01 / 08
CX Technology Strategy
The technology direction required by the experience strategy: which capabilities are developed, procured, consolidated or discontinued, and in which sequence.
Service · Customer Experience
Select the architecture before selecting the vendor
X-Shift translates experience and operating model decisions into capability, data and integration requirements, then designs the architecture that candidate platforms are evaluated against. X-Shift remains solution-agnostic throughout evaluation and delivers the integration between experience platforms and the core systems of record.
- Frequently delivered with
Interactions, cases, knowledge and service intelligence within a single platform.
Reference architectureDefined before selection
- Channels
- Engagement and case
- Knowledge and analytics
- Integration layer
- Core systems of record
Candidates scored against it
Candidate A
Candidate BBest fit
Candidate C
Weightings signed off first
Architecture precedes selection
- Requirements
- Architecture
- Evaluate
- Integrate
- Govern
CX Technology Advisory and IntegrationConsult X-Shift
What we do
The architecture required by the experience, defined before technology selection
X-Shift works backwards from the experience design. Customer experience and operating model requirements are converted into capability, data and integration requirements, and expressed as a target architecture that any candidate platform can be evaluated against. Evaluation is structured and evidence-based: fit against requirements, integration cost, operational burden, data implications and total cost across the life of the estate. The evaluation is conducted solution-agnostically, and any X-Shift platform in the shortlist is assessed against the same criteria as every other option. The customer experience (CX) ecosystem and integration layer are then designed so that customer context, case state and knowledge remain consistent across channels, and the integration with the core systems of record is delivered.
- 01Experience requirements
- 02Target architecture
- 03Structured evaluation
- 04Ecosystem design
- 05Integration layer
- 06Core systems integration
Capabilities
From technology strategy to delivered integration
Advisory and delivery within a single practice, so that the architecture designed is the architecture implemented.
02 / 08
Solution Architecture
The end-to-end design of the customer experience technology estate: components, system responsibilities, data flows and the boundaries between them.
03 / 08
Technology Evaluation
Structured evaluation of candidate platforms against defined requirements, integration cost, operational burden and total cost across the life of the estate.
04 / 08
CX Ecosystem Design
How service, digital, knowledge, analytics and core systems interoperate, and which system is authoritative for each part of the customer record.
05 / 08
Omnichannel Architecture
The architecture that maintains customer context, history and case state consistently as customers transition between channels and between automation and staff.
06 / 08
Integration Architecture
Integration patterns, interfaces and data contracts designed for reuse, so that adding a channel or system does not require the connections to be rebuilt.
07 / 08
Platform Integration
Delivery of the integration between customer experience platforms and the core systems that hold customer, transaction and case records.
08 / 08
Technology Modernisation
Consolidation and replacement of ageing customer experience technology, sequenced so that service continues uninterrupted while the estate is transitioned.
Architecture
The sequence in which the estate is designed
Each stage constrains the next. Reversing any two stages results in an estate with several versions of the customer.
- 01Experience requirements
- 02Capability and data model
- 03Target architecture
- 04Weighted evaluation
- 05Integration and data contracts
- 06Governed estate
Requirements precede architecture; architecture precedes selection; selection precedes integration.
Deliverables
Deliverables provided by the engagement
Artefacts on which an architecture board and a procurement function can both rely.
01
Capability and data requirements specification
Experience and operating model decisions expressed as testable capability, data and integration requirements.
02
Reference architecture
Components, system responsibilities, data ownership and the boundaries between parts of the customer experience estate.
03
Weighted evaluation model and scoring record
The criteria, weightings and full scoring for every candidate platform, including the criteria on which each scored poorly and the rationale.
04
Integration architecture and data contracts
Patterns, interface definitions and data contracts designed for reuse across channels and future systems.
05
Modernisation and transition plan
The sequence for consolidating or replacing ageing components without interrupting live service.
06
Architecture governance charter
Design authority, standards, exception routes and the review points that maintain the coherence of the estate after the engagement concludes.
Approach
Requirements derived from the experience, architecture established before selection
Selection made before the architecture is established commits the organisation to constraints that have not yet been examined.
ACCOUNTABILITY AT EVERY STAGEA named owner and a defined output, from commencement to completion.
01 / 05
01
Translate experience into requirements
Experience and operating model decisions are converted into capability, data and integration requirements that can be evaluated objectively.
OutputCapability and data requirements specification
02 / 05
02
Design the target architecture
Components, system responsibilities, data ownership, integration patterns and the boundaries between parts of the estate are defined.
OutputReference architecture
03 / 05
03
Evaluate and select
Candidate platforms are assessed against the requirements, integration cost and operational burden, and the commercial and technical decision is supported.
OutputWeighted evaluation model and scoring record
04 / 05
04
Design and deliver integration
Interfaces and data contracts are designed and the integration between experience platforms and the core systems of record is delivered.
OutputIntegration architecture and data contracts
05 / 05
05
Modernise and govern
Consolidation and replacement of legacy components is sequenced, and the architecture governance that maintains the coherence of the estate is established.
OutputModernisation plan and architecture governance charter
When this is required
Every platform performed well in demonstration and none aligns with the actual operating requirement
The estate was assembled from sound individual decisions, without a shared architecture.
Customer experience technology is typically procured in response to specific pressures (a channel to add, a report to produce, a supplier to replace). Each procurement is defensible. The cumulative result is an estate with several versions of the customer, point-to-point integration, and rising cost that does not correspond to rising capability.
Client responsibilities
What the engagement requires from the client
Architecture work is delayed by limited access to the estate in its actual state, and by procurement rules that were not disclosed at the outset.
- 01
An inventory of current platforms, licences, contract end dates and integration points, including systems without a designated owner
- 02
Access to the client's architecture and security functions at a stage early enough to set constraints rather than review conclusions
- 03
A named decision-maker for platform selection, and clarity on which procurement rules govern it
- 04
Agreement on whether the existing estate is in scope for replacement before evaluation commences
Outcomes
The estate no longer expands unintentionally
Resulting changesNew requirements are assessed against a defined target architecture rather than addressed through a further procurement. Customer context is consistent across channels, and integration developed for reuse reduces the cost of each subsequent addition.
- 01
A defined target architecture that every new requirement is assessed against
- 02
Platform decisions made on fit and total cost rather than on demonstration
- 03
One consistent customer context across channels and supporting systems
- 04
Integration developed for reuse, so that each addition costs less than the last
- 05
A sequenced transition away from legacy components without interrupting service
Disclosure
X-Shift develops platforms and also conducts evaluations. The handling of this position is as follows
- 01
This service evaluates customer experience platforms, and X-Shift develops some. That is a conflict of interest, and the appropriate response is disclosure and procedure rather than an unverifiable claim of neutrality. If an X-Shift platform is a candidate in an evaluation conducted by X-Shift, it is scored as every other candidate: the same criteria, the same consultants and the same weighted requirements. The weightings are fixed and approved before any vendor is assessed.
- 02
The full scoring record is provided, rather than a summary. It includes every criterion on which an X-Shift platform scored below a competitor, the rationale for each score, and the supporting evidence. If the decision-maker cannot identify where the X-Shift option scores lower, the evaluation has not been properly disclosed.
- 03
The client may also request that X-Shift products be excluded from the shortlist entirely, at any point and without justification. Many clients do so, particularly in regulated procurement, and this has no effect on fees, scope or the conduct of the remainder of the evaluation. Where the client prefers that a different firm conduct the evaluation altogether, X-Shift will state so where that is the more appropriate course, and can deliver the integration afterwards irrespective of the outcome.
Common questions
Questions commonly raised before commissioning this work
What is the typical duration of an evaluation?
The requirements and architecture work is the bounded phase. The evaluation itself is paced by vendors and by the client's procurement rules, both of which are outside X-Shift's control. A realistic duration can be provided only once the procurement route is established.
What is required from the client for this work to succeed?
A current inventory of platforms, licences and integration points, early access to architecture and security, and a named decision-maker. The inventory is typically incomplete, and identifying the gaps forms part of the work rather than a reason to halt it.
How is this contracted and priced?
Advisory and integration are contracted separately by design, so that the firm advising on selection is not automatically the firm remunerated for implementation. Advisory is of fixed scope; integration is scoped after the architecture is agreed, because the effort depends on what is being linked.
What applies where the platform has already been determined?
In that case the work is adjusted accordingly. X-Shift will still define the architecture and requirements, because they determine the integration and the configuration, but the evaluation phase is omitted and the client does not pay for a comparison whose conclusion has already been reached.
Next
Recommended next steps
01
Define the architecture before proceeding to market
Requirements, reference architecture and a weighted evaluation model, delivered before any vendor engagement commences.
Applicable where procurement is imminent and requirements are still derived from product features.
Consult X-Shift02
Address the integration estate first
Where the platforms are adequate and the failure lies between them, enterprise integration is the more direct route.
Applicable where each new channel multiplies the connections to be maintained.
Systems IntegrationWhere the requirement is a single channel addition, this engagement is more extensive than necessary, and X-Shift will state so.
Related offerings
Related
Service
Systems Integration
Integrate enterprise systems with reusable interfaces and data contracts
Service
Enterprise Architecture
Target architecture and governance across the enterprise estate
Service
Contact Center Transformation
Service operation transformation across people, process, technology and AI
Service
Managed Applications
Ongoing support and improvement of the client's business applications
Solution
Omnichannel Customer Service
One service operation across voice, digital and assisted channels
Product
X.Orbit
Unified service platform for cases, channels and knowledge
Is this the work required?
A short conversation is typically sufficient to establish whether this is the appropriate engagement, a narrower one, or an alternative.