For a long time, the execution of more sophisticated Customer Experience (CX) Management projects was almost exclusive to large corporate empires. However, with the advancement of cloud computing solutions, such projects have become possible for small and medium-sized enterprises as well, including using cutting-edge technology from major vendors like Oracle.
In fact, the benefits of the cloud are already being felt by small and medium-sized enterprises: according to RightScale, 76% of American SMEs intend to increase their spending on cloud solutions this year.
Cloud technologies enable SMEs to use more sophisticated solutions by reducing costs and simplifying certain factors that are necessary in non-cloud solutions. Such as:
Infrastructure
- HardwareA traditional CX project involves hardware for hosting web servers, databases, applications, integration tools, etc.;
- speechAll servers mentioned in the previous item must be networked with each other, in addition to being connected to the internet;
- Physical spaceAll this infrastructure needs to be installed somewhere, with appropriate rooms and cabling;
- Air conditioning: necessary to keep the servers at the correct temperature, as well as to provide comfort to the team;
- ElectricityThe supply needs to be well planned and, in its absence, alternative sources need to be activated to keep the systems running;
- SafetyThe entire environment must be secure and ensure that customer information is inviolable, as well as prevent potential fraud.
- High AvailabilityIf any component of the system fails, a redundant element must keep the operation running.
Software
- LicensesCustomer experience (CX) software needs to be purchased. Outside of the cloud, the most common model is the purchase of perpetual licenses.
- Maintenance and SupportGenerally, in addition to the licenses, the customer pays an annual fee corresponding to a percentage of the value of these licenses to be entitled to support, as well as to receive fixes, updates, and new versions;
- InstallationInstalling and configuring all the software layers of a sophisticated CX solution is a major challenge;
- CorrectionsWhenever a software improvement is made or a bug fix occurs, a new installation of that fix (patch) is required;
- UpdatesWhen a newer version is released, you need to reinstall the software to take advantage of the improvements.
Functionality
- Functional depth and breadth: today, integrated CX functionalities are available in the cloud for e-commerce, sales, marketing, services, social media management, etc. However, implementing all these solutions in your own data center is a very difficult and inefficient task.
People
- Dedicated employeesMaintaining staff to select, purchase, receive, install, configure, and maintain all infrastructure, software, and functional elements, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, requires hiring specialized teams in each area, which are potentially expensive.
Time
- Project durationHaving all of this in production and delivering satisfactory results can take months or years, depending on the desired objectives. That's precisely why only a large company can make all of this work in its own data centers. Otherwise, the business cannot afford all the costs, and there's a substantial risk of unexpected problems arising from any of these factors.
The Cloud Changed Everything
When technology is in the cloud, all the listed factors become the responsibility of the solution provider. There is a huge gain in scale because it uses computing environments that support thousands of clients in a standardized and extremely secure way, managed by specialized teams. This gain in scale is passed on to clients in the form of lower prices.
Furthermore, the business model shifts from purchasing perpetual licenses and paying for annual support to paying monthly for the service used, significantly reducing the initial investment and allowing the company to grow according to its needs.
Since deployment projects no longer need to encompass the entire effort of getting infrastructure and software up and running, they can focus on configuration and data loading for the desired business scope. This leads to a significant reduction in project time and team size, lowering costs and accelerating the return on investment.
All the functional capabilities and sophistication that were previously only available to large corporate empires are now available to all companies. This includes not only the functionalities that exist today, but also all future improvements that are automatically incorporated into the solution as it evolves. All this with security, stability, performance, and scalability.
*Content inspired by a text by Cassius Di Cianni
