It’s that time of the year again when we say goodbye to the year that has been and welcome new opportunities and possibilities in the year to come. We can’t help but notice how fast this year has gone by (as we say each year), and it is once again time to rewind and reflect on the achievements of the year. 

2023 has been a year of remarkable achievements and innovations in the tech and CX world. Our team of dedicated Puzzelers, from developers to controllers, were at the forefront of the ever-evolving landscape of AI technologies and solutions, delivering stellar products, staying innovative and embracing change.  

With that, let’s wrap up some key highlights from this year:

AI reached new heights  

AI took the spotlight in 2023. Applications like ChatGPT, which were relatively new at the beginning of the year, have become widely used by millions of people regularly. AI was even named the word of the year 2023 by Collins Dictionary, highlighting its relevance.  

At Puzzel, we fully embraced the power of AI, too. We’ve run webinars, campaigns, product launches and events, showcasing our take and thoughts on the technological advancement. For us, AI is not just a buzzword but a technology that can elevate the customer experience to new heights, bringing efficiency, productivity, and innovation to contact centres. Most importantly, AI and self-service should not replace agents but empower them. Our suite of AI-driven innovations like Agent Assist with embedded Smart Chatbot and Knowledgebase, can significantly enhance agent well-being by increasing efficiency, ultimately enhancing the customer experience.

Check out some of our content from this year with AI as the focus:  

• Blog post with four of Puzzel’s AI innovations  

• White paper about using AI to create empathic CX 
• Webinar about ChatGPT 
• Blog post with insights from AI lead at Microsoft, Xiaopeng Li 
• Our first Elevate event – all about CX in the AI age  

Voted most innovative European provider 

With AI and innovation in mind, we had the honour of being voted the most innovative European CCaaS provider by Frost & Sullivan in May.   

For the award, Frost & Sullivan highlighted our knowledge on automation and AI, our secure platform aligned with data residency requirements, a robust partner programme, and our proficiency in seamlessly integrating acquired capabilities into our CCaaS platform. 

“Puzzel’s position on the 2023 Frost Radar is a testament to our team’s hard work and dedication to creating innovative customer engagement solutions with scalability and innovation at its core and a user-friendly Scandinavian design.” – Frederic Laziou, CEO Puzzel.  

A strong year for product innovations  

This year, we launched several industry-leading products and features. In April, we announced the launch of Sales Intelligence – a powerful tool that streamlines outbound and inbound customer service, ensuring a cohesive and consistent experience across all touch points. In August we gave birth to our first Generative AI-driven solutions when our Smart Chatbot received superpowers from Microsoft OpenAI, helping our customer Nordic Leisure Group to roll out an advanced chatbot across multiple domains and languages in record time.

Additionally, we launched Customer Insight to provide customers visibility of the “customer voice”, and Customer Hub that allow consumers to get direct access to their ticket status. Finally, all our products received continuous updates with new features to make our platform the most comprehensive European CX platform on the market.

Check out our newest products and features here. 

Prioritising customer satisfaction and loyalty 

Our customers and partners are at the core of everything we do. That’s why we were thrilled to receive a Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 37 in March, which is well above the average of 27 for software and SaaS companies. This score reflects high customer satisfaction and loyalty towards our products and services. 

NPS is a measure of customer loyalty and ranges from -100 to 100. It is based on one simple question: “How likely are you to recommend Puzzel to a friend or colleague?”. We are proud of our high NPS score, reflecting our commitment to providing excellent service to our customers and partners. 

“Here at Puzzel, we value the needs and expectations of our customers ahead of anything and everything else. For us, putting the customer first isn’t a strategy – it’s a culture!” Jo Sverre Lindem, CCO Puzzel 

Puzzel awarded Company of the Year 

With several happenings during the year, this is probably one we’ll remember for a long time. Based on the findings in the Frost Radar released in May, Frost & Sullivan recognised us with the 2023 Company of the Year Award in August. It was a huge honour to receive this award, emphasising the hard work and dedication of all Puzzelers, and the trust and support of our customers and partners. 

In recognising us with the award, Frost & Sullivan emphasised our unique blend of digital and human capabilities in our CX solutions, our expertise in artificial intelligence and automation, and our cloud-agnostic architecture, fully compliant with European data residency requirements.  

You can read more about the award here.  

We elevated to new heights 

In November, we kicked off our annual event, Elevate ‘23. We brought together industry experts and thought leaders to discuss the future of Customer Experience (CX) in the Age of AI, with a stellar headline consisting of AI Lead Xiaopeng Li from Microsoft, AI Futurist Zack Kass, customer service director Tanja Ammentorp from JYSK, Industry Analyst Bernardin Arnason from Frost & Sullivan, and many more! We dare say it was a huge success, especially thanks to all our customers, partners, and community for tuning in and supporting the event. (Psst. We might have more ‘Elevating’ planned in 2024) 

Check out some highlights from the event here.  

Puzzel turned 25!  

Lastly, 2023 marked a special milestone, as it’s not every year one turns 25, is it? For us, this achievement took place in May, and what a journey it’s been! From our beginning in Norway in 1998, engineering one of the first cloud-based contact centre solutions available, to the vibrant Puzzel we are today. It’s been a journey of amazing happenings; we have launched a bunch of cool products, boarded an amazing suite of customers, partners and Puzzelers, acquainted a handful of companies, won some great awards, hosted a bunch of events and webinars, and had 25 unforgettable Christmas parties!   

Finally, we want to thank all our customers, partners and community for a remarkable year together. We are excited to break new ground in 2024, and we can’t wait to step into the next year together with you. Here’s to a great next year!