Over the past year, businesses have faced evolving challenges, from economic uncertainty and technological advancements to an increasing focus on sustainability. These shifts present both opportunities and uncertainties for organizations looking to stay ahead.
As we begin 2025, we share our insights on the key trends that will shape the year ahead.
Strengthening hybrid work ecosystems
Hybrid work has become a standard expectation for many. In 2025, we foresee businesses continuing to refine their hybrid work models further to maximize productivity and boost collaboration.
Modern, innovative technologies are revolutionizing infrastructure, enabling greater scalability, automation, and flexibility. The iPECS Cloud platform supports innovation, ensuring that businesses can take advantage of new trends and meet the changing demands of the modern work environment.
Tools like iPECS ONE remain instrumental in empowering businesses to unify communication across devices and locations. With advanced features for voice, video, and instant messaging, iPECS ONE enables seamless internal collaboration and efficient customer-facing communication, no matter where employees are located. Hybrid work isn’t just the norm – it’s a key driver of innovation and employee satisfaction.
Generative AI and beyond
AI remains at the forefront of technological evolution, and 2025 will see further integration of advanced AI solutions in daily business operations. Generative AI continues to evolve beyond simple chatbot functions and virtual assistants into sophisticated tools that deliver deeply personalized and context-aware applications resulting in better user experience.
Building on innovations like ENGAGE for iPECS Cloud which utilizes AI through webchat, we expect AI-powered communication tools to continue to grow in demand and functionality. Solutions will not only analyze customer queries but also proactively suggest intelligent responses to agents, significantly improving service quality and resolution times. AI integration with platforms like iPECS ONE will continue to drive smarter, faster, and more meaningful business interactions.
Transforming customer experience
Customer experience (CX) will see a dramatic evolution in 2025, driven by generative AI and hyper-personalized services. Advancements in technology are making personalization ever more achievable. More and more, business are seeking more personalized omnichannel experiences from trusted providers. From tailored solutions to sophisticated device recommendations, businesses will rely on AI to transform CX, anticipating customer behavior and proactively seeking solutions.
The iPECS Cloud platform is already at the forefront of enabling seamless CX through intelligent call routing, omnichannel integration, and real-time analytics. Through iPECS Cloud, businesses can deliver consistent, memorable experiences that build loyalty and enhance customer satisfaction. Through the power of iPECS, the iPECS global community are supporting businesses to deliver exceptional customer experience, helping to build strong relationships and maintain a competitive edge.
Data-driven decision making and advanced analytics
Data continues to shape business strategies, and in 2025, the focus will be on transforming data into actionable insights. Advanced analytics are empowering organizations to predict trends, identify opportunities, and optimize resources in real-time.
iPECS Analytics remains a powerful tool for analyzing call data, offering businesses deeper insights into call patterns, customer behavior, and operational efficiency. By harnessing predictive analytics, organizations can proactively address customer needs, optimize staffing, and refine their strategies for greater success.
In 2025, 5G technology is poised to revolutionize industries, enhance connectivity, and unlock a wave of innovations. One key development is the rise of private 5G networks, which will see widespread adoption. Sustainability will play a significant role in 5G’s growth, with telecom providers prioritizing energy-efficient infrastructure.
On a global scale, the adoption of 5G-enabled devices and network rollouts in emerging markets are projected to support over a billion connections by the end of 2025. This rapid growth will not only strengthen global connectivity but also foster innovation and collaboration across borders, reshaping the digital landscape for businesses worldwide.
Cybersecurity and digital transformation
In a world of increasing cyber threats and unpredictability, resilience is essential. As hybrid work, cloud technologies and services increase, businesses that rely heavily on these solutions need to consider the cybersecurity implications. It’s crucial that businesses with remote and hybrid workers use secure networks and have robust measures in place around security.
As digital transformation drives forward, businesses will increasingly prioritize cybersecurity to ensure networks and customer data is protected. Robust encryption, enhanced privacy protocols will be key areas businesses will be looking for in their modern technology and infrastructure.
At IPECS, security is of upmost importance which is why the iPECS Cloud platform is hosted in the most secure data centers. It is also why we ensure secure communication with encrypted calls and recordings while offering robust backup options for business continuity.
Our mission for 2025
Whether through advanced AI, enhanced CX tools, or innovative communication solutions, our mission at IPECS remains the same – we empower businesses to connect, collaborate, and thrive in a rapidly evolving world.
With flexible, scalable, and secure iPECS communication solutions, the IPECS community is helping businesses adapt to new challenges and seize new opportunities.
If you’re ready to embrace the power of iPECS in 2025, contact your nearest global partner today. Let’s make this year one of connection, growth, and innovation together.
The journey of leading corporations for digital transformation already began a long time ago.
A global consulting group, A.T. Kearney defines digital transformation as a corporate activity that pursues a distinctively enhanced competitiveness on its current business by preemptively adapting to the major momentums from a dramatical shift in entrepreneurship settings, which are brought by cutting edge technologies as mobile, cloud, big data, AI, IoT and the like, or to newly revolutionize its business model to bring about the new growth model through the similar technological breakthrough. In other words, the core of digital transformation is on the action of a corporate’s autonomous adoption to the technical advantages that its pace and effect can be fully optimized, prolonging the competitiveness of an institution.
With corporations bringing new emerging digital innovation and making numerous new technologies introduced to the market popular by quickly making them a common everyday feature. Nowadays the trend allows companies to apply and deploy digital technologies easier and cheaper. It’s a phenomenon that is seen to be identical in the business communications market as well. As cloud solutions become the new normal, many efforts are made on applying the new technologies, as big data and AI to the conventional communications solution.
All means in communications will be unified in a single platform.
Unified Communications (UC) represents all means of communications including phone calls, e-mail, messaging, as well as video conferencing system, unified in a single platform efficiently operated and managed. UC makes network equipment, software, and terminals seamlessly unified, structuring all communication system in a single operating system. Commonly, UC is to support applications of IP phones, Instant Messaging (IM), Real-time presence, E-mail, Voice or Video conference, file or screen sharing and the like. Through these features, various communication and collaboration are made available from one on one to multilateral.
In addition, UC solutions support PC’s, tablet’s, smartphones and more. Multi device support surely expands the boundaries of personal and professional communications for in and out of office, anywhere anytime and on any device allowing the same user experience. Collaboration and communication among colleagues will be close to the on-line office environment.
Why would UC be an important part of your digital transformation strategy?
Through digital transformation strategy, a corporation can adapt to the latest digital technology, reduce operating cost by combining digital technology to the existing physical layer, increase flexibility and agility of the business, and can create value by cultivating a new profit model. The UC deployment can be crucially important to achieve the above objectives.
Digital Workplace establishment
Through UC deployment, a corporation can structurally organize and unify their means of communication under one platform and that can establish the fundamental infrastructure of a digital workplace for a radical change and modernization of the business process. From IP phones to IM, e-mail, voice or video conference and more, all are to be operated in a single platform, regardless of the physical location of an employee, the same settings will be provided for the work performance. The workforce in the digitalized working environment can easily establish a workflow of their own to be able to solely concentrate for a greater working performance.
Securing business flexibility and agility
When changes happen in unpredictable ways corporations of today must be able to allocate their available resources rationally and accordingly to the circumstances. By utilizing UC, the initial investment for a communications solution can be optimized and become an agile and flexible way to change one’s working environment by promptly restructuring its business communication infrastructure accordingly to the fickle demands constantly changing by the market or targeted customer segment. Moreover the bill for calling, IT management, business traveling and those of related business costs can be visibly saved with UC solutions which gives new opportunities to invest on other core areas of the business.
Corporate efficiency and collaboration capacity enhancement
By installing and using UC, the work process can be built on a new logical and efficient way which will promote better team project results. All employees in the corporation will be able to benefit from the various collaboration tools for easier, real-time communications. Multi-lateral conference by voice or video, group chatting, file sharing. All the various means of collaboration promotes a faster and clearer information sharing for precise decision making. Especially for virtual organizations where flexible working can now be a viable option in the modern days where mobility is emphasized. These are realistic solutions and are becoming a fashion through the use of UC operation that are directly connected to the corporate performance.
Incremental Customer Experience improvement
Dramatically increase and improve your customers’ experience, within the organization, from the moment customer requests are received, by allocating the best fit agent for each call through real-time presence and with the relevant past performance and records. The corporate grade infrastructure will be available to fully support the situation on site that can elevate the qualities of the customer service. The viable options can be optimized for your business process. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tools, for an example, can be integrated to the communications platform for a smoother and greater quality in providing the best services for the customer experience.
Ericsson-LG Enterprise will be your trusted partner for your digital transformation journey. Click here for more detail on iPECS communications solution.
Technology has revolutionized the way we live our lives. From ordering a takeaway to getting medical advice – it can all be done thanks to a range of digital touch points. As we embrace these changes, we need to be mindful that they are responsible for the rapid evolution of sales and buyer journeys. And as sales professionals, we need to adapt quickly, or risk being left behind.
With over 90% of purchasing decisions starting online, and up to 70% of the buyer journeys being done before a salesperson gets involved, traditional sales processes are becoming obsolete. Add new regulations such as GDPR, digital transformation and tech savvy millennials acting as gate keepers to the mix, and you’ll understand how badly you need to evolve your sales processes to remain relevant in the marketplace.
The paradigm shift
Without a doubt, GDPR has changed the way we interact with customers and prospects, digital transformation is changing the way we do things and while decision makers may still be Generation X or Baby Boomers, the researcher for new IT projects is nearly always millennial. Fail to influence and you won’t even get shortlisted – it’s as simple as that!
Enter hyper-competition
With cloud technology at the helm of everything, the good old days when you had to compete with a handful of on-premise solution providers are long gone. Cloud technology has become the catalyst for hyper-competition within the communications industry. Thanks to cloud, you must compete with both traditional telephony manufacturers and IT companies alike.
Embrace change
With competition becoming intense, and regulations being far from conducive for traditional sales, it’s time to look beyond the push strategies and outbound marketing, and focus on a pull strategy supported by inbound marketing.
Culture matters
Culture too plays a key role in everything, and that’s why you need to revisit your organizational culture to find out what’s working and what’s holding you back. At the end of the day, it’s all about reducing the red tape to ensure you can turn things around quickly to keep up with changes in the market. So, take the time to carry out a thorough assessment and eliminate the inhibitors of growth.
Content is king
Content still reigns supreme. That is why your inbound strategy should include useful, actionable content that is as engaging as it is informative.
Presence is key
Then comes the question of digital networks, we believe in adopting a two-pronged approach. We use channels like Facebook and Instagram to demonstrate our brand’s personality and use channels such as LinkedIn and Twitter to build stronger connections with customers and prospects through valuable content. But whatever the case may be, a social presence is essential in this day and age.
Reviews matter
In a time when prospects and customers carry out online research before they engage with a company, maintaining a positive image on online review platforms is crucial for all businesses. You need to look beyond the annual customer satisfaction survey and focus on online review platforms like Google Reviews, Yelp and Trustpilot. A dedicated team needs to constantly monitor these channels and swiftly respond to and deal with concerns raised by customers.
Winning in the digital age
In order to be a cut above the rest and make turn these changes in to an enabler of business, you should:
Embrace innovation
As discussed, you can’t depend on the historic sales and marketing approaches to help attract customers. What will give you an edge is your ability to find innovative ways of reaching customers and prospects, using new channels or even inventing channels so that you have a first-mover advantage.
Find a niche
While recognizing that you can’t be everything to everyone, you need to find a profitable niche and focus your efforts on becoming a key player within that channel.
Know your customers
Go beyond traditional buyer personas and get to know your customers and prospects better. Speak to them to find out makes them tick, what their concerns are and how they hope to grow their businesses over the next couple of years.
Know your data
Have more faith in data, set up processes to collect more data that is accurate and actionable. Introduce new metrics and ways in which data can be analyzed to identify trends. Use the information collected to drive sales and marketing processes through to the digital age.
Whatever the case may be, we’re here to help you make the most of these changes.
Please meet iPECS, strong portfolio for your business communications now.
Why is Remote Working becoming more common?
Remote working as a form of professional working is fast becoming a new normal in our daily life. When referring to the term “Remote Worker” it is meant for boundless working environments including working from home, hotel, or just about anywhere with an Internet connection using smartphones, laptops or desktops that can provide information technology aided working.
Remote working allows employees to take advantage of more flexible time and work wherever they want, which can be a great motivator for people who are tired of the monotony and repetitive office life. It helps to maintain continuity of work even when it is inevitable to go to a designated office due to special circumstances such as childcare, business trips and disasters.
OWL Labs said 62% of respondents use Remote Workers and 48% of them do it at least once a week in its 2019 State of Remote Workers report. Also, Deloitte’s 2018 Millennials study found that 50% of millennials consider the flexibility of location where they work and hours to be very important when choosing whether to work for an organization or not.
With the development of technology for communication, such as mobile and wireless Internet, and the emergence of a variety of mobile devices represented by smartphones, Remote Working is now recognized as a common way of working.
Below are the benefits expected from Remote Workers.
- Flexible working environment can provide free from time and location.
- Work continues even in times of emergencies.
- Helps to balance the work and life.
- Cost savings for office management and commuting.
- Work satisfaction rates of employee can be improved.
At the heart of successfully settling the remote work culture, lies ‘communication’.
Nonetheless, remote working does not always solely bring benefits. There can be the difficulties when the work is being done outside of the office?
FYI said that according to ‘The Remote Work Report’, communications (27%), social isolation (16%), and loneliness (13%) are to the most difficult things to deal with when working remotely from the office. Another research also pointed out ‘collaboration and communications’, ‘work life balance’, ‘isolation and loneness’ can be some of the hardest difficulties to overcome that need special attention.
As mentioned above, we now have an improved IT infrastructure and communication means, and we have a variety of devices and applications for communication. Yet so many people are still talking about communication as the most difficult thing about remote work? That’s probably because the various communications tools and devices you’re using are not managed in an integrated way, and they’re being used individually for each purpose.
Companies should consider introducing a unified communications solution to improve communication difficulties and facilitate efficient collaboration. Unified Communications (UC) refers to utilizing of e-mail, voice messaging as well as video conferencing etc. by combining all the possible solutions into a unified platform for maximum efficiency in operation and management of the solutions.
So, what needs to be considered when introducing UC for remote working?
For successful adoption of a UC solution that will make remote working smooth and seamless, the below aspects should be considered.
- Presence
Presence is the crux feature of UC that shows the status of a user available for collaboration. Therefore, the more details of the co-worker’s presence that are shared, the more fluent communication becomes. Not only if they are available but whether they are in a meeting, busy or in some other status that needs to be shown and the solution of your choice should provide these features.
- Supports diverse means of communication
To support whenever and wherever availability for hassle free communication, your best options will be with a single platform, unifying phone calls, e-mails, messages, and more by means of a communications solution that supports diverse technologies and devices like smart phones and tablets. One important aspect to consider is that all the means must be made manageable in a single platform.
- Security features that are highly accountable
It’s easy to have only the UC part, but if security and stability are not guaranteed is it easy? Some solutions over emphasis the easy part over security and that often fails to deliver the most important aspect of the professional arena, the “IT security”. Especially when you are outside the physical office, a solution must provide for the businesses safety and security which could unintentionally shift the entities’ fate. The need to communicate in an encrypted manor means other data protection features must also be secure for critical business information under the IT security control.
- Robust collaboration tools
Multi-lateral video conferencing as well as file sharing, program sharing, remote monitoring, voice and video recording should all be supported without issue. Presentation mode, white board mode or like detailed features during multi-lateral conferencing can be very effective in delivering information for professional collaboration which must be reviewed not only for the variety of collaboration tools but also for the quality of the tools.
- Mobile Client
When on the move or at a remote site, a mobile client is a must have component to achieve seamless communications. The availability to support mobility and mobile clients must be considered when looking for a UC solution. A mobile client that is compatible on a variety of operating systems? Does the UC solution provide a mobile client? Is the interface or UI built for convenience? There are many areas of UC that need double checking but please let the lists of considerations have mobility as a priority for your UC consideration.
Ericsson-LG Enterprise provides diverse solutions for easier and more effective remote working. Click here for more information.
Regardless of what industry or the size of the company, ‘customers’ are the center of the company activity and reason for its existence. Companies continue to produce products and services that meet customer’s needs, and customers continue to consume them and provide feedback on them, leading to two pillars of the economy. So, it’s only natural that products or companies that are shunned by customers are left behind in the ecosystem of the market.
Companies must put tremendous efforts in attracting customers. Various marketing activities are performed and constant trials of improving service quality are made, all which are concentrated efforts of corporations to deliver higher customer satisfaction results. At the center of these efforts is the ‘Customer Experience’, and companies want to increase their brand value by providing a differentiated customer experience and to continue to stay ahead of their competitors.
What is the Customer Experience?
Customer Experience also called CX refers to the total customer experiences across the organization. Sometimes CX is confused with ‘User Experience,’ (UX) and User Experience means the cognitive response of a user using a product or service, Customer Experience refers to the sum of every moment that a customer has experienced throughout the customer’s purchasing journey, from beginning an online search to purchasing and feedback. Therefore, even if you provided quality products, you would not be able to say ‘the best customer experience’ when you provided unsatisfactory experience to the customer’s purchasing processes, such as a problem with the delivery of the product or a failure to provide post-service. In other words, customer experience is not a piecemeal problem, whether it’s technology, product, or marketing, but an area that requires a holistic approach and management.
Technology is a critical component of the customer experience initiatives.
Recognizing the importance of the customer experience, companies are engaged in many activities to improve the customers experience in a variety of ways. To improve the quality and design of their products, companies reflect on feedback from customers, utilize various online channels for better communication with customers, and continue to train their employees to deliver superior service to their customers. To this end, companies are scrambling to introduce the latest technologies to transform the company’s process for improving the customer experience.
Research institution, Gartner pointed out in their recent work* that ever-advancing science technologies will be a driver leading improvement in customer experience and illustrated five main technology areas which will greatly affect the revolution.
- Artificial Intelligence
- Virtual Customer Assistance and Chatbots
- Omnichannel Customer Engagement
- Real-Time Event-Driven Application Architecture
- Internet of Things
*From ‘How to Leverage the Top 5 CX Trends in 2020’, Gartner
Contact centers are at the forefront as customer contact continues to evolve.
For modern companies, their contact center is an important interface for customer interaction. It plays a direct and diverse role from the beginning to the end of the customer’s purchasing journey.
Customers can access corporate websites, generate IDs to obtain product information or may need additional help from the contact center in the process. A customer could effectively be introduced to a product through speaking, chatting or e-mailing with a contact center agent rather than searching the information by their self. After making a purchase, customers can check the delivery status of the product through the contact center, and there are many other situations where the contact center would need to be contacted, such as how to use and after-sales service. Unfortunately contact centers some of the time are placed at the end of dealing with customers directly so the impact it has on CX is tremendous. So how quickly and accurately you can deliver a solution to a customer who’s connected to a contact center is now a very important factor that directly impacts corporate performance.
As technology advances, customers are using various devices such as PCs and smartphones in addition to telephones. Unlike in the past when customers used to rely on fixed-line phones, customers communicate with companies through various channels such as real-time chatting, e-mail and SNS etc. These evolving technologies and customer environments require an omni-channel contact center to accommodate diverse ways of communications beyond the traditional voice-oriented contact center. That’s because they can handle customer inquiries from different paths within a single contact center platform, we can improve your customers experience and increase the productivity of your employees through faster and more accurate responses.
It’s time to evolve your contact center, which is at the forefront of customer contact, as technology and customer behavior change.
Click here to see the omni-channel contact center solution from Ericsson-LG Enterprise.
