NICE Mpower: A Closer Look at the “Holy Grail” of CX and AI Platform Bundling

The recent launch of NICE Mpower, touted as the “world’s first and only CX-aware AI platform,” has caused quite a stir in the customer experience industry. However, upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that Mpower is not a new platform but rather a bundled offering of NICE CXone and Enlighten, the vendor’s AI suite.

While the pricing model for Mpower aims to simplify AI procurement and make costs more predictable for contact centers, the messaging around it as the “Holy Grail of CX” may be a bit misleading. As Simon Harrison, Founder & CEO of Actionary, points out, CCaaS is often seen as a necessary evil by the c-suite, staff, and customers alike.

Despite NICE’s reputation as a CCaaS visionary and leader, the potential problem with Mpower lies in the readiness of enterprise contact centers to embrace such innovation. Many legacy contact centers are still struggling with the basics of data management and have not fully integrated AI tools into their operations.

To address this gap, NICE may need to shift its focus from selling the CCaaS dream to supporting clients in their journey towards digital transformation. By de-emphasizing the term “platform” and focusing on the “suite,” NICE can better align its offerings with the broader cloud CX space and help customers navigate the complexities of CCaaS migrations and AI integration.

While NICE remains a powerhouse of CCaaS innovation, the jargon surrounding Mpower may be off-putting to some customers. Clearer messaging and a focus on practical solutions could help businesses better understand and leverage NICE’s offerings in the ever-evolving landscape of customer experience technology.