Financial Services Bank, Insurance & Wealth industry participants are actively addressing howtobalance anddeliver a safe returntowork, with the right mix between a Secure Remote Workforce and Trusted Workplacetoensure business resiliency for all types of work, independent of work locations.

Chris Bottger, Cisco Americas Workplace Experience Strategist indicates Employee Engagement continues tobe a challenge as FinServ employers assess a Safe Return to Office strategy.

Studies, like those from Deloitte, have shown when employees are forced to work from home continuously, many of them feel unintended consequences including isolation, feeling of being disconnected from the company, distraction, and lack of focus, among others. This is why many CEOs feel talent uncertainty is their biggest risk to growth, according to a KPMG study.  Cisco smart collaboration systems help solve these issues as part of a workplace strategy.  When at home, these devices measure the environmental conditions and can be set to alert the user when it's time to take a break due to sitting for too long, or due to the fact that the air quality is poor.  At the same time, the company can send health and well being messages to the system, as well as key information which is valuable to allow for a safe return to the office.

When in the office, Cisco smart collaboration devices on desk or in conference rooms not only deliver superior experiences designed to engage people, but they can be used to ensure well-being and drive a sense of belonging.  This can include simple things such as voice control for a touchless experience, or measuring the environment from an air quality and noise perspective, or sending safety messages during emergencies.  No matter where the users are, the company can send alerts or well-being information to the screens of all Cisco systems, ensuring constant visibility.  The good news is all of this can be done irrespective of whether your collaboration platform is Microsoft Teams, Google, or even Zoom.

With the Hybrid Workplace, work is what you do, not where you are.  Here are a few use cases and solutions for rapid, safe return to office experiences:

• Webex Intelligent Workplacefor a bundled, centralized and cost-efficient solution.
• Using Cameras, Sensors and Digital Signage  for Alerts, Warnings, Building Status,Automation, Analytics...Find Rooms, minimize over-scheduling, eliminate no-shows, reduce late meeting starts,social distancing,
• SPACE OS -Middleware for COVID compliance, Cleaning Room Hold example.
• Interactive Demo in Chrome:https://cisco.cloud.appspace.com/app/public/7ecb9aacb29d4dca8415e1457f39cdaf/

The digital revolution is transforming the way companies connect to customers. And the businesses that succeed in the future will be continuously connected to their customers through whatever channels their customers choose.

According to Jeff Michaud, IMI Mobile VP Client Strategy, customer expectations have shifted:

• Shift frombusiness-ownedchannels toconsumer-preferred ->Only 12% of millennials cite telephone as their favorite communication channel
• Shift frompoint-and-click to natural languageconversations->By 2024, consumer retail spend via chatbots worldwide will reach$142b-up from just$2.8b in 2019?
• Shift fromreactive to proactive ->87% of consumers want to be contacted proactively by a company for customer servicematters
• Shift frommanual to automated ->Chatbots can help businesses save on customer service cost by speeding up response times and answering up to 80% of routine questions
• Shift fromcustomer acquisitionsto customer service and retention ->95% of consumers say customer service is an important factor in their choice of loyalty to a brand

Forrester captured the evolution of consumer expectations very well in their work around the 'Mobile Mind Shift', and the concept that today's perpetually connected consumer has an expectation that the businesses they choose to engage with will provide them with the right information and the right experience, directly at their fingertips, within their moment of need.

At imi and Cisco, we believe it is critical for an enterprise to open up the ways by which their customers can interact with their business -and provide customers with the mechanisms and channels they need to conduct everyday interactions and tasks with their brand. And, be able conduct these tasks in a way that is easy and intuitive for the customer -falling within their natural, everyday behaviors -ultimately making their lives more convenient. This type of approach will create a customer experience that is 'effortless and enjoyable' and provides a level of emotional connection and trust consumers desire.

In Banking & Wealth Management, there is opportunity to design a connected experience to build lasting customer relationships and trust with every interaction through multi-channel interactions and digital engagement.  Also, top-of-mind among Insurance decision-makers is facilitating a Digital Insurance experience which helps to drive customer acquisition, improved payment collection rates, fraud reduction, simplifying the claims and underwriting process for price quotes, sign-ups and renewals.

By integrating SMS messaging solutions into contact center customer support strategy, customers can now get instant support through one of their favorite messaging channels, help to reduce inbound call volume by 15%, and substantially enhance positive customer service feedback.

To learn more about imi's scalable enterprise-grade technology for mobile customer interactions, mobile-first capabilities for midsize or larger enterprises seeking to deploy a mobile-centric marketing strategy, reach out to Jeff Michaud at [email protected] or visit https://imimobile.com/solutions/insurance .

For additional resources, check out the webinar conversation recording with Chris, Jeff & Tom here and visit Cisco's Financial Services home page today.