We released Zulip Server 1.9.2 today. This is a bug fix release, containing a few dozen cherry-picked changes since 1.9.1.

Most companies now understand that customers demand service that is personalized, convenient, and efficient—and that ignoring those expectations imperils the bottom line. However, while focusing on the needs of external customers makes sound business sense, creating a rich employee experience can be just as important to a company’s long-term success.

Deciding whether or not to use or deploy a chatbot for your brand requires understanding each of the drawbacks and benefits of this new technology. It can be a tough decision to make. There are always new and shiny trends popping up every year in the customer service industry. You might be getting inundated with sales emails from companies promising to reduce your cost of service, increase your customer loyalty and differentiate your customer’s experience.

Business enterprises always find better ways for team communication and collaboration. Instead of writing heavy emails daily, chat simplifies team conversations and organizes team tasks more efficiently. Many chat apps for teams ensures a wide range of collaborative features for quick communication.

CIOs and other IT leaders have their work cut out for them—it’s not easy to strike a balance between maximizing the value of existing technology, minimizing costs, and investing in strategic tools for the future of the business. As companies compete for brand loyalty and invest more in providing better customer experiences, there’s a greater emphasis on IT leaders to manage the customer data siloed across numerous applications, systems, and engagement channels.

Time is everything these days. A photocopy shop in NYC has a sign on the counter: “The difficult we do right away; the impossible takes a little longer.” Taking your customer service online, using modern, cloud-based support software, brings the joke to reality: you can now offer customers a level of convenience and speed that is not possible without modern online customer service tools. This is the digital transformation many companies are making.