In an era of rapid digital transformation and evolving customer expectations, the significance of exceptional customer experience (CX) cannot be overstated.
To delve deeper into the realm of customer experience management and the revolutionary role of artificial intelligence (AI), Destination KSA had the privilege of conducting an exclusive interview with Haitham ElKhatib, the Senior Vice President of Growth Markets at Sprinklr. Sprinklr, an industry-leading enterprise software company, has been at the forefront of redefining CX through its unified, AI-powered platform. With a vision to become the world’s most loved enterprise software company, Sprinklr empowers organizations worldwide to listen, engage, and connect with their customers across multiple digital channels. In this insightful interview, Haitham ElKhatib provides valuable insights into Sprinklr’s mission, the transformative potential of AI in enhancing CX, and the groundbreaking initiatives they are bringing to Saudi Arabia.
Discover how Sprinklr’s innovative approach is enabling businesses to create unforgettable customer experiences and driving Saudi Arabia closer to its ambitious Vision 2030 goals. Join us in exploring the fascinating world of AI-powered CX, as Haitham ElKhatib shares his vision for the future of customer-centric landscapes in the kingdom and beyond.
The questions below are answered by Haitham Elkhatib.
What does Sprinklr do and why? What is Sprinklr’s mission in today’s evolving CX economy?
Sprinklr provides a unified, AI-powered platform for enterprises to listen to, reach, and engage with their customers on more than 30 digital channels. We support our clients and their customer-facing functions via four product suites: Sprinklr Insights, Sprinklr Social, Sprinklr Marketing, and Sprinklr Service.
In 2009, Sprinklr Founder and CEO Ragy Thomas recognized the importance of adapting to new digital channels in the enterprise and set out with the objective of building a different kind of enterprise software company. Today, Sprinklr provides the only unified customer experience management (Unified-CXM) platform powered by AI to support every customer-facing function at the enterprise level – including marketing, sales, and customer service. We provide the technology platform to ensure data, insights, content, campaigns, workflows, and results are unified across departments and teams.
Sprinklr’s mission is to enable every organization on the planet to make their customers happier. Our vision is to be the world’s most loved enterprise software company. Sprinklr’s dedication to customer experience management stems from our belief that people, including customers and employees, will never forget how we make them feel.
With our innovative approach and dedication to helping businesses thrive in the digital era, Sprinklr has become a trusted partner for more than 1400 of the largest brands worldwide. Brands like Microsoft, P&G, Samsung and more than fifty percent of the Fortune 100 companies.
Tell us about your role at Sprinklr and a bit about how you found yourself within this industry.
In my role as the Senior Vice President of Growth Markets at Sprinklr, I have the privilege of leading a dynamic team focused on ensuring our clients’ success in harnessing the power of the Sprinklr platform. In this role, I oversee the strategic direction and execution of our customer success initiatives, working closely with our clients to understand their unique goals, challenges, and objectives across the MEA and APJI regions – which includes the Middle East, Africa, Asia-Pacific, Japan, and India markets. By aligning their needs with our technology and solutions, we strive to drive maximum value and help them achieve their desired outcomes.
Reflecting on my path to this position, I have always been passionate about bringing new technologies to the emerging markets of MEA and its potential to transform businesses. After doing this twice in the GIS space and the Document Management space, I started my journey in the CX industry over a decade ago, working with various digital marketing and customer experience platforms. Through my experiences, I gained a deep understanding of the evolving landscape and the critical role that technology plays in helping organizations build meaningful and lasting connections with their customers.
How do you envision AI playing a transformative role in enhancing Customer Experience across the kingdom?
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia recognises the pivotal role AI will play in the future in revolutionizing customer experience across KSA. As we align ourselves with Saudi Vision 2030, we recognize the immense potential of AI in driving digital transformation.
Sprinklr’s Unified-CXM platform is powered by AI, which enables us to deliver human experiences across channels at enterprise scale. Our proprietary AI has been developed specifically for CX use cases and processes and analyses vast amounts of unstructured customer experience data from over 30 digital channels and millions of data sources.
Earlier this year we announced the launch of Sprinklr AI+ – the next evolution of our AI that integrates proprietary Sprinklr AI for CX with generative AI capabilities through integration with OpenAI. Sprinklr AI+ allows Sprinklr to leverage the power of generative AI and provide next-level customer experiences. Our recent updates to our AI offering, including Release 18.5, continue to support Sprinklr’s momentum in the customer service and CCaaS market with more than 110 new capabilities added to the Sprinklr Service Product Suite.
When you execute your comprehensive plan to improve CX with the help of AI, what kind of tangible outcomes do you expect to witness? Are there any specific results or milestones you’re eagerly anticipating?
By harnessing the power of AI, our goal is to help our customers achieve personalized customer interactions, seamless omnichannel experiences, proactive issue resolution, enhanced customer insights, and continuous improvement. Through AI-powered customer insights and data analytics, we will help our customers deliver experiences tailored to individual preferences, resulting in higher customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Examples of applied AI in action include:
- Intelligent automation and chatbots to help our customers provide instant support and seamless transitions between channels
- With generative AI, our customers can more quickly create content, improve feedback and assistance, and more quickly identify insights and subsequent actions
- Today, our customers can leverage Sprinklr AI to help proactively identify and address things like product issues or emerging customer concerns, leading to faster problem resolution and reduced customer frustrations. The data-driven insights gained through AI analytics will inform our decision-making process, allowing us to refine our offerings and marketing strategies to better meet customer expectations.
Ultimately, our focus on AI-driven CX enhancement will enable us to continuously improve and deliver exceptional experiences to our valued customers.
Looking into the crystal ball, where do you see this remarkable initiative heading in the next 5 to 10 years? What exciting developments and advancements can we anticipate in Saudi Arabia’s CX landscape?
In the coming 5 to 10 years, we can expect a remarkable journey of transformation, driven by a deep understanding of customers’ needs and desires, with the integration of artificial intelligence (AI), and automation revolutionizing customer interactions. These advancements will enable hyper-personalization, with tailored recommendations and offers based on individual preferences. The seamless integration of online and offline channels will become a priority, ensuring a consistent and interconnected experience for customers.
Voice and visual interfaces will gain prominence, allowing customers to interact with brands through voice commands, visual search, augmented reality (AR), and virtual reality (VR). Proactive customer service will be emphasized, leveraging AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants to anticipate and address customer needs in real-time.
Beyond just transactional interactions, businesses will foster deeper connections with their customers. They will listen attentively, respond empathetically, and engage in meaningful conversations that build trust and loyalty. By prioritizing open and transparent communication, organizations will forge genuine human connections, leading to long-term relationships that extend far beyond a single transaction and gain a competitive edge. The future of CX holds immense potential, where businesses and customers come together to create remarkable experiences, foster trust, and shape a vibrant and customer-centric landscape.
In a broader context, how do you believe implementing this groundbreaking initiative will contribute to Saudi Arabia’s ambitious Vision 2030?
As Saudi Arabia continues to make seismic strides by diversifying its economy and fostering innovation, technology plays a pivotal role in driving transformation across various sectors.
By harnessing the power of generative AI, businesses can streamline their customer service operations, enhance efficiency, and deliver exceptional experiences. This digital transformation drives economic growth, attracts foreign investment, and creates employment opportunities, in line with Vision 2030’s goal of building a vibrant and sustainable economy.
With Sprinklr AI+, businesses can supercharge customer experience data for deeper insights, better decisions, and faster actions. Moreover, implementing generative AI in customer service aligns with Vision 2030’s focus on innovation and technology. By embracing cutting-edge technologies, Saudi Arabia aims to become a global leader in technological advancements, fostering innovation-driven entrepreneurship, and nurturing a culture of creativity and forward-thinking.
In our exclusive interview with Haitham ElKhatib, Senior VP of Sprinklr, we’ve discovered the game-changing potential of AI in enhancing customer experience. Sprinklr’s unified platform harnesses AI to deliver personalized interactions, seamless omnichannel experiences, and proactive issue resolution. This initiative aligns with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, fostering innovation and economic growth. With Sprinklr’s AI advancements, businesses can look forward to a future of hyper-personalization, voice interfaces, and deeper customer connections. Sprinklr’s commitment to exceptional CX paves the way for remarkable experiences and a customer-centric landscape.
