contact center and customer experience leaders say their organizations are still operating with on-premises communications and collaboration solutions, which corresponds with a whopping 69% who say their current communications and collaboration is only somewhat or not at all effective in supporting digital transformation and future of work initiatives.

5. More than half (57%) of business professionals are currently prioritizing cloud communications over other technologies to facilitate workplace change. Sixty-eight percent (68%) say cloud communications will have the greatest impact on the future of work, followed by automation technologies (AI and ML) (61%).

6. Forty-three percent (43%) of contact center, customer experience, and IT leaders say that their organization either plans to consolidate the number of communications applications it provides but keep best of breed-solutions; 39% plan to move to the use of a single platform for communications and collaboration across the organization.

7. Just 17% of contact center and CX professionals consider their organization a leader when it comes to adopting emerging technology solutions related to the future of work. 83% consider themselves either fast followers (45%) or laggards (38%).

8. When it comes to contact center and CX leaders specifically, 67% do not have a future of work or 2030 strategy, and 12% said they don’t ever plan on developing one, compared to just 1% of their IT counterparts.

Now is the time to get ahead. View the full survey results and benchmark your organization. Get the Customer Experience: 2030 Vision Report.

Want the latest research and statistics on the future of work from an IT leaders' point of view? Get the Future of Work: 2030 Vision Report.