The vast majority of CIOs find integrating new communications with legacy systems a challenge.
That is among the findings in research carried out by global cloud communications software provider, IMImobile, which discovered that 92 percent of CIOs faced this issue. This comes at a time when almost all (98 percent) CIOs feel under pressure to deliver the Customer Experience expected by both customers and the wider business world.
Businesses are increasingly expected to respond with the same level of speed and consistency whether using email, SMS, Facebook Messenger, or new channels such as WhatsApp Business. However, more than half (52 percent) of CIOs admit they are unable to provide a truly connected and integrated customer communications experience across all channels and business systems.
Asked to consider the major barriers they face when it comes to delivering frictionless CX, CIOs cited legacy IT systems (51 percent), data being spread across multiple systems (51 percent), and budget constraints (42 percent), as the top three blockers to progress.
Aseem Sadana, EVP at IMImobile, said: “It is widely known that the ability to innovate and improve customer communications can make or break a business. Worryingly, the research lays bare the gap between the experience customers now expect, and what businesses are currently able to provide.
“The challenge is that delivering great Customer Experience is easier said than done. This is especially the case for large consumer facing enterprises, where fragmented, legacy IT environments make integrating new communications channels and processes very complex. Many of them also have data that is spread across multiple systems, with programmes and processes varying from department to department. CIOs must consider a centralised platform approach to orchestrate and automate communications across existing business systems and communications channels.”