An increase in infrastructure disruptions caused by man-made and natural events has created a demand for utility providers to develop more effective and attainable safety messaging. Between cyber ransomware attacks and an uptick in severe weather with catastrophic consequences, executives in the utilities industry are reviewing the efficacy of their communications plans and the effect it can have on customer satisfaction.

Chief marketing officers (CMOs) must focus on building trust as 57% of consumers reported they lacked trust in U.S. brands, according to a recent survey by Gartner, Inc. In the midst of dire loss of trust, marketing leaders hope to differentiate themselves by improving brand trust.

Employee engagement has surfaced as a major concern in delivering improvements in customer experience (CX), with 86 percent of CX executives in a Gartner, Inc. survey ranking it as having an equal or greater impact than other factors such as project management and data skills.

Global business value derived from artificial intelligence (AI) is projected to total $1.2 trillion in 2018, an increase of 70 percent from 2017, according to new research from Gartner. AI-derived business value is forecast to reach $3.9 trillion in 2022. Customer experience represents the majority of ai business value through 2020.