Happy Friday!

As I approach the end of another busy week, I realize how many tabs I have open in my Chrome window containing content that’s earned a place in the “Ooooo… that sounds interesting! I can’t wait to read that article as soon as I finish…” category of my work life. And, if you are anything like me, you make it to Friday realizing you never found your way back to all the articles and news you wanted to dive into but couldn’t find the time.

So… heading into to the weekend, my plan is to run before the sun heats things up, flow through a refreshing yoga practice, then hit the porch – coffee in hand – with a stack of articles to soak up some customer experience knowledge.

Want to join me? Here’s what I’ll be digging into this weekend.

Customer Engagement Platform: the New CRM

Where I'm Reading It: No Jitter

Why I'm Reading It: Omnichannel customer experience and engagement is a hot-topic item. Cyara is focused on assuring customer experience journeys not just from the call perspective, but also through all other interactions channels, like SMS, web chat, chatbots, and email. As a player in the omnichannel CX space, the concept of customer engagement platforms (CEP) as the evolution of the CRM and customer experience management together under one roof where all things customers related can live is and interesting take.

Using Gamification to Boost Customer Experience

Where I'm Reading It: CMSWire

Why I'm Reading It: Because I’m into all things CX-related, I’m interested to read how the practice of Gamification – providing rewards to drive people to take action – can improve CX. Reflecting on my own experience, I realize I do participate in the T-Mobile Tuesday activities that promise the chance to win items and/or rewards, and I’m intrigued to learn more about the psychology behind this. How does it affect customer stickiness? And, spoiler alert, this article also discusses how it can benefit contact center employees, which is particularly relevant to Cyara and our customers.

CCW Outlines 5 Strategies for Modernizing Contact Centers

Where I'm Reading It: Destination CRM

Why I'm Reading It: This is a particularly attractive article as it talks about specific steps that Cyara customers may be taking now or are planning to take to modernize their Contact Centers. At a glance, this one covers relevant topics, like reprogramming interactive voice response (IVR) systems, chatbots, optimizing self-service channels, and how – by improving operations and assuring CX quality, contact centers can transform from cost centers to revenue generators.

Happy reading!