At Enterprise Connect 2024, I met with John D’Anna, CEO and Kurt Dahlstrand, Sr. Director, Product Strategy & Solution Engineering at Hammer as they unveiled Hammer Edge, a transformative approach to enhancing the customer and agent experience in the contact center environment, marking a significant stride in the intersection of technology and human-centric service. The rebranding and introduction of Hammer Edge, a product poised to revolutionize the quality of service in remote work settings, underscore a pivotal moment for Hammer and the broader contact center industry.
With a legacy spanning three decades, Hammer’s recent rebranding and independence under the InfoVista umbrella signify not just a change in identity but a recommitment to innovation and trust in the market. The launch of Hammer Edge comes at a critical juncture, addressing the dispersed nature of modern work and the complex web of factors influencing customer interactions across digital platforms.
Hammer Edge is designed to transcend traditional device monitoring by leveraging advanced analytics to provide a holistic view of the agent’s performance, environment, and the technological interplay at work. This product extends beyond mere statistical analysis, employing Voice RNA technology to simulate real customer interactions, thereby offering actionable insights into the customer experience.
According to John D’Anna, CEO at Hammer, the response at Enterprise Connect 2024 has been overwhelmingly positive, reflecting a market keenly aware of the challenges and limitations of current technology infrastructures in delivering consistent quality service. Hammer’s approach, focusing on granular data like latency, jitter, and packet loss, combined with an overarching agent experience score, aims to demystify the technological aspects of remote customer service for non-technical managers.
Moreover, the conversation around Hammer Edge reveals a broader industry concern: the challenge of maintaining visibility and control over remote agents. A prominent example cited involves a large retailer struggling with the variability in service quality across its outsourced contact centers, highlighting the critical need for solutions like Hammer Edge that offer deep insights into remote operations.
Interestingly, the discussion at Enterprise Connect 2024 also touched upon the role of AI in reshaping the contact center landscape. Hammer views AI as a transformative force, one that necessitates a new approach to testing and quality assurance. The future of contact center operations will likely involve AI-powered solutions testing against each other, marking a new era of automation and efficiency.
AI represents a seismic shift in how we approach customer service and quality assurance. With Hammer Edge, we are at the forefront of this transition, ensuring that our clients can harness the power of AI to deliver exceptional service.
The evolution of IVR systems, burdened by decades of complexity, presents both a challenge and an opportunity. As companies navigate the transition to more intuitive, AI-driven customer journeys, Hammer’s expertise in legacy system analysis and automated testing will be invaluable. This capability is not just about maintaining continuity; it’s about redefining customer engagement in an era of rapid technological advancement.
In conclusion, Hammer’s strategic initiatives, unveiled at Enterprise Connect 2024, signal a significant shift towards a more integrated, analytical approach to enhancing the remote customer service experience.
