Retailers - be they small local shops, online sellers, or top global brands - generate, transfer, and store more data than ever before, ranging from customer data (both online and in-store, as we have considered in previous articles), to supply chain and asset tracking data. Whether it's shopping online or utilising in-store apps to access the latest savings and special offers, the way customers shop has fundamentally changed forever, with the data they generate online and in person allowing retailers to build up unique personas that drive truly bespoke experiences.
The past few years have been challenging for the global Manufacturing sector, with both Brexit and COVID-19 creating a wide range of operational disruptions whose impact is still being felt. Indeed, as recently as January 2023, we saw UK manufacturing shrinking for the sixth consecutive month1.
Manufacturing workflows are evolving at an unprecedented rate, and the trend shows no signs of slowing down. The increasing effectiveness and affordability of 'smart' technologies and the Internet of Things means IT and OT are increasingly interconnected, with increasing volumes of data flowing between sites and devices on an ongoing basis.
Like many fixtures of our lives, Britain's pubs were heavily impacted by COVID-19, with their familiar patrons unable to come in for a post-work drink, or meet with friends at the weekend. But while it was undoubtedly a difficult period for the industry as a whole, this great British institution did as it has always done, and adapted to suit its patrons' evolving requirements.
However, the increasing sophistication of artificial intelligence (AI) and 'smart' technologies offers a rich vein of opportunities here, allowing routine processes to be automated, where possible and appropriate. Not only will this significantly improve the overall efficiency of manufacturing processes, if successfully executed, it will lead to long-term cost savings and free staff to focus their attention on activities that will lead to fresh innovations and sustainable business growth.
With that in mind, let's consider where AI-powered automation can be of most use across manufacturing workflows…
Streamlined, proactive maintenance processes
The rollout of interconnected sensors at manufacturing sites ensures any faults can be automatically tracked, identified, and escalated to the appropriate team, ensuring the resulting downtime can be kept to the absolute minimum. Beyond ensuring a swift response to any unexpected faults, collating the data generated by these sensors and applying machine learning technologies will allow any trends to be identified and routine maintenance processes adapted accordingly, helping to resolve potential faults before they occur and ensuring costly downtime can be avoided altogether.
And, as a bonus, this will help reduce machines' energy consumption in the long term, further reducing costs and bringing manufacturers another step closer to achieving their environmental goals!
Stress-free quality control
Maximum control and visibility of global supply chains
Developing safer factory floors
Finally, amidst all the excitement about the possibilities offered by AI, let's not forget the people who continue to drive effective manufacturing operations! The smart sensors deployed across factory floors can be complemented with wearable sensors for employees. This will ensure the risk of injury from machinery is minimised, while simultaneously supporting wider health & safety initiatives, and thus helping maintain a safer working environment. For example, in environments where employees may be required to lift heavy objects, the data generated by the wearable sensors can be used to avoid injuries by ensuring correct procedures are followed when doing so.
This is all just scratching the surface of what AI-powered automation can potentially offer manufacturers. Leaders across the industry are already exploring the full potential of these technologies, with the support of trusted technology partners, so new opportunities and innovations are sure to keep revealing themselves in the months and years ahead. As we're already seeing in our own ongoing work with manufacturers across the UK, the rise of AI shows no signs of slowing down, so don't hesitate to contact us if you'd like to discuss how it can transform your own operations. It's an exciting time for the entire sector, and we look forward to exploring it with you!
The retail landscape has fundamentally changed in recent years, partly driven by the necessities of COVID lockdowns, and partly by ongoing shifts in customer preferences and behaviour. As we have previously explored on this blog, the familiar high street shopping experience is increasingly converging with online and click-and-collect shopping, offering a new breed of data-driven shopping experience.
The Retail sector is more diverse, dynamic, and rapidly changing than any other time in its history. This not only encompasses the way customers make their purchases – with online shopping, click-and-collect, and in-person shopping all converging to offer true, end-to-end experiences – but also the way retailers open and operate new sites. Whether this means trendy pop-up shops, kiosks at other brands' locations, or booths at events, retailers from up-and-coming start-ups to global leaders are no longer relying on fixed high-street locations to welcome their customers and put their wares on display, instead making sure they are present wherever their ideal customers are, and fully prepared to offer a world-class experience that builds brand recognition and loyalty.
With fundamental shifts in consumer behaviour, changing economic conditions, and a rapidly evolving regulatory environment, it's a challenging but exciting time for the UK's retail sector, and technology has a key role to play. In particular, advances in IT and networking solutions are empowering retailers to enhance their operational efficiency, improve the customer experience, and retain their competitive edge in an increasingly online and interconnected world.
The nature of AEC projects and the high volumes of sensitive data firms generate, transfer, and store on a daily basis make them a natural target for cyber criminals. Indeed, a recent Government study found that 5% of building firms have already fallen victim to some form of cyber-crime in the just a year, but that 26% of them still did not have adequate cyber security measures in place.
Exponential-e today announced its partnership with Five9, the leading provider of the Intelligent CX Platform. The collaboration will mark the next stage in the evolution of Exponential-e's UC and CC solution portfolios, providing their teams with the means to design and deliver customer service transformation for clients. This, in turn, will help establish the new breed of contact centre as a critical part of delivering exceptional customer experiences in the new age of rapidly evolving AI technology.
The Five9 intelligent CX platform facilitates billions of call minutes annually, and provides digital engagement, analytics, workflow automation, workforce optimisation, and practical AI to create more human customer experiences, engage and empower contact center agents, and deliver tangible business results. Along with our people and the relationships they bring to our customer engagements, that is what creates our true CX difference.
As the ways in which we communicate and collaborate continue to evolve, the contact centre has become the focal point of many organisations' customer communication strategies. Exponential-e is working closely with a range of organisations across the private and public sectors to accelerate this journey, designing and delivering solutions that optimize the customer journey across every channel - empowering agents to deliver exceptional outcomes, while ensuring productivity and wellbeing are maintained.
Crucially Exponential-e and Five9 share a number of common values, including a focus on reliability, security, innovation, a commitment to service excellence, all delivered through a consultative approach.
The Five9 platform has a key role to play in this journey, providing Exponential-e's own specialists with a range of leading-edge tools to support modern organisations' increasingly sophisticated CX requirements.
Customer service has always been part of our company DNA, and partnering with Five9 was simply a logical next step. When we combine these tools with the right people and processes, I expect the results to be genuinely transformative for our customers, and their customers in turn.
Gareth Hayes
Head of UC & CX, Exponential-e.
Exponential-e's commitment to customer service has always stood out for us, and we're delighted to be partnering with them - not just to explore the full potential of these new solutions, but to ensure the human element remains at the heart of every customer interaction.
Thomas John
VP International, Partner Sales, Five9
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Policymakers have now recognised that world-class digital connectivity and fast internet connections are as essential to the future of the society now as ports, railways, airports, and highways were throughout the last two centuries. Those systems transformed the way people lived and worked, irrevocably changing human conceptions of distance, speed, and time.
Achieving successful digital transformation across the Architecture, Engineering and Construction Sector.
New technologies are transforming every aspect of how projects are brought from conception to completion across the AEC sector. As a result, numerous leaders across the sector are accelerating their digital transformation plans, embracing the Cloud, AI, big data, and IoT in order to both overcome their immediate challenges and bring their long-term business goals closer.
There's no doubt that the current economic environment has led to feelings of instability, in both our personal and professional lives. Consumers are feeling the pinch, and with rising inflation and interest rates, they will have no choice but to curtail their spending. The impact on business is similarly far-reaching. Aside from the economic impact of the reduction in spending, there is the very real situation that both employees and customers will be experiencing stress in their personal lives. As a result, many organisations across the public and private sectors are evaluating how to best maintain their service quality under these difficult circumstances.
We've probably all encountered what we consider to be poor customer service through a contact centre, whether it's calling your utilities provider, banking, mortgages, or just everyday online shopping.
There have been many excuses for poor service through the pandemic due to ill-prepared home working solutions. Those should be behind us now, although that's likely the topic of a further blog, as many companies are still leaning on this excuse!
How Actionable Data Drives Sales, Improves Employee Satisfaction, and Enhances the Customer Experience
One of the key components we discuss with organisations when defining their contact centre needs is their data: the data the organisation requires, the data the solution can report on, and the tools available to interpret this data.
The turbulence of the current geopolitical situation has affected numerous sectors, who must not only consider how to protect their infrastructure from anticipated cyber-attacks, but also ensure that they are able to maintain business-as-usual as possible against a backdrop of global disruption to supply chains. As a sector that depends on the ready availability of materials, the UK's AEC sector has been particularly affected.
