FINAL WORD
Companies across these regions
are deploying AI technologies to
revolutionise customer service as
more and more consumers are
showing an acceptance to
AI-driven experiences.
W
e are living in an
era of unparalleled
innovation. As new and
emerging technologies
continue to redefine
IT and business, the pace of change and
technological advancement is accelerating.
Today, we are looking at a smarter,
intelligent future driven by technologies such
as cloud, Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain,
Internet of Things, and more. While the
industry has already embarked on its Digital
Transformation journey, businesses are
yet to realise the full potential of these
technologies and how they will shape the
way we do business in the future.
In the coming years, new digital
businesses and brands will bring greater
focus into the region and will help accelerate
the ICT business. Across the Middle East,
Africa and Turkey, banking, finance,
healthcare and utilities are taking the lead in
driving Digital Transformation.
The local drivers for such initiatives
centre around customer experience
enhancement and achieving competitive
INTELLIGENT TECH CHANNELS
Issue 21
advantage. These initiatives are driving
investments into mobility, analytics,
cybersecurity and cloud solutions.
Regardless of the industry or enterprise,
one or the other technology will definitely
play a part in transforming the business by
offering benefits like cost savings, improved
security and better customer experience,
among others.
Here we define the top technologies
that regional organisations can leverage to
transform their business in 2019:
1. Internet of Things
With the acceleration of Digital
Transformation in the region, more and more
devices are getting connected. Although
the adoption of IoT will be massive, it is still
slow as the devices are not standardised.
From autonomous vehicles to drones to
sensors in oilfields, healthcare, transport,
oil and gas etc, IoT will have a huge impact
on enterprises and consumers. Our group
is developing innovative IoT solutions and is
working with IBM and other major players
like Microsoft, Cisco and GE to implement
solutions like predictive maintenance
instead of the traditional preventative
maintenance model for oil and gas assets
and real estate facilities based on Maximo.
One of our affiliated companies recently
signed an agreement with Etisalat to jointly
offer Smart Integrated Facility Management
Solutions to achieve cost savings,
operational efficiencies and enhanced
customer satisfaction.
2. Artificial intelligence
The use of AI technologies is now
penetrating many aspects of business. A
recent survey by ServiceNow across Europe,
Middle East and Africa indicates that
customer service is an area that is showing a
fast return on investment. Companies across
these regions are deploying AI technologies
to revolutionise customer service as more
and more consumers are showing an
acceptance to AI-driven experiences. Nearly
30% of EMEA organisations have introduced
AI technologies to customer service and 72%
of those are already seeing benefits that
include freeing up agent time, more efficient
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