We live in a time of flux. In just the past few years, we have witnessed a global pandemic, geopolitical instability, and major economic shocks. This has come against a backdrop of continuing technological change as the fourth industrial revolution spreads.
These are unpredictable times, with as many opportunities as uncertainties for businesses. As we move into the new year, it is essential to be aware of what will come next. With this in mind, we are offering our predicted business trends of 2024.
The growth and growth of AI
Artificial intelligence (AI) is established technology by now. We have already seen the power of generative AI, with the emergence of ChatGPT. Machine-learning technology is also visible in predictive and analytical software in many industries. This is set to grow in 2024.
The Ericsson-LG Enterprise global partner family is also working with this technology. For example, Pragma, our UK partner, has launched ENGAGE for iPECS Cloud. This is a chat widget that sits on an end user’s website. As well as offering visitors one-click calls into iPECS ONE, it also integrates with ChatGPT for automated web chat. ENGAGE reads the website to find answers to questions, before using ChatGPT to form a response.
This is just one great example of how our partners are innovating using AI with the power of iPECS solutions.
The power of data
Data is an increasingly valuable asset. Businesses collect data at enormous rates, on everything from customer purchases to performance. If you can organize and analyze that data, it is possible to gain real, actionable insight. We expect this to continue trending in more areas.
Data analytics is a longstanding area of strength for iPECS. iPECS Analytics is a cloud-based solution that presents and analyzes call data. Through live wallboards and custom reporting, it delivers insight into call patterns. This allows users to gain a deeper understanding of customer behavior, overall efficiency, and performance – giving leaders the ability to make informed decisions about how they manage resources.
Customer experience
More and more businesses are placing greater emphasis on customer experience. With social media and online reviews, a business’s customer service is a matter of public record. In a competitive environment, businesses cannot afford to let customers down.
This is why we are seeing a proliferation of job titles like Customer Experience Director, as customer experience skills are increasingly valued. Great customer experience can be a significant competitive advantage, and communication technology can play a key role here.
Communication is the link between your business and customers. This is where a solution like iPECS Cloud makes a significant impact. With advanced features such as intelligent call routing and queuing, iPECS Cloud optimizes your call management process, reducing waiting times for customers. By efficiently distributing calls based on skill sets and availability, businesses using iPECS Cloud can ensure that each customer is connected to the right person swiftly, enhancing overall customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Hybrid work
Many businesses did not even experiment with remote work until the pandemic. Since then, it has become normalized. A return to pre-pandemic work patterns is highly unlikely. Not only can hybrid work benefit businesses in many ways, but the flexibility of it is increasingly expected by workers.
Businesses will have to embrace hybrid work, and choose the right technology to realize its benefits. Communication is absolutely key here. iPECS ONE is a great hybrid working solution, offering voice, video, and instant messaging in one platform via a mobile and browser app.
Since it offers unified communications on any device, it is ideal for both internal and customer-facing communication from anywhere. Your team can continue to handle customer calls from outside the office, while instant messaging and videoconferencing are great tools for collaboration with colleagues.
Resilience and cybersecurity
If recent years have taught us one thing, it is that the world is unpredictable. Cyber-attacks, pandemics, and other disruptive events can happen any time. Resilience and business continuity are essential, and we expect businesses to become increasingly conscious of this.
With the rise of hybrid work and cloud services, businesses overall are already significantly more flexible and dynamic than they were even five years ago. However, this change also creates new cybersecurity considerations. It is extremely important to ensure that remote workers are using secure networks, and maintaining best practices around security.
iPECS communication solutions are built for resilience and security. The iPECS Cloud platform is hosted in the most secure, robust data centers. Calls and call recordings are encrypted. iPECS on-premises solutions can also be deployed for backup.
As the threat of downtime grows, the Ericsson-LG global partner community is delivering security and resilience to businesses across the world.
Our goal
Some of these trends are technological. Some are cultural and economic. Either way, our goal at Ericsson-LG Enterprise is to help businesses worldwide to connect, communicate better, and grow. We do this through the power of iPECS communication technology.
Communication is fundamental in any business, helping you to connect with customers, collaborate, and organize workflow. iPECS communication solutions are flexible, scalable, effective, and trusted by millions of users worldwide.
If you would like to benefit from iPECS Cloud or any other iPECS solution, contact your nearest Ericsson-LG Enterprise global partner.
