Enterprises view in-application communications technologies as critical to enhancing customer experiences and gaining a competitive edge and higher growth, according to a new Oracle Communications study, The Cloud Redefines Customer Experience.
While 65 percent of enterprise IT decision makers polled noted that embedded communications will become the dominant way of communicating with employees, suppliers and customers moving forward, nearly half (46 percent) said they lack the expertise to deploy new communications technologies.
Oracle points out that enterprises risk losing customers, revenue and competitive advantage if they don’t meet their customers’ expectations of engagement and experience. As such, enterprises are increasingly turning to cloud-based communications solutions to effect this change and achieve their business objectives, although many are still behind the curve when it comes to infusing critical communications capabilities into their business transactions. Industries including education, energy, engineering and construction, financial services, public sector, technology, healthcare/life sciences, hospitality and retail rated their companies “below a C” in this regard.
“Businesses are under increased pressure to accelerate digital change to improve customer experiences and employee productivity, all while lowering costs,” said Doug Suriano, SVP and GM, Oracle Communications. “Businesses need the agility to take advantage of the latest communications technologies — be they chatbots, HD Voice, HD video, screen sharing, and annotation — to achieve these objectives, but many lack the infrastructure and expertise to do so. The race is on for companies to quickly implement these technologies, and they are increasingly looking to the cloud to help them achieve success.”
The survey also found that:
■ Fast adoption means faster growth: Those that described their communications adoption culture as “Leader” or “Aggressive” tended to achieve a higher revenue growth rate relative to their plan (more than 10 percent).
■ Cloud drives better business outcomes: the majority of enterprises (74 percent) agreed that cloud-based communications are a key factor in achieving business objectives, and nearly three-quarters expect to accelerate the deployment of cloud-based communications technologies over the next five years. 65 percent agree that communications embedded within cloud applications will become the dominant way of communicating with employees, suppliers, and customers.
■ Adoption comes with specific benefits: Enterprises see benefits in using communications cloud services, including increasing flexibility, reducing costs, and increasing worker productivity.
■ Security remains a top concern: Even though security concerns are the number one barrier to adopting the cloud, 60 percent of respondents consider cloud-based communications more than or at least as secure as on-premises solutions.
Methodology: The survey polled 323 enterprises IT decision makers with buying authority for communication hardware and software across North America.
