Customer experience can literally make or break a business, so it’s alarming that a number of UK companies remain tethered to legacy contact centre systems.

But what’s even more concerning is that those who've made the leap to cloud solutions aren't necessarily reaping the promised rewards. 

Shaping the future means we have enough of an outline to guide and support decision making. Too fixed and rigid, the more likely to be wrong. Too loose and undefined, the more likely to be vague and misunderstood. Our tactical, short-term to long-term strategic plans along with best next decisions will be based on our understanding of data. From low data to data lakes, we need to be able to make the best use of the information we have to guide decisions.

David Bruce, two time winner of The Forum’s Innovation Award, shares his thoughts on the latest developments in AI technology

I got my first mobile phone in about 2002: it was the classic Nokia 3310. It was, at the time, at the cutting edge of technology. Since then, I have owned a Blackberry, a Motorola Razr (that was stolen from me in a restaurant in Turin, still grates me) iPhone, brief flirtation with a Windows phone and now I am back with an iPhone. All of these phones were acquired because they offered me something. The Blackberry was good for email, the Razr was small and didn’t look funny in my pocket, the iPhone had a good camera. I have no idea why I bought a windows phone. Recently I was clearing out some drawers in my office and I found numerous chargers for all these devices. Over the years my lack of commitment to one device has meant that I have kept all of them, thinking I may have a use for them. But in the 20 years they have been in there, I have never needed any of them.

In today’s world consumers expect to be able to contact brands through their preferred channels, at a time that suits them, and seamlessly transition between channels. Likewise, organisations want to integrate digital channels into their business strategy to foster brand loyalty and encourage repeat business. Strategic planning for the digital landscape is therefore key for companies to meet both customer and business needs.