Breaking Down Barriers: The Power of a Unified Hybrid Work Approach!
Andrew Gilman
CMO & VP Alliances
In today’s highly competitive business landscape, companies must focus on delivering exceptional customer (CX) and employee (EX) experiences to remain relevant and successful. This requires substantial investment in technology and resources, leading to escalating IT budgets. Enter the new concept of Hybrid Experience (HX). It’s a strategic driver for IT budget consolidation and cost savings while enabling a differentiated employee and customer experience.
What is HX?
Think of it as a cloud-based operating model in which EX and CX technologies (physical devices, networks, and even office space) converge and are delivered as a service.
HX Management is a comprehensive approach that integrates digital and physical experiences across various touchpoints to deliver seamless and consistent experiences. It leverages a combination of technologies such as cloud computing, data analytics, artificial intelligence, and automation to unify disparate systems and processes, making them work seamlessly to deliver a holistic experience.
HX management serves not only customers and employees but also IT administrators. By consolidating IT systems and processes, it reduces complexity, enhances agility, and increases operational efficiency, resulting in significant cost savings. This enables IT administrators to focus on strategic initiatives that drive business growth rather than managing fragmented systems.
Reflecting on the Consequences of CX and EX Silos
In the past, organizations procured separate technology for EX and CX. As a result, interactions between employees and customers became both inefficient and disjointed. One of the best examples of this dynamic is in the contact center. More than half (54%) of customers expect a company to share information across channels, so they don’t have to repeat themselves.
In the old world, a customer chose a channel to interact while the employee had no choice of what technically worked on the receiving end. Meanwhile, variables such as remote employees’ poor internet connections impacted both parties’ experiences.
In the new world, technology will automate and optimize EX at the same time as CX. HX empowers organizations to embrace platform consolidations, gain a single source of truth, increase security, and improve overall the CX and EX experience.
Breaking Down the Barriers to HX Benefits
HXaaS offers a variety of benefits for companies that have adopted hybrid work models. For example, companies that offer hybrid work to their employees can cut costs by $10,600 per person, according to a study by Global Workplace Analytics. These efficiencies can be achieved through on-demand office space, reducing redundancies in their cloud communications and technology stack, and reducing their risk of a costly security breach.
One of the key benefits of HXaaS is platform consolidation. By leveraging HXaaS, organizations can consolidate multiple technology platforms and tools, creating a more streamlined and efficient ecosystem. This, in turn, enables employees to access the information and resources they need more easily and quickly, improving their productivity and reducing the potential for errors.
HXaaS also enables organizations to gain a single source of truth, ensuring that all employees have access to the most up-to-date information and data. This, in turn, improves collaboration and communication, helping employees work together more effectively, regardless of their location.
By leveraging real-time data and analytics with an intelligent platform like NWN Carousel’s EMP, organizations can gain insights into customer behavior, preferences, and trends. This enables them to anticipate customer needs and provide proactive solutions that address their pain points, thereby improving customer retention and loyalty. It also allows for network and bandwidth adjustments and an overall improvement to employee experience.
Another benefit of HXaaS is increased security. By centralizing their technology stack and leveraging advanced security measures, organizations can better protect their data and systems from cyber threats. This is particularly important for companies that have employees working remotely or accessing sensitive information from outside the office.
CapEX vs OpEx
With the rise of on-demand, auto-scaling cloud computing services like Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform (GCP) and others, IT finances transitioned to a pay-as- you-go operating expenses (OpEx) model comprised of shorter-term investments, rather than large, annual commitments.
The same CapEx to OpEx, As-a-Service transition is now accelerating for hybrid work technology and collaboration infrastructure for physical office spaces. Result is lower costs, scalability and availability of latest technology.
By leveraging real-time data and analytics with an intelligent platform like NWN Carousel’s EMP, organizations can gain insights into customer behavior, preferences, and trends. This enables them to anticipate customer needs and provide proactive solutions that address their pain points, thereby improving customer retention and loyalty. It also allows for network and bandwidth adjustments and an overall improvement to employee experience.
Another benefit of HXaaS is increased security. By centralizing their technology stack and leveraging advanced security measures, organizations can better protect their data and systems from cyber threats. This is particularly important for companies that have employees working remotely or accessing sensitive information from outside the office.
Cost Savings, Flexibility, Accessibility and Security
Ultimately, HXaaS offers a consistent user experience across all touchpoints, ensuring that employees can seamlessly switch between physical and digital environments without experiencing disruptions or delays. This, in turn, enhances employee satisfaction and productivity, enabling organizations to achieve better business outcomes.
Hassan Osman
SVP Professional Services, NWN Carousel
It’s no surprise that the majority of employees now divide their work time between remote locations and the traditional office setting. What is a bit alarming is that Gartner forecasts as much as 39% of global knowledge workers will be hybrid by the end of 2023. While this model offers flexibility and increased productivity, it also presents unique challenges for managers and team members. Hassan Osman, SVP of Professional Services, NWN Carousel provides practical tips on how to implement real-world communication tools, and techniques, to maintain a happy distributed workforce.
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