With the New Year just around the corner, many communications market leaders are reflecting on the months gone by, and those ahead. The EVP and CMO of Ribbon Communications’ Business Development sector, Patrick Joggerst, recently shared his predictions on what might happen within the Telecoms industry in 2019.
During an in-depth discussion, Patrick covered topics including the rise of the cloud for connectivity, stating that 85% of UK businesses will be using the cloud in 2019. Joggerst believes that this development in cloud technology will help to accelerate the growth of other areas in communication, such as the use of applications to connect people.
Strengthening Connections with Applications
According to Patrick, 2019 will be a significant year for applications designed to bring people and “things” together. For instance, there are already plenty of people who use virtual assistants like Alexa to set up calls or complete basic tasks. Although these applications are more common in the consumer world, for now, Ribbon believes that the lines will begin to blur soon, and there will be a significant evolution when companies begin to design applications that make it as easy to develop “relationships” with machines as it is to connect with humans.
As the link between human and machine increases, driven by technology like sensors and IoT, human beings will have a range of more convenient options available to them, intended to reduce the friction in our everyday lives. Patrick also feels that major changes will occur in the contact centre space, as virtual assistants help people to navigate this new hyper-connected space.
The Demand for Software
Another significant trend that Ribbon believes we will see in 2019 comes from the move towards SDN and NFV. In the year ahead, Patrick thinks that we’ll make significant progress when the industry begins to “delaminate” like the personal computer sector did. This process will involve removing software from hardware and delivering software as a solution for everything from video messaging to VoIP and beyond.
According to Ribbon, the winners in this new environment will be the businesses who work within larger ecosystems to leverage their strengths. Already, companies like Dell are building servers that can be purpose-built for mission-critical communication applications.
Omnichannel and Customer Experience
Customer Experience has been rising as the ultimate differentiator for brands for a number of years now, as customers begin to prioritise the service that they get over things like product features or price. However, today’s companies need to make sure that they can offer the right support whenever they connect with a customer, by providing them great support across every channel, from messaging to voice and social.
There are no shortcuts when it comes to customer experience according to Ribbon. Now that customers expect enhanced experiences, the only option is to choose omnichannel. Companies need to keep up with the expectations of their clients, and things like artificial intelligence may help to make this easier. Ribbon believes that companies will need to use a combination of disruptive technology and careful strategy to deliver the results their customers need.
