Future trends in communication technology
Posted: Thu Dec 05, 2024 5:35 am
Covid-19 might have brought time to a halt but fast-forwarded digitalization of the world. With brick-and-mortar shops closing, businesses were forced to undergo an immediate digital transformation, which led to the rise of work from home and apps such as Zoom.
However, the rise in digitalization also means a rise in communication technology and channels. But to plan, it’s important to take note of the future trends in communication that will shape customer experience.
A holistic approach to customer communication
Digital transformation led to accelerated adoption of cloud technology. Businesses were forming teams and starting ad hoc initiatives to keep pace. However, this led to a gap – in strategy.
We adopted digital channels and communication technology, but without clear processes and customized solutions to meet customers’ needs. To provide a successful customer experience businesses need to adapt their processes to feed into the newly attained digital channels.
This is why it is imperative to look for solution partners and providers who focus on providing a holistic approach with professional services that help:
Deliver an omnichannel channel experience
Digitalize your processes and workforce
Provide strategical support alongside communication solutions
Key takeaway: Digital transformation combined with a digital strategy ensures customer growth and success.
Conversational chat apps are at the heart of the communication ecosystem
Traditional channels have been replaced by digital channels – including the likes of Email and SMS. People have started to have conversations with businesses like they do with their friends and family – and this will lead to an evolution of OTT channels with a strong migration towards chat apps.
Apple Business Chat, and WhatsApp will lead this revolution of rich conversations – leading to increased engagement. Lockdowns and working from home have increased the usage of chat apps as more people turn to mobile communications. The future trends we’ll begin to see with these shifts are fewer app downloads and web surfing, and more chat app conversations.
What does that mean for businesses? It means everything job seekers database from customer support, payments, browsing product catalogs, and more will begin to take place on chat apps.
In addition to the globally recognized chat apps, the local heroes such as Kakao Talk, Line, and the pioneer of chat ecosystem, WeChat, will be essential for local businesses or global companies targeting specific regions.
Key takeaway: Start building your chat app portfolio with local and global channels to deliver better CX throughout the customer journey.
Customer data platforms are at the center of a true omnichannel experience
Omnichannel means you can switch communication lanes, or optimize conversations, using multiple channels. Let’s say you’re inquiring about a loan. Once you arrange the details with an agent, the information is sent to you via email and later, an automated flow of notifications are sent to your preferred chat app. Or you’re calling a contact center, but the queue is long – you’re automatically transferred to a chat app for a quicker response. This mixing and blending of using the right channel and the optimal time is what omnichannel is.
But for a true omnichannel experience, personalization is imperative – and that’s where customer data platforms come in. So, not only are you personalizing the channel but the content and time as well.
Key takeaway: Businesses must embrace a holistic approach for success by combining the power of the right channel mix, CX solutions, and customer data platform.
SaaS + CPaaS are the new CX stack
The growth of chat apps coupled with SMS, Email, and Voice has seen an upward trend in businesses opting for CPaaS partners. In addition to this, there are a few strategies being adopted:
Having their own IT systems and integrating channels into those existing systems.
Looking for platforms that have the communication solution and channel in one place.
The second option is the stronger one. Sometimes, for a particular use case, just having a channel is not enough. For example, you need a contact center to offer agent support, marketing automation or an engagement hub to automate communication, a chatbot building platform for always-on customer service, and a customer data platform for personalization.
In a nutshell – channels are fueling new use cases, but to empower the channels you need additional tools.
However, the rise in digitalization also means a rise in communication technology and channels. But to plan, it’s important to take note of the future trends in communication that will shape customer experience.
A holistic approach to customer communication
Digital transformation led to accelerated adoption of cloud technology. Businesses were forming teams and starting ad hoc initiatives to keep pace. However, this led to a gap – in strategy.
We adopted digital channels and communication technology, but without clear processes and customized solutions to meet customers’ needs. To provide a successful customer experience businesses need to adapt their processes to feed into the newly attained digital channels.
This is why it is imperative to look for solution partners and providers who focus on providing a holistic approach with professional services that help:
Deliver an omnichannel channel experience
Digitalize your processes and workforce
Provide strategical support alongside communication solutions
Key takeaway: Digital transformation combined with a digital strategy ensures customer growth and success.
Conversational chat apps are at the heart of the communication ecosystem
Traditional channels have been replaced by digital channels – including the likes of Email and SMS. People have started to have conversations with businesses like they do with their friends and family – and this will lead to an evolution of OTT channels with a strong migration towards chat apps.
Apple Business Chat, and WhatsApp will lead this revolution of rich conversations – leading to increased engagement. Lockdowns and working from home have increased the usage of chat apps as more people turn to mobile communications. The future trends we’ll begin to see with these shifts are fewer app downloads and web surfing, and more chat app conversations.
What does that mean for businesses? It means everything job seekers database from customer support, payments, browsing product catalogs, and more will begin to take place on chat apps.
In addition to the globally recognized chat apps, the local heroes such as Kakao Talk, Line, and the pioneer of chat ecosystem, WeChat, will be essential for local businesses or global companies targeting specific regions.
Key takeaway: Start building your chat app portfolio with local and global channels to deliver better CX throughout the customer journey.
Customer data platforms are at the center of a true omnichannel experience
Omnichannel means you can switch communication lanes, or optimize conversations, using multiple channels. Let’s say you’re inquiring about a loan. Once you arrange the details with an agent, the information is sent to you via email and later, an automated flow of notifications are sent to your preferred chat app. Or you’re calling a contact center, but the queue is long – you’re automatically transferred to a chat app for a quicker response. This mixing and blending of using the right channel and the optimal time is what omnichannel is.
But for a true omnichannel experience, personalization is imperative – and that’s where customer data platforms come in. So, not only are you personalizing the channel but the content and time as well.
Key takeaway: Businesses must embrace a holistic approach for success by combining the power of the right channel mix, CX solutions, and customer data platform.
SaaS + CPaaS are the new CX stack
The growth of chat apps coupled with SMS, Email, and Voice has seen an upward trend in businesses opting for CPaaS partners. In addition to this, there are a few strategies being adopted:
Having their own IT systems and integrating channels into those existing systems.
Looking for platforms that have the communication solution and channel in one place.
The second option is the stronger one. Sometimes, for a particular use case, just having a channel is not enough. For example, you need a contact center to offer agent support, marketing automation or an engagement hub to automate communication, a chatbot building platform for always-on customer service, and a customer data platform for personalization.
In a nutshell – channels are fueling new use cases, but to empower the channels you need additional tools.