The last thing any of us want to do is to replay 2020 with all the year’s ups, downs and uncertainties. This past year has been crazy to say the least, for all of us personally and professionally. We had to learn to work from home and manage our time appropriately and interact with our peers on new and different platforms. We all managed to figure out the Zoom calls and conference calls – and putting a sticky note over the camera of our laptops so no one could see us!
Outbound dialing is more than just the stigma of a robo-call anymore. It can be as adaptive and advancd as any inbound IVR - but in reverse. The advantage to calling your customers vs. waiting for them to call you is the ability to control the volume and staff appropriately, instead of attempting to guess your busy hour and falling short, creating a poor customer experience. Plus, having multi-skilled agents handling both inbound calls and participating in an outbound campaign maximizes your workforce efficiency.
Businesses have benefitted big from UCaaS over the past year! You’re probably using unified communication right now at work, making it possible for you to easily connect with coworkers and customers, remain productive and remain in business. More and more companies are recognizing the value that these easy to deploy cloud solutions bring, delivering two of the most important things: cost savings and scalability.
Technologies are advancing remote work and 2021 will be a year for the enterprise (large and small) to build out or course correct what they implemented in haste due to COVID-19. We see how much technology helped and continues to help us navigate the pandemic, an example being Zoom as the default “Kleenex” type reference for all video conferencing now. There is a reason why the CCaaS business is booming – many deploying it for analytics and reporting relating to workforce optimization and remote work. And why companies like Twilio have surging stock pricing due to APIs syncing communication platforms with business applications – think remote restaurant ordering, pickup and end-to-end customer/business communications.
Gartner published a report, “The Future of Network Security Is in the Cloud,” which describes the concept of the secure access service edge, or SASE (pronounced “sassy”). The strategy behind SASE is for businesses to protect their digital transformation with cloud-based, software-defined secure access.
AI in the collaborative space is not a new concept but its role and demand in the midst of a global pandemic have never been more relevant than today. However, having AI and having a strategy for how to use it and drive value, internally and externally, are two separate things. The term “garbage in garbage out” has never become more of an apt phrase than in relation to what data is driving this automated intelligence. You must adapt quickly to change, more so today than ever. Rigorously creating an answer and response database from scratch, or using a knowledge base that is not properly vetted, are what most companies are forced to choose from. The key is to understand that going from little or no automation to a full automation agent-less customer experience overnight is not the answer. Below are examples of core concepts for a successful AI journey.
Edge computing is expected to see explosive growth over the next decade with research predicting the market will increase to $43.4 billion by 2027, up 37.4% since 2019.* More and more businesses are processing their data closer to the edge to improve latency, allow for better application performance and reduce the need for more data storage. These benefits can not only help businesses with their services and operations, but also can be necessary to remain competitive.
Computing has been moving to the edge as companies recognize the benefits of processing closer to where data is generated. The number of connected devices is more than we have ever seen, propelled by remote workforces with mini computers aka smartphones on themselves at all times, demanding instant data transfers. Edge computing brings better performance capabilities, reduced network latency and bandwidth usage. In some instances, for example when involving autonomous vehicles or critical medical devices, latency can prove very dangerous, perhaps a difference in life or death, making edge computing necessary for localized data processing, allowing for faster response times and only relevant data sent back to the cloud for storage.
Let’s be very clear - hackers do not discriminate. They’re after any and every opportunity to snatch data, make money, disrupt business and cause chaos. At TBI’s BIG Event 2020, a white hat hacker showed attendees exactly how easy it is to hack into a device - watchHold My Beer While I Hack This Smartphone . Businesses big and small can fall prey, and you need to be aware. So far this year, we’ve seen some big-name companies, with presumable top-notch security, become victims. The pandemic seems to be a catalyst for many of the biggest breaches that have taken place in 2020. Check out some of the most headline grabbing examples of the reality and severity of cyberattacks.
Cybersecurity threat landscape is drastically growing due to the erosion of the perimeter and work from home initiatives resulting from Covid-19. Security solutions have been evolving quickly to meet the menacing landscape. There are new security developments that you might not even be aware of but could be crucial in keeping your business safe.
