Welcome to The Digital Experience Report, your source for news, analysis, and insights on the ExTech (Experience Technologies) market and all things related to the Digital Experience.
This is a special “catch up” report as we’re recovering from COVID-19. We’re covering Zoho’s big bet on unified marketing, Charlie is on a unique podcast for Siemens, and we’re sharing a whole slew of important articles to read from the last three weeks on the metaverse and some interesting perspectives on the role of the customer experience. Also, new studies from ManageEngine, VMware, and Owl Labs. Plus news from Replicant, Qualtrics, Sprinklr, Riverbed, Gnani.ai, BigCommerce, SugarCRM, RelationalAI, Salesforce, Coherent, Capsifi, NICE, Reveal, Freshworks, ServiceNow, Total Expert, Algolia, AskNicely, ActiveCampaign, Mendix, Workato, Zoom, and Zendesk.
Zoho Bets on Unified Marketing, We Get Disrupted by COVID, and Your 3-Week Catch-Up
I am not sure if you’ve noticed, but I have mostly been absent from your feed and inbox for over three weeks now (I hope you noticed!).
The biggest reason is that my wife and I came down with COVID-19 and it pretty much took us out of commission for the better part of two weeks. And, I was already behind because I had let a bunch of competing priorities knock me off my game.
And in that, there’s a lesson for enterprise leaders: you’re going to get knocked off course — the challenge is in righting it.
I know that doesn’t sound all warm, fuzzy, and inspiring, but the truth is that no matter how well you plan for something, and no matter how committed you are to its success, life has a way of knocking you off your course. It will leave you frazzled, frustrated, and lying in bed with a temperature and a cough that just won’t quit!
It’s a lesson we all learned throughout the pandemic, but I guess I needed another humbling dose of it.
The point is that we all should expect it will happen, and be prepared to get up and try to get things back on track. It’s our only option.
Righting the Ship, and a Sneak Preview
So, that’s what I’m doing here. Next Tuesday, expect a normal full analysis of the ExTech market. But today, I want to do a little righting of the ship and catch you up on what I think were the more important developments of the last few weeks — including Zoho’s big bet on unified marketing.
But before I do that, let me give you some previews of what’s coming over the next couple of weeks:
- Tomorrow, I’ll be releasing a new analysis on Conversational AI.
- Next week’s DXR will tackle the state of the burgeoning digital adoption sector, my unique take on the space, and the importance of “use journeys.”
- On the 31st, I’ll be digging into the future of the metaverse and its importance to the enterprise.
So, lot’s of good stuff on the way. For now, here’s your catch-up!
Zoho Bets on Unified Marketing with Its Marketing Plus Launch. Will it Pay Off?
One of the bigger pieces of news of the last several weeks was Zoho’s big bet on a unified marketing platform. It’s squarely aiming for the mid-market and mid-sized enterprises with the move. This is the one piece of analysis I did manage to get out over the last three weeks. But if you missed it, it’s worth checking out as it speaks to the challenges facing marketing leaders as they grapple with overcoming functional silos and delivering unified marketing experiences at the same time. [Read the Analysis]
I also interviewed Sundeep MV to better understand the relationship between a unified marketing platform and delivering a unified experience. You can watch the video here:
Low-Code and the Case of the Customer Cruncher: A Siemens Podcast
In this fourth of six episodes investigating low-code myths, the host Michael Boland is joined by two guests: Charles Araujo and a low-code curios Ginni Saraswati.
Today, you’ll learn how low-code can be used by organizations to profitably gain insight from data that is already available to them. You’ll also hear why established organizations are reluctant to adopt new technology. Additionally, you’ll learn about the benefits leaped by companies that adopt low-code platforms. [Listen to the podcast]
Are You a DXO?
If you’re an enterprise executive that understands the critical role that the digital experience plays in creating value in the modern enterprise, then you’re a Digital Experience Officer — or DXO — and you should be a part of our DXO Council.
Worth Reading
Can you truly own anything in the metaverse? A law professor explains how blockchains and NFTs don’t protect virtual property
A deep and fascinating conversation. [Read at The Conversation]
Exceptional experience is your greatest asset to tackle inflation
In times like these, brands often start looking for ways to make efficiencies, and cuts to service or overall experience can typically come into the firing line. But in fact the role of delivering an exceptional customer experience has never been more important. [Read at MyCustomer.com]
How Data Is Humanizing Customer Experiences
Data-driven personalization is coming to businesses across all industries, not just tech giants. [Read at MIT Sloan Management Review]
The Middle Office Is the Next Center of Experience
C-suite leaders can focus on four strategies to strengthen the connective business functions critical to providing seamless experiences. [Read at WSJ’s CIO Journal]
The Neuroscience of Customer Experience
When neurological insights inform design thinking, companies can innovate with greater precision. [Read at MIT Sloan Management Review]
New Studies
- ManageEngine ITSM Survey Shows Shifting Priorities for IT Teams in the Era of Hybrid Work | Business Wire
- New Research Suggests Delivering a Complete Digital Employee Experience is Essential in the Hybrid Workplace
- ‘Flexible’ is the new ‘hybrid’: Owl Labs finds over a third of European workers would decline a job if flexible hours were not offered
The Latest News
- Call center automation software vendor Replicant raises $78M
- New Qualtrics and UPS Alliance Helps Small and Midsized Businesses Improve Their Customer Experiences
- Sprinklr Launches Voice Integration With Amazon Connect to Unify the Contact Center
- Riverbed Unveils Transformational Strategy to Deliver Unified Observability to Customers Globally and Accelerate Growth Opportunities in $19 Billion Market
- Gnani.ai’s assist365™ Low-code Omnichannel Conversational AI Automation Platform V2.0 sees a 3x Rise in Adoption | Business Wire
- BigCommerce Further Invests in Becoming World’s Most Powerful B2B Ecommerce Platform with Acquisition of BundleB2B | Business Wire
- SugarCRM Celebrates Double-Digit Growth and Record New Customers Signed Worldwide | Business Wire
- RelationalAI Raises $122M to Redefine How Intelligent Data Apps Are Built | Business Wire
- Salesforce’s low-code workflow tool aims to unify acquisitions
- Coherent Raises $75 Million Series B Led by Maverick Capital to Ignite Business Software Development for the Hybrid-Work Era | Business Wire
- New Qualtrics Employee Experience ID Boosts Recruiting and Retention Through Personalization | Business Wire
- Capsifi is ready for the next phase of innovation with $11 million investment – Capsifi
- NICE CXone Digitizes Contact Center Operations for Regional Australia Bank
- French platform Reveal ramps up $50 million to boost B2B partnerships
- Freshworks Debuts Customer-Relationship Software | PYMNTS.com
- ServiceNow grows 27% despite significant global challenges | CIO
- Northpointe Bank Personalizes Consumer Banking Experience with Total Expert | Business Wire
- Algolia Helps GoFundMe Increase Engagement by 15% | Business Wire
- AskNicely Steps on the Accelerator with Sales & Marketing Investments After $32M Series B Round | Business Wire
- ActiveCampaign Acquires Postmark and DMARC Digests, Ensuring Automation Across All Communication Channels and Furthering the Mission of Creating Ideal Customer Experiences to Help Companies Grow | Business Wire
- Low-Code and the Case of the Customer Cruncher – Where Today Meets Tomorrow | Acast
- Mendix Workflow Now Generally Available, Delivering Powerful Intelligent Automation Capabilities Enterprise-Wide
- Workato Surpasses 150 Billion Automations on Its Platform as the Company Unveils a Series of Product Enhancements at Automate 2022
- NICE Interactions Live 2022 to Showcase Strategies for Mastering Frictionless Customer Experiences and to Host George W. Bush and George Clooney
- Qualtrics and SAP Partner to Bring More Empathy to the Contact Center
- ServiceNow launches major new features for cloud IT service management
- Zoom to acquire AI platform Solvvy to advance the next frontier of customer service
- Zendesk Ushers in Era of Conversational CRM
- Sprinklr Creates the Next Generation Contact Center, Powered by Twilio Partnership