2023 was the year that promised remarkable outcomes from generative AI. What was once associated with science fiction suddenly became accessible to anyone with an internet connection. As the year progressed, companies moved quickly to figure out how to leverage these powerful tools… the collaboration industry was no exception.
At Cisco, we knew the impact that this technology would have on the way we work, which is why we started incorporating AI into our products many years ago. Last year, at WebexOne, we announced even more AI innovations with Cisco AI Assistant for Webex: breakthrough generative AI, pervasive across the Webex Platform, that will forever change how we work.
If 2023 was the year of promises, then 2024 will be the year of delivering. And that’s precisely what we are doing at Webex. Today, we are excited to announce Beta and General Availability for some of the most anticipated features announced at WebexOne. Employees and select customers have been using some of these features in beta for a few months, and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.
AI for Hybrid Work
In a hybrid model, AI is no longer a “nice to have” but rather, it is required to deliver the rich experiences that employees need to succeed.
The AI Assistant for Webex was purpose-built for a hybrid world where the needs of both in-person and remote users are not only met but exceeded. Today, we’re announcing features in the Webex Suite, including AI-powered Meeting Summaries and Vidcast Summaries. These capabilities help improve productivity by saving users time catching up on a missed meeting or video message.
Messaging is a critical component of effective collaboration, and the Webex Suite with AI Assistant makes it effortless. This quarter, you’ll see enhancements like Space Summaries and Rewrite Message, the ability to rephrase, change the tone, and even translate a message. Vidcast, our video messaging platform, is also now available from within the Webex app!
Calling is still the most fundamental tool for workplace communications. At WebexOne, we announced HD Voice, an AI-powered technology that removes background noises and converts narrowband audio to wideband. The result is improved audio quality and better speech intelligibility when receiving calls over PSTN. I am excited to announce that HD Voice is coming soon in March for all Webex Calling and Webex Suite customers. And Webex Go, our industry-first mobile solution that brings the powerful Webex Calling experience to the native dialer on your mobile phone, is also now available in France.
From Mandate to Magnet
For many organizations, adopting a hybrid work approach means a return to the office. While some welcome that, others are hesitant. Recent research shows that employees feel their offices are not fully equipped to support a new hybrid model, citing office layout, technology, and infrastructure issues. They want offices to be a space for collaboration, creativity, and connections… and we couldn’t agree more.
Our goal is to make it feel like there is no distance between you and your colleagues, even when you are a world away. To deliver devices and software that work in harmony to bring the creativity, productivity, and innovation that thrives in an office to all participants, regardless of location. Last year, we announced the groundbreaking AI-powered Cinematic meetings and the Cisco Room Kit EQX, the ultimate room collaboration device that delivers ‘Distance Zero.’
More recently, at ISE, alongside Microsoft and Samsung, we announced new integrated video collaboration solutions featuring our AI-powered Cisco Room Series devices. Cisco’s Room Kit EQ supports Samsung’s newly unveiled 105-inch Smart Signage, featuring a 21:9 aspect ratio and 5K resolution. For our mutual customers with Microsoft, Samsung’s new and sizable display optimizes the Front Row layout on Cisco Devices for Microsoft Teams Rooms. This partnership allows for intelligent and immersive conference room experiences with maximum flexibility for all participants, in-person or remote.
Delivering Amazing Customer Experiences
AI empowers us to reimagine how and where we work, but perhaps the area with the most opportunity is how we interact with our customers. At WebexOne, we announced Webex Contact Center with AI Assistant, and thanks to the power of the Webex Platform, we can reimagine customer experiences with our latest AI capabilities.
Many of these features will help solve common CX challenges, like never making a customer wait and never making a customer repeat themselves. This enables businesses to give customers the feeling of having a personal concierge. This includes business-empowering innovations like automatic customer satisfaction (CSAT) scores and topic analytics. To ensure agents are supported and performing at their best, we developed agent burnout detection as part of our agent wellness solution, which enables automatic breaks and real-time coaching. I am excited to announce these features will soon be available in Beta in the Webex Contact Center.
Because we meet customers where they are on their customer experience (CX) journey, we announced Webex Customer Experience Essentials. This offering can help customer-facing employees who need agent and supervisor capabilities outside a traditional contact center. It brings seamless access to customer experience tools across an entire organization by providing agent-like functionality, supervisory tools, and analytics for users such as a nurse pool, social media managers, or local insurance agency brokers — it is available in Beta now!
We know that customers expect organizations to be accessible via the channels they use most, which is why Webex Connect, our market-leading Communications Platform as a Service (CPaaS), offers over 16 communication channels. Webex Contact Center Enterprise customers, especially our European customers, will be excited to hear that WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger are now available! Also coming soon for our European customers is integrated post-contact surveys so that you can collect critical feedback from customer interactions. Unleash the power of the Webex Contact Center today!
Reimagining IT, Security, Sustainability
A fundamental component of supporting a distributed workforce through a hybrid model is security and data privacy. Given the rapid transition to the cloud, business requirements for data sovereignty are rising around the world, with Europe leading the way. Last fall, we announced our new Sovereign Controls feature, building on our existing EU data residency program. This solution allows organizations to leverage the latest cloud and collaboration innovations while keeping their content encrypted within the EU by storing encryption keys with trusted European partners Deutsche Telekom and Eviden. Pending regulatory approval, we are hoping for beta availability in Q2.
To further support the unsung heroes of a hybrid work transition, IT, last year, we announced ThousandEyes and Meraki integrations for our industry-leading Webex Control Hub. IT teams will be thrilled to hear that those integrations are now available to customers. Only Cisco can currently offer this type of visibility across platforms.
Alongside privacy and security, sustainability is a top priority for organizations, and IT plays a critical role. Innovations like Carbon Emissions Insights and Office Hours allow IT to monitor and reduce energy consumption across the organization.
We are excited to announce the latest tool for helping companies achieve their sustainability goals – Low Carbon Mode. Low Carbon Mode provides insights to help reduce energy consumption during times when electricity is being generated from higher-carbon energy sources. Based on a user’s location, Low Carbon Mode identifies the energy source being used – giving admins and users a way to optimize their energy consumption until a low-carbon electricity source is available. This user-centric approach allows adjustments such as deferring non-critical updates and optimizing video when the mode is active, based on the availability of low-carbon electricity in the region.
Delivering AI in 2024
2024 will be a pivotal year for organizations that adopt these breakthrough innovations. Customers who have had beta access are already seeing the benefits in productivity:
“With our team dispersed across the globe, communication is critical to our team’s operation. From trackside all the way to the McLaren Technology Centre, we need technology that brings the same speed and accuracy that we operate at in Formula 1. As a long-time Cisco Webex partner, new generative AI capabilities within the AI Assistant for Webex like Message Rewrite -where you can change the tone of a message with a couple clicks- will be great to incorporate.” – Ed Green, Head of Commercial Technology, McLaren Racing
“I have been a long-time fan of Webex AI features such as noise removal and virtual background. However, since I started using space summaries, I have found a new favorite. Space summaries provide me with a quick overview of the discussions happening within a Webex space, allowing me to focus on the conversations that are important to me. I was amazed by the quality of the summaries from the very beginning.” – Sebastian Leuser, Deutsche Telekom
We are delighted to deliver the promise of AI by putting these game-changing features into customers’ hands—2024 promises to be the year that shows how AI can make collaboration better than ever.
More from Cisco Live EMEA 2024:
- Webex for Apple Vision Pro: unleash the new era of spatial computing to elevate hybrid work
- Webex and Meraki | Advanced troubleshooting for a better meetings experience
- Hybrid Work study in Europe reveals interesting findings on employees
- Webex on Apple TV 4K | For the ultimate collaborative experience
- How Webex supports virtual care around the world
- How Cisco, together with Apple, is tackling the next frontier of hybrid work
- Redefining collaboration: 5 real-world insights from Webex customers
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