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Mobile trends that will flourish and flop in 2020
In this roundup of UC blogs, analysts discuss mobile trends for 2020, how to choose the right digital whiteboard canvas and how video analytics could help retailers.
Mobile is a key piece of the digital transformation process. But businesses have not always had successful approaches to mobile, both internally and for customer-facing initiatives. Forrester Research analyst Thomas Husson blogged about the mobile trends organizations will and won't see in 2020.
One major mobile trend to expect in 2020 is the acceleration of mobile as the catalyst for business transformation. Husson wrote business transformation is not a new trend, but it will grow through the next year.
Organizations need to change their culture to a more mobile mindset across teams and business processes. Customer-facing organizations have seen a shift toward mobile in customer habits and expectations. Organizations must take a mobile approach to address those changing expectations, he wrote.
While chatbots are a growing mobile trend, they won't surpass human speech in 2020. The majority of chatbot experiences won't use true natural language generation, which uses AI to turn data into a written narrative, according to Husson.
"Some chatbots will deliver value, but let's not call them AI conversations," he wrote.
Rich Communication Services (RCS) will not become a standard in 2020, Husson wrote. Google and some telcos have approached RCS as the next generation of text messaging. RCS offers a richer messaging experience compared to SMS with more advanced capabilities, such as directory integrations, high-quality multimedia and interoperability across mobile devices and networks.
Husson wrote carriers will introduce new RCS offerings over the next year, but these offerings won't have the reach of mainstream messaging services.
Read more about the other mobile trends Husson said enterprises should expect in 2020.
Choosing the right canvas for content collaboration
Organizations that want to support immersive content creation and sharing are turning to interactive whiteboards, like Microsoft Surface Hub 2 or Cisco Webex Board, which enable users to write, draw and share content in a free-form space. The type of canvas an organization needs depends on the work that will be done, Wainhouse Research analysts Alan Greenberg and Bryan Hellard wrote in a blog.
Organizations have a choice between infinite and finite canvases, and each option has its challenges, Greenberg and Hellard wrote.
Finite canvases are fixed digital spaces geared toward ad hoc work in a small group that requires some content creation. The experience is similar to using a traditional whiteboard or blackboard. But the experience is also limited. If users completely fill the space, they must open a new one or delete existing content to make room, Greenberg and Hellard wrote.
Infinite canvases, on the other hand, support content sharing and creation among large groups working on complex projects. Infinite canvases can become unwieldy if users don't structure their content sharing and creation, which makes it difficult to find and share content after a meeting, Greenberg and Hellard wrote.
Check out Greenberg and Hellard's tips on how to choose the right canvas for your content collaboration needs.
Enhancing the retail industry with video analytics
The addition of AI to video has brought enhancements to the analytics available in video services. With AI-driven computer vision, which uses cameras to enable computers to see an image and better understand its data, retailers can use video analytics to improve the shopping experience and operational efficiencies, Tractica analyst Anand Joshi wrote in a blog.
The retail industry has been struggling to adapt to changing buyer habits. Video analytics can provide organizations with business intelligence to jump-start the market, Joshi wrote.
Many businesses have a security infrastructure that includes a network of video cameras. Security has been the primary driver for video analytics, but retail organizations can use analytics to expand their camera networks beyond security.
"By analyzing the same camera feed used for security, users can count the number of people, their interactions with different merchandise within the store, their traffic patterns and so on," he wrote. Organizations can take the data collected by the cameras and make improvements throughout the business, from marketing to operations.
Learn more about how video analytics can improve the retail industry, according to Joshi.
