Thanks to modern technology and the effects of the pandemic, the idea of CX continues to evolve.
This change to what CX means could have significant implications on how we handle all functions within this space going forward, and organizations that don’t keep up will fall behind their competitors.
Factors that drive the evolution of CX
CCaaS is expanding into new areas
CCaaS solutions are expanding into new adjacencies and incorporating new customer touchpoints into the journey.
For example, CCaaS solutions are starting to provide workforce management apps as native services where they used to be add-ons.
Most CCaaS solutions have also grown in scope and complexity, with CX automation enabling seamless capabilities and self-service, allowing more flexibility for agents and engineers.
Providers are offering different products
A few years ago, CX was tied to an automatic call distributor that leveraged the same infrastructure as the PBX add-on application.
Providers, however, have shifted from physical infrastructure such as servers and circuits to cloud-based solutions, like CCaaS.
The use of specialized solutions provided CX centers with advanced features, integrations, scale, and implementations.
Alternatively, many of these providers are building bespoke solutions for customer engagement using a communications platform as a service (CPaaS).
This means that the new norm of CX infrastructure is set to shift from on-premise systems to cloud-based.
Digital continues to evolve
Digital channels are rapidly surpassing on-premise systems in preference and popularity.
Certain CCaaS providers are providing digital-first solutions to account for the growing preferences of both customers and CX centers.
Customers are now far more likely to refer to an app, website, or social media rather than using a phone because they are far more convenient communication options.
For providers, it is an opportunity to create a superior customer experience and reduce costs by leveraging automation.
The new norm for CX
Several industry-wide factors are driving a change in the CX industry, in turn forcing us to rethink our strategy and methods moving forward.
The industry is morphing into a cloud-based, digital-first experience. In the next few years, we can expect CX to encompass even more channels, and we can expect automation to play a much bigger role in optimizing workflows.
This means that CX centers need to reallocate their resources to meet the demands of the new norm.