This week Cisco held a hybrid work occasion, at which it launched a wholly new Webex.
Cisco has been the market chief in on-line collaboration because it acquired Webex in 2007. Over the years, it’s confronted many opponents, each massive and small, however it’s managed to remain on high. Most not too long ago, the pandemic created a surge in use from smaller distributors, most notably Zoom, which has huge client enchantment. At that point, many trade watchers believed Webex to be over the hill and its finest days have been behind it.
Webex has unveiled a flurry of innovation over the previous 12 months
As an analyst that follows Cisco carefully, I believed Webex actually had areas of energy, akin to safety and scale. But it clearly lagged behind most of the upstarts in usability and most of the whiz bang options, akin to digital backgrounds, that customers appeared to love.
Since then, the corporate has come roaring again and has shortly and methodically added characteristic after characteristic. Over the previous 9 months, Cisco has added over 800 new options to Webex and added capabilities via 4 acquisitions, which incorporates BabbleLabs (noise discount), imimobile (contact heart intelligence), Slido (viewers interplay) and Socio (occasions platform).
New emblem highlights the change in Webex
The fruits of all of this work was on show on the hybrid work occasion. The most noticeable change is the brand new emblem and feel and look of the product. Gone is the older, round emblem, which has been changed with a brand new, glossy wanting model that’s indicative of Cisco’s broader mission to “Power an Inclusive Future.”
The new emblem is clearly a “W” however it’s additionally a rotating double helix, which showcases two arms coming collectively, which is supposed to be a metaphor for groups in movement. Also, the natural curves and roundedness of the brand is a mirrored image of Cisco’s perception that collaboration must be straightforward for everybody to make use of, not simply technically savvy. This is a part of Cisco’s inclusive mission that everybody ought to have the identical expertise, no matter demographic.
The advertising group efforts at Cisco, significantly for the reason that pandemic started, has been exemplary as the whole picture of Webex has been modernized. Webex now has partnerships with some high tier companions, just like the not too long ago introduced McLaren Formula 1 workforce making certain the “new Webex” will get extra eyeballs on it. Webex has additionally partnered with the PGA of Australia and I’m positive everybody has seen the software getting used on CNN and different new stations in the course of the pandemic.
Webex is now constructed for customers first
All of those new options and branding has actually helped Cisco elevate its profile with prospects.
During a pre-brief with analysts, the Webex workforce shared crucial buyer suggestions from a 12 months in the past that drove a lot of the change. Customers needed extra options, sooner; they needed larger concentrate on customers and never simply the IT division (Microsoft Teams is essentially designed as IT first) they usually needed higher high quality.
Cisco delivered. The internet outcome has been a lift of 15 factors in Net Promoter Score (NPS), which is exceptional in a 12 months’s time.
New Webex contains various new options
At the occasion, Cisco additionally introduced a bevy of recent options designed to make hybrid working simpler. Cisco not too long ago carried out some analysis that discovered pre-pandemic solely 8% of conferences had at the very least one digital participant. Moving ahead, it is going to be a whopping 98%. Clearly, hybrid is the best way. To assist this shift, Cisco introduced the next:
- New pricing. Webex will now be offered as a set the place prospects that buy it is going to have entry to all the pieces Webex together with conferences, calling, messaging, polling and occasions at one low value. While Cisco…
