Intelligent CXO Issue 10 | Page 23

EDITOR ’ S QUESTION

JAMES ISAAC , PRESIDENT , CYARA

Over the last two years , we ’ ve seen the pandemic upend the way organisations work , plan and spend . This disruption forced businesses to evolve operations and rethink where to allocate resources .

The pandemic has accelerated cloud adoption and Digital Transformation projects within
organisations . It has also catalysed a shift towards the online world , amongst both businesses and consumers , resulting in industries , such as e-commerce , skyrocketing like never before .
All this has led to consumers expecting and demanding an elevated customer experience ( CX ), placing it front and centre of organisations ’ 2022 financial planning across the globe .
Below are four areas we believe organisations will be focusing their resources on this year :
Adoption of cloud platforms and automation
With the pandemic still ongoing , organisations are operating under a cloud of great uncertainty .
This year , we will continue to see strong growth and increased spending on cloud and automation technologies as organisations look for ways to reduce risk and improve productivity . Our research suggests seven in 10 ( 70 %) Australian companies are pursuing Digital Transformation initiatives in Big Data and realtime analytics and automation .
Greater investment in customer experience ( CX )
Nearly all Australian companies ( 90 %) recognise the importance of Digital Transformation for enhancing the customer experience . This year , more organisations will be innovating and investing in CX to ensure they can retain customers , grow their customer base and meet heightened expectations .
CX will be a key focus for organisations across all industries , both in the private as well as public sectors . Organisations will be focused on building brand trust and confidence amongst customers , while also ensuring they can maintain loyalty .
Enhanced omnichannel communications
Voice / agent-based and digital channels became the storefront of many companies during the pandemic , especially throughout lockdown and we expect them to remain the primary means of communicating with consumers .
However , companies that don ’ t provide customers with a seamless experience of moving from one communication channel to another with context , face a high risk of losing that customer .
Organisations will invest more heavily in training their contact centre staff and developing robust digital technologies , such as chatbots , to ensure they do what they are supposed to do .
Hybrid and working from home solutions
Working from home and hybrid work will continue into 2022 and beyond , however , poorquality connections directly impact business metrics . Rather than spending resources on a perfectly managed contact centre , fitted with enterprise-grade technology , organisations will pivot to investing in equipment , solutions and software to ensure every employee , in every location , has the tools to deliver exceptional customer interactions . x www . intelligentcxo . com
23