Today’s merger of Serenova and Lifesize introduces an exciting new company combining the most innovative technologies in cloud contact center and video collaboration solutions. It creates the first-ever platform focused on delivering unified, cloud-ready, omnichannel experiences for highly connected workplace collaboration and deeper customer engagement.

For contact centers, this means a next generation of high-definition customer experiences that will differentiate the most successful global brands.

Customer experience is now unquestionably the most critical competitive differentiator for brands. Getting it right, in this always-on, digital world, means staying ahead of consumer trends and delivering on evolving expectations. At this pivotal moment, when contact centers are the frontline, we believe video is the next customer experience game-changer.

That’s why our merger with Lifesize, a global innovator of high-definition video collaboration and meeting productivity solutions, is the natural next step to advance our mission to continually innovate and help contact centers differentiate through exceptional customer experience.

High-Definition Video Is the Customer Experience Game-changer

As we evaluate the trends affecting contact centers, we view the convergence of Contact Center-as-a-Service (CCaaS) and Unified Communications-as-a-service (UCaaS) technologies as a clear opportunity to optimize customer experience. We believe integrating video into a cloud contact center solution is the first and best way to leverage this opportunity right now. Through our merger with Lifesize, we’ll do this as the first CCaaS provider to offer a natively integrated, enterprise-grade cloud contact center solution with high-definition video.

Unlike adding disparate systems, applications and channels to the contact center, this kind of native integration—and Serenova’s in particular—has been hailed by Forrester for its immediate benefit and for laying the groundwork for contact centers to evolve. It’s an approach we’ve led by continually building out a unified platform, including quality management through our acquisition of TelStrat in 2017 and, more recently, with workforce management through our acquisition of Loxysoft’s ProScheduler.

No other contact center solutions provider is delivering the benefits of native integration to the degree or at the pace we are. Native high-definition video integration is the next important step.

 Bringing the Promise of Video to the Contact Center

Shifting demographics and an overall consumer embrace of digital communication channels mean contact centers must continually adapt and add options for how their customers can interact and communicate with them. We see video as a critical channel with appeal across demographics and a growing number of use cases across industries.

There’s no question AI-powered chatbots and self service are important—and they’re here to stay. But the creativity, empathy and engagement a human brings to the customer experience will be what distinguishes brands from their competitors—now and in the future.

Video delivers the human connection most digital channels can’t, and amps up a phone interaction with an agent. This is especially critical for complex or emotionally charged exchanges and can have especially lasting effects on customer experience and loyalty.

We’ve begun to identify specific use cases for high-end, high-definition video, including:

  • Physician/patient video interactions in healthcare, particularly the growing field of telemedicine
  • Highly personalized consultative video communications for high-value products and services like financial services
  • Mobile video for enhanced technical support
  • Interactive video engagement on banking websites, mobile apps and ATMs
  • Video-enabled kiosks in banking and other services and retail branches, connecting customers with off-site experts

Since sharing the news of the merger, we’ve also heard from customers and prospects about more opportunities for video to improve experiences and connections in their contact centers. We’re exceedingly optimistic about the immediate and long-term possibilities.

High-Definition Experiences Is What’s Next

This merger is about more than technology. This is an opportunity to leverage the power of technology to create high-definition experiences between people.

From the contact center to the meeting room and beyond, we believe high-definition experiences ensure the authenticity of every engagement. This means more than just pixels on a screen. It’s about creating deeper, more intimate engagement between people at every touchpoint across the contact center and throughout the enterprise.

In this next evolution of Serenova, we’ll use technology—like high-definition video, powerful analytics and artificial intelligence—as the catalyst to help our customers forge deeper connections. It’s these connections that will drive high-definition experiences and differentiate the most successful global brands.

And Always Customer-First

As a new, unified company of like-minded leaders of innovation, we will revolutionize the way organizations of people and their customers connect. We’ll do this by continuing decades-long commitments to fearlessly innovate to find solutions that address the evolving demands of consumers for superior experiences, as well as optimize operations and workforces.

As Serenova and Lifesize combine our respective technologies, we remain focused on our core technologies and roadmap strategies. And importantly, we remain a customer-first organization. In this next chapter, our unwavering customer-first approach will continue to be a key driver of success. We are and always will be an organization of people—providing technology solutions to help contact centers positively transform.

In the coming weeks, we’ll share more about the transition, the broadening of our portfolio with video and the ways in which we’ll continue to deliver value to our customers by helping them deliver value to theirs—in high definition.

Welcome to what’s next.

To learn more, watch the personal video address below from Lifesize CEO Craig Malloy and me: