Voice technology was already on the rise in India before the pandemic. But the virus ― and the subsequent need for both human-injected and contactless experiences ― served to increase both its pace and popularity.

The pandemic has put the pedal to the metal when it comes to digital adoption and innovations in customer experience (CX). Four senior leaders consider what emerging CX trends will be more relevant than ever in 2021. From voice technology to agile measurement strategies – what’s next for CX?

Black Friday is an immovable event – occurring at the same time of year, every year. With each iteration, we see more customer demand as more shoppers clock onto the best deals they can get in time for Christmas. And usually, we see more people flocking to the high street to get them.

Our working lives have long been open to disruption from tech and other external forces, but the arrival of COVID-19 has shifted the world of work at a rate of change that few could have predicted – and has raised urgent questions about how employment will adapt.

It’s been almost one year since the Covid-19 pandemic started. Data scientists worldwide have been analyzing data gathered during the pandemic to inform policies.

The disruption of the UK’s traditional grocery and supermarket scene by online providers looks to be accelerating, with Amazon now offering free grocery delivery to millions of customers in a massive expansion of the company's fresh food service.

A new challenge from XPRIZRE seeks evidence-based models using artificial intelligence to help governments reopen their economies during the pandemic. The accelerated crowdsourced competition has a total prize purse of $500,000, with the first deadline for team registration set for 8 December 2020.

The XPRIZE Pandemic Response Challenge seeks ways to safely reopen societies amidst a pandemic.

XPRIZE, an organization that creates competitions to solve humanitarian challenges, launched the Pandemic Response Challenge on Tuesday in partnership with Cognizant.

“Hotels use legacy systems for their back-office operations and it often limits the efficiencies they can achieve,” says Cognizant’s Vice President of Travel and Hospitality Joseph Rajadurai.

Cognizant’s recent ‘From Eyes to Ears: Getting Your Brand Heard in the New Age of Voice’ report says that brands not paying attention to voice could already be losing out on millions yearly. And while the vast majority of companies agree that voice will become essential to their success, only 20 percent have a formal voice strategy in place.

Technology has become central to keeping people connected during extended periods of forced social isolation. Whenever people get back to their routines in the physical world, it will merely be an effort to catch up, not be free from the virtual world.

There's a new way to borrow at the checkout counter, and it's finding favour with shoppers on a tight budget. Termed "buy now, pay later" (BNPL), these interest-free, short-term payment plans have captured a sizeable audience in credit-starved, cash-strapped millennials and Gen Zs.

COVID-19 has upended life as we know it. The potential effect of this viral disease on mortality and public health, as well as the lasting socioeconomic repercussions of the crisis, is still unfathomable.

When we look back at the Covid-19 pandemic, one of the unsung victims of the devastating virus is the touchscreen. While the virus made us wary of unhygienic surfaces, the lockdown and social isolation revived our interest in interacting with a human-sounding voice, catalysing the large-scale shift towards the voice interface.

For some years now, drone technology has been billed as the next big thing. For many, the associations that spring to mind when thinking about the technology are their uses in military defense, surveillance, awe-inspiring landscape photography, and wedding videos.

Businesses are bullish on the future of voice technology like Amazon, Apple and Google's digital assistants, with consumers relying on the contactless tools more than ever during the pandemic, according to a study by professional services company Cognizant. Exclusive local data shared with Which-50 from Cognizant’s Centre for the Future of Work shows Australian brands lead the region in voice strategy but still face privacy and skills challenges.

Nasdaq-listed Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp. is strengthening its leadership team with a mix of internal promotions and external hires in a bid to return to growth.

"We are pleased that we are entering Q4 executing increased promotions, and we are accruing bonuses at substantially higher levels than last year," said CEO Brian Humphries.

Brian Humphries took over as the CEO of Cognizant in April 2019 and announced a ‘fit for growth’ program, which involved cost-cutting initiatives and exiting non-core areas. He tells TOI that Cognizant is on its course to become industry bellwether again.

Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp. on Thursday posted a 30% year-on-year decline in net profit to $348 million for the quarter ended September on high acquisition-related costs and a one-time tax of about $140 million.

IT major Cognizant reported about 30 per cent drop in September quarter net income at USD 348 million (around Rs 2,578.3 crore), but said it is witnessing strong momentum in its digital business and bookings.

In the current reality, taking a step back and looking at the big picture can be daunting. The way we work has fundamentally changed and digital transformation efforts have been supercharged out of necessity.

Turns out COVID hasn’t just changed the way we work—it’s also thrown a wrench into the machinations of our future robot overlords.

Awareness! That’s what today’s data-driven organizations want. Whether for opportunities or threats, just knowing what’s happening can make all the difference, especially when the latency is near zero.