Connected device intelligence firm Parks Associates recently hosted the first session, in a series of virtual events dedicated to understanding the Future of Video and exploring the emerging market for Over the Top (OTT) video, which is streaming content entering the home via the internet, subverting the broadcast networks and cable providers. Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime and Sling are well-known examples.

One of the most anticipated events of the century -- the development of the Covid-19 vaccine -- also happens to be one of the most contentious. Potential recipients from every segment of society have a wide range of concerns and many have grown distrustful of information sources they previously counted on.

Among the many impacts of the pandemic on economic life has been the need for brands and customers to figure out how to better interface with one another from a distance. In the short term this usually meant greater reliance on phone and chat-based interactions, however in 2020, the world quickly learned that these services - typically delivered via tightly packed contact centers - were themselves untenable.

It’s a central challenge confronting CX operations: how to economically retain the most qualified and experienced talent when single client support demand fluctuations may not justify their year-long employment? This is an especially thorny mess to untangle when working to retain notoriously difficult-to-recruit licensed agents whose certifications are indispensable, though maybe only a few months at a time.

Smart devices have come to occupy a space in our lives that’s unique among consumer products. What other product category has so rapidly come to appeal to a global market comprised of eager, unusually motivated repeat buyers? And these items occupy a price point that’s low enough to generate high sales volumes, yet high enough to make it worth a scammer’s while to steal and re-sell them.

It’s one of those business stories that needs to be documented.

As the year 2000 approached, then Microsoft CEO Bill Gates -- who at the time enjoyed near-Nostradamus status --  was asked about the most important technology developments to anticipate in the new century. One thing Gates described seemed highly improbable at the time: the idea that as internet bandwidth approached computer processing speeds, actual data computation and storage would take place farther and farther from the user.

So many of life's great leaps forward happen in the wake of profound disruption. For example, the fossil record regularly shows an explosion of new species shortly (in geologic terms) after evidence of violent asteroid impacts. Simply put, disruptive events alter the environment in ways that challenge incumbents, open up new niches and force all participants to innovate in ways that have enormous long-term ramifications. 

As global circumstances compel businesses to rapidly adopt work-at-home customer support solutions, many are faced with a critical, yet often overlooked, decision: whether to engage with home-based workers on a contract or full-time basis.