Monthly Archives: December 2021

Technology Industry Trends in 2022

SMB Technology, SMB Technology, SMB Technology, SMB Technology, Technology News

A number of trends are expected to continue, as well as new ones to develop, in the coming year. These trends will introduce opportunities along with challenges in the IT industry. Read on to learn about how these movements in the industry affect its four pillars of operations, infrastructure, cybersecurity, and data.

 

Focus on Strategy and Transformation

 

Let’s face it, the last year and a half has been challenging. The work-at-the-office paradigm that many were used to has likely changed permanently. Remote workers, as well as creating more “nodes on the network,” have changed expectations; will some ever want to come back to the office, or stay remote? Managed services may be counting on remote work to stay popular, and to provide companies with network assistance, shown by a CAGR prediction of 7.9% ($355 billion) by 2026, according to IDC.In 2022, companies are expecting to move out of the tactical approach of just staying in business, and to start dusting off digital transformation projects that they couldn’t think of before, considering innovation and collaboration.  The technology industry is expected to increase to $5.3 trillion in 2022, with a year-over-year growth increase of 5-6%, according to IDC. CompTIA’s trends outlook article points to a growing optimism about opportunities in the tech industry, coupled with challenges to manage. 

 

Opportunities in Information Technology

 

The United States has long been a key player in the technology industry, accounting for 33% ($1.8 trillion) in expected spending for 2022. With its robust infrastructure and many connected users, as well as its abundant bandwidth, it has the opportunity to consider software development and tech services (including cloud services) built upon this foundation. Cloud-first will continue to be prevalent, with both existing systems and new components residing in the cloud. In fact, according to IDC, the compounded annual growth rate (CAGR)for cloud is expected to be 16.3%, with spending reaching $974 billion by 2026.  In terms of software development, user experience will be an important consideration, with many firms thinking of it as a critical concern. Channel firms will have the opportunity to help their customers choose what’s best for their business, with technological tools always being subject to business objectives like automation and product development. Cybersecurity, while an ever-present challenge, also can be lucrative for channel firms; they can become even more profitable and help nervous customers feel more confident about cybersecurity. The CAGR for security is expected to be 9.7%, reaching $345 billion by 2026. 

 

Meeting Challenges in the Future

 

With the growth of digital transformation comes an increased quantity of data that needs to be stored, managed and secured. How will companies keep customer data safe while complying 

with industry regulations? And how will they keep cyber attacks and data breaches from doing damage? It is now assumed that cyber attacks happen frequently, and not all come from outside the company. Keeping networks safe will continue to be challenging for organizations, and both offensive (such as penetration testing) and defensive (like antivirus protection) practices are needed. Cybersecurity metrics can connect cybersecurity practices to business health. 

 

With the rapid shift to at-home work and its expansion of the security perimeter, opportunities and challenges abound. For guidance in navigating the tech landscape, contact us today. 

Joining the Omnichannel Trend

SMB Technology, SMB Technology, SMB Technology, SMB Technology, Technology News

Many pieces comprise the customer experience puzzle, and one key trend is omnichannel, wherein multiple channels are integrated in such a way that a customer can switch seamlessly from one to another including call center, chat, web and mobile. Customer experience can make the difference between retaining and losing a customer. Read on to learn more about this trend and how it can enhance your customers’ experience.

 

Omnichannel is an Emerging Trend

 

Omnichannel has rapidly gained popularity as a trend, with more and more companies choosing it to manage their customer experience. According to a CompTIA article, companies that use the strongest omnichannel customer engagement strategies retain almost 90% of their customers. Those responding to the CompTIA survey indicate that they have moved to an omnichannel approach to customer engagement in the last few years. A majority of companies in the overall economy report customer experience as being even more important than the product or service sold. So, how does omnichannel change the customer experience?

 

Business Benefits of Omnichannel

 

Each interaction with a customer leads to that customer’s perception of the customer experience. Are they able to communicate with your company the way they wish? Some enjoy a self-service approach and having multiple easy ways to connect with you. Omnichannel, in a nutshell, is integration between distribution, promotion and communication on the back end, which allows an agent and a customer to stay connected through different phases of the customer cycle, from initial contact to renewal. For example, in a call center, an agent can take a call from a customer, look up preferences from a CRM program, switch to chat if the customer wishes, and help the customer buy the product or service. Powered by the cloud, omnichannel can be thought of as Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) and Call Center as a Service (CCaaS) combined. All channels of communication are integrated, so a customer and agent can go from phone to chat to video conferencing without interruption. Omnichannel helps call center agents save more time, in that they can manage multiple customers in the same amount of time it would take to serve one customer using a single channel. This frees up time for agents to complete complex tasks and add value to the call center.

 

Considerations in Adopting Omnichannel

 

As always, consider your company’s goals when adopting new technology–how will the tool help you reach those goals? Omnichannel can be complex, even with its benefits. Consider examining your procedures for customer engagement. Where is your business when it comes to all aspects of the customer lifecycle, and what might need to improve? Are touchpoints with customers formalized and repeatable? Businesses with formalized processes tend to get the best results, and integrated channels of communication can enhance what’s already in place. The health of your network always needs to be considered–is it robust and secure enough to handle omnichannel?

 

Omnichannel, when combined with formalized processes and a strong and secure network, can improve your customer engagement and satisfaction. For more assistance with preparing for this technology, contact us today.