This week in CX has seen an “industry first” pricing model from Zendesk, acquisitions from Cisco and Five9, and promises of an “all-in-one” CX management solution from Oracle.
Here are the extracts from some of our most popular news stories over the last seven days.
Zendesk Unveils “Industry First” Outcome-Based Pricing Model
Zendesk is introducing a new outcome-based pricing model.
Described by the company as an “industry first” for customer experience, the model is directly dependent on the performance of Zendesk’s AI agents.
Customers who deploy Zendesk’s agents will now only be charged for issues and queries that are resolved autonomously by AI.
The vendor believes that in the current climate, “traditional pricing models no longer suffice,” arguing that its new system is more in keeping with an AI-first customer service and experience sector.
In addition, Zendesk claims that its new model will enable customers to fully understand the value and quantify the results that their AI solutions are delivering.
In discussing the news, Nikhil Sane, SVP & GTM of Strategy and Pricing at Zendesk – explained how the new model was a signifier of the company’s position as an AI pioneer:
Our outcome-based pricing solution is more than just a pricing model – it’s a reflection of our dedication to driving real, measurable success for our customers.
The concept of paying per AI agent resolution may sound fairly straightforward on the surface, but as is often the case, there’s a little more to it than meets the eye (Read on…).
Cisco to Acquire Robust Intelligence, the AI-Focused Security Startup
Cisco has agreed to acquire Robust Intelligence, a security startup that provides a firewall to protect AI-based applications.
The move aims to satisfy Cisco’s enterprise customers that are eager to introduce new applications powered by generative AI (GenAI) but have stalled their deployments due to new security concerns.
Such concerns arise as AI applications are fundamentally different from conventional apps, and many organizations now understand that they cannot only rely on existing tools to prevent security breaches and privacy violations.
Enter Robust Intelligence. Its AI firewall evaluates all inputs and outputs into AI models to protect apps against real-time security threats.
Cisco has pumped funds into the company for two years via its investment arm and is now ready to snap it up for an undisclosed fee so customers can more securely build and deploy AI apps.
Tom Gillis, SVP & GM of Security at Cisco, revealed the news in a post on the company’s blog:
The combination of Cisco and Robust Intelligence means that we can deliver advanced AI security processing seamlessly into the existing data flows by inserting it into Cisco security and networking products.
Cisco may also insert the product across its Webex offering, which now sits alongside its security and networking portfolios in one central unit (Read on…).
Oracle Announces Revenue-Boosting All-in-One CX Management Solution
Oracle has announced the general availability of a new all-in-one customer experience management solution.
The Oracle Communications Digital Business Experience promises to drive revenue at “every stage of the customer journey.”
The tool has been engineered to enable telcos to unlock the full potential of their AI and automation innovations by housing several customer service and experience features within one comprehensive platform.
These features include a commercial and billing product catalog, configure-price-quote (CPQ) and order capture features, Siebel-powered customer relationship management (CRM), central order management, and monetization capabilities.
In bringing these systems together, Oracle believes that the solution will “simplify deployment complexity,” and provide users with the foundation to explore new services.
The ability of the new tool to deliver a smoother, more user-friendly experience was discussed by Andrew Morawski, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Oracle Communications:
Regardless of the path they take, Oracle’s new offering, powered by best-of-breed industry CRM capabilities gives providers the advantage of AI-powered applications and services to support a broad range of use cases from concept-to-cash-to-care.
While Oracle’s latest solution offers several appetizing features and benefits, it is the revenue driving aspect of the tool that is sure to catch the eye of potential customers (Read on…).
Five9 Closes Its Acqueon Acquisition, Aims to Deliver an Orchestration Engine for All Customer Interactions
Five9 has confirmed that the company has finalized a deal to acquire orchestration specialist Acqueon.
Five9 CEO Mike Burkland officially confirmed the purchase on LinkedIn earlier today (August 29th, 2024), having revealed that an agreement was in place between the two companies earlier this month.
In his post, Burkland repeated the previous company line that the acquisition marks a significant step in Five9’s aim of becoming the “orchestration engine for every interaction across the entire customer journey.”
“I’d like to officially welcome the Acqueon team to Five9! Together, we will continue to enhance our technology to deliver impactful business outcomes for our customers and partners,” he wrote.
While neither side has mentioned a price, Burkland did speak extensively during the company’s Q2 2024 earnings call about the skills and infrastructure that Acqueon will bring to Five9.
He highlighted Acqueon’s prowess at delivering “best-in-class” proactive outbound omnichannel customer engagement across a range of customer experience scenarios.
These capabilities will be integrated into Five9’s Intelligent CX Platform to provide customers with a native solution that will move “beyond” the existing integration.
In a company blog post, Burkland also detailed how Acqueon’s tech stack will enable Five9 to enhance its AI offerings and expand its market reach (Read on…).
