Q&A with Himabindu Venganur

With new cloud-based technologies and artificial intelligence (AI) tools transforming the customer experience (CX), it is critical for companies to embrace these innovations to remain competitive. Those who drag their feet risk being left behind, while those who move decisively can expect wide-ranging benefits, such as better anticipation of customer needs, more personalized interactions and informed decision-making, streamlined workflows, and enhanced service delivery.

I recently sat down to discuss this important topic with Himabindu Venganur, who has over 17 years of experience implementing cloud integration and AI-driven solutions for businesses across multiple industries. Himabindu has seen firsthand how new technologies are driving next-generation CX and providing companies with the ability to offer more personalized, efficient services. She also has unique insight into the challenges that can arise when organizations attempt to break down data silos and create unified, user-centric experiences for customers. Here are her thoughts on the future of CX, including what she sees happening with enterprise applications, cloud integration, and other industry innovations.

Dare: How has CX evolved in recent years?

Venganur: In CX, there has been a dramatic shift from more traditional, static interactions to dynamic, personalized, and omnichannel experiences. Customers now expect their interactions with companies to be speedy, relevant, and consistent in quality. To deliver these types of interactions, companies employ cloud solutions like Oracle VBCS (Visual Builder Cloud Service) and Oracle OIC (Oracle Integration Cloud), which allow them to more easily tap into the power of AI and machine learning to produce predictive analytics. Companies then utilize predictive analytics to create customer experiences that are more personalized and informative and ultimately lead to improved customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Dare: How do enterprise applications, cloud integration, and AI impact CX evolution?

Venganur: The evolution of CX is closely tied to rapid advancements in enterprise applications, cloud integration, AI, and machine learning. Organizations implement tools like Oracle OIC, Oracle VBCS, and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) to move on from traditional IT infrastructures and create large, integrated ecosystems that are more flexible and dynamic than previously possible. For example, integrating enterprise applications with a cloud-based platform like Oracle OCI yields data-driven CX and provides a clearer, more unified view of customer interactions so companies can produce a more personalized, consistent customer experience across all channels.

Using tools like Oracle OIC, cloud integration helps ensure customer data is accessible in real time to make interactions more personalized. Cloud integration also helps automate CX processes, freeing up staff and increasing response times. As for AI, its use has become highly popular in CX. In a recent IBM Institute for Business Value survey, 57 percent of respondents said their top reason for adopting AI was to better meet customer demands for more personalized experiences. In the HubSpot Blog’s recent AI Trends for Marketers Report, which was updated in October of 2024, researchers found that the number one reason companies use AI is to enhance CX (62 percent). Companies stated that they turn to AI to bolster their CX efforts because today’s top AI tools generate powerful predictive analytics that make it easier to understand when customers may have an issue or the best time to reach out to them. Those results are why HubSpot’s report also says that 83 percent of organizations now use generative AI (GenAI) virtual assistants, bots, and other tools for CX.

Dare: How can organizations best harness AI and machine learning to drive CX innovation?

Venganur: New tools, like Oracle’s GenAI models and machine learning services on OCI, have made it easier to harness the full power of these evolving technologies. ChatGPT and other AI-driven chatbots can provide customers with instant answers to their questions. Along those same lines, predictive analytic AI tools can suggest products or services based on a customer’s behavior, while sentiment analysis tools can identify customer emotions and adjust the CX approach accordingly.

Dare: What are the best practices for harnessing AI and machine learning in CX?

Venganur: Companies looking to successfully integrate AI and machine learning into their customer service would do well to focus on the following five areas. First, set clear objectives by defining the goals of AI integration, such as reducing response time or increasing personalization. Second, take a data-driven approach and use data from various sources to train AI models to respond with greater relevance and accuracy. Third, promote continuous learning by consistently updating AI models to stay on top of new customer behaviors and trends. Fourth, integrate with existing systems and connect AI systems with current enterprise applications through tools like Oracle OIC for a seamless workflow. Finally, conduct user testing by continuously testing and refining AI systems to ensure they are user-friendly and satisfy customer needs.

It’s also important for companies to stay up to date on AI and machine learning advancements. With innovations coming so quickly these days, the failure to stay current can cause companies to rely on technology that is being outperformed by a new iteration, which could put them at a disadvantage to their more up-to-date competition.

Dare: What challenges do organizations typically encounter when integrating cloud services with existing systems?

Venganur: Businesses typically face challenges like data incompatibility, resistance to change, and security concerns when integrating cloud services. Companies can use Oracle OIC’s pre-built adapters to overcome data incompatibility and ensure smooth integration with legacy systems. As for the other challenges, leadership can hold meetings and produce promotional material to stress the benefits of integration and get better staff buy-in. Additionally, Oracle OCI provides robust security features to protect sensitive customer data. Another step companies can take to ensure a seamless integration process is to conduct the integration in phases to ensure essential steps aren’t shortchanged or skipped entirely. Organizations can also involve stakeholders early to better identify and address areas that could present challenges later.

Dare: What types of benefits are companies that pursue CX innovation experiencing?

Venganur: Keller Williams, the world’s largest real estate franchise, reports that its CX innovations, which include the use of Oracle OIC, have eliminated data silos and “made it easier for finance staff to access financial data across all Oracle Cloud ERP and EPM sources to create ad hoc reports.” A company official says the innovations have reduced the company’s financial reporting time by 90 percent.

Grupo Bimbo, which produces baked goods under familiar brands such as Entenmann’s, Thomas’ English Muffins, Arnold, and Sara Lee, uses new, advanced AI tools to upgrade its connection center from a traditional call center to a customer service hub capable of social listening. Other areas of the company’s operations positively impacted by AI tools include product quality, sales forecasting, and driver safety. As these two examples show, the benefits produced from CX innovation can be very diverse.

Dare: What metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs) can be used to measure customer experience?

Venganur: It’s crucial for companies to continually assess the way customers experience their brand to ensure the new integrations are having the desired effects. KPIs for CX include customer satisfaction (CSAT), which measures how satisfied customers are with their interactions, and net promoter score (NPS) to assess customer loyalty and the likelihood of recommending the company to others. Two other KPIs are first contact resolution (FCR), which tracks the percentage of issues resolved on the first interaction, and customer effort score (CES), which measures how easy it is for customers to resolve their problems. By consistently monitoring these KPIs, organizations will stay more aware of the impact integrations have on customer experience and can make changes faster to improve results when necessary.

Dare: How do microservices contribute to faster deployment and scalability?

Venganur: Microservices architecture, in conjunction with Oracle OCI, enables businesses to break down applications into smaller, independent services. This modular approach helps companies deploy new features faster, as individual services can be updated without disrupting an entire application. Microservices can also be scaled independently, which helps optimize resource allocation and improve cost efficiency and agility. Another benefit of a microservices architecture is that it fosters faster development cycles so companies can respond more quickly to customer demands.

Dare: What does the future of CX innovation look like?

Venganur: AI-driven CX will continue to evolve rapidly, which likely means more advances in omnichannel support and hyper-personalization in the coming years. To prepare, organizations can invest in cloud platforms like Oracle OCI and Oracle OIC to ensure they can handle increasing data and customer expectations. It is also imperative that companies make an organization-wide commitment to utilizing AI. For example, something as simple as taking advantage of a GenAI tool like ChatGPT could enable them to provide faster, more personalized CX responses. Additionally, adopting microservices architecture could help improve agility and scalability so businesses can meet future demands more efficiently.

How companies can prepare for coming CX innovations

The future of enterprise applications and CX innovation is not just about adopting new technology but also strategically embedding it to create a mutually beneficial relationship between operational efficiency and customer satisfaction. It’s up to company leaders to shape this future by guiding enterprises toward building adaptable ecosystems that prioritize customer engagement and operational excellence. Three keys to accomplishing this goal are taking the time to understand the challenges that can arise when integrating new cloud-based technologies, using AI tools with existing systems, and committing to following best practices during technology implementation and use. Companies that take these steps will generate AI-driven insights and predictive analytics that drive proactive service and unlock sustainable growth.

About the Author:

Ken Dare is a freelance writer with more than 20 years of experience covering the business and technology markets, including enterprise applications, cloud integration, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. For more information, contact:

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