These days everyone is trying really hard to deliver amazing customer experiences. However, there’s a truth that is difficult to reconcile: Expectations will continue to shift faster than most organizations are able to evolve or adapt. That sets up the very real potential for falling farther and farther behind.

Now for one more truth: Consumers are in the driver’s seat. They are the true innovators. They will dictate what they want, when they want it, and how they want it, and will not interact with you based on any kind of formulaic customer journey. And they increasingly see experiences as just as important, if not more important, as the actual product or service you deliver.

This is the reality we all work with each day. This is what it means to live in the Experience Economy, and however tempting it might be, the question is not if you’re meeting the expectations of your customers. The question is, what kinds of expectations are you setting for yourselves internally? Are you taking advantage of the latest innovation cycles, or are you sprinting to catch up with them and taking your eye off your core marketing, sales, and service functions in the process? Are you enhancing and augmenting the creativity and ingenuity of your people with technology, or are you saddling them with technology changes that put new limitations on them?

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To help our customers answer these questions and spend more time using technology to create breakthrough experiences, and less time agonizing over how technologies are changing, we continue to expand the breadth and depth of the Oracle Cloud Marketplace and ecosystem.

The Oracle Cloud Marketplace is like our Batcave. It enables sales, service, marketing, and commerce professionals to easily browse, evaluate, and choose from hundreds of trusted business applications that are designed to meet unique business needs. This flexibility and choice give Oracle CX Cloud Suite customers the super powers to quickly and easily take advantage of the latest innovations to keep up with ever-changing customer expectations, and to set a new standard of excellence for themselves.

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For example, Five9 improves omnichannel customer experiences and contact center productivity. OpenMethods integrates all channels of customer communications. PathFactory connects buyers with the right information when they need it. WalkMe improves the employee experience by adapting technology to users, helping them be more engaged and productive. Conversocial harnesses messaging channels to deliver great conversational customer experiences.

I could go on and on. The options are almost endless and we like it that way. If you are at Modern CX this week in Vegas, take the time to meet with our growing partner ecosystem. If not, don’t worry. You can check out the latest apps and services on the Oracle Cloud Marketplace.

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