
Experience at the edge: Redefining CX for Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030
Rashad Iskandrni
In
2016, Saudi Arabia launched Vision 2030, a sweeping national agenda to
future-proof its economy, reduce reliance on oil and enhance quality of life
for citizens. Built around the pillars of a vibrant society, a thriving economy
and an ambitious nation, the initiative has become synonymous with rapid
innovation—driven by investments in AI, cloud computing, smart cities and
digital government.
Today,
these efforts are visible everywhere, from biometric border controls to
AI-powered health platforms and cashless pilgrimages. Yet amid all this
progress, a critical question has emerged: as infrastructure transforms and services go digital, is the customer
experience transforming with them or being left behind?
While
government platforms like Absher
and Tawakkalna have raised the
bar for ease and accessibility, not all sectors have kept pace. Despite the
surge in connectivity and the availability of advanced technologies, many
businesses—and even institutions—still rely on fragmented, one-size-fits-all
communication systems that fall short of citizen expectations.
A
connected nation, rising expectations
In 2025,
Saudi Arabia stands as one of the most digitally advanced nations in the
region:
- It has 36.84 million internet
users,
with 99% penetration
- 94.3% of the population is active on social media,
with 35.1 million users (DataReportal 2024)
- 93.18% use smartphones to go
online (Statista)
But
this level of access is only the beginning. The real transformation lies in
what people are now demanding—seamless,
intelligent and hyper-personalised digital interactions across every touch
point.
And
this is where the gap starts to show.
Identifying
the CX gap in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia’s CX evolution is a critical component
of Vision 2030’s people-first transformation. Industries such as fintech,
tourism and entertainment are embracing personalised, digital-first engagement.
The rise of STC Pay, digital-only banks and mega-projects like NEOM reflect
growing demand for seamless, tech-enabled experiences. Yet despite this
momentum, customer experience delivery is not yet keeping pace with digital ambition.
Many organisations still struggle with fragmented platforms, legacy systems and
siloed data—barriers that make it difficult to deliver the kind of real-time,
personalised interactions today’s consumers expect.
According to PwC’s Voice of the Consumer 2024 survey, Saudi
consumers are increasingly digital, health-conscious and sustainability-minded,
demanding intuitive, tailored experiences at every interaction. However, 59% of
regional organisations still rely on basic journey mapping and only a fraction
are adopting integrated, insight-driven CX tools. Meanwhile, the Saudi customer
experience management (CXM) market was valued at USD 181.2 million in 2024
and is projected to reach USD 746.8 million by 2030, growing at a CAGR
of 19.4% (BlueWeave Consulting), underscoring both the market’s potential and
the urgency for transformation.
What’s needed now is a shift from reactive CX
models—common in sectors like finance, where customer issues are often
addressed only after complaints—to proactive engagement. The current CX gap
stems from organizations’ inability to break down data silos, integrate
touchpoints and provide seamless service across channels. Despite having the
infrastructure for advanced digital engagement, many businesses still lack the
tools and processes to deliver personalised, anticipatory service that
customers now expect. This gap not only hampers customer satisfaction but also
limits the ability of businesses to fully leverage their investments in digital
transformation.
As highlighted in IDC’s Future
of Customer Experience 2024 predictions, businesses must unify data,
channels and insights to meet rising expectations and fully capitalise on their
digital infrastructure investments.
In short, the infrastructure is advancing, but
experience delivery hasn’t fully caught up. To realise Vision 2030’s full
potential, closing this CX gap must become a priority, not just in government,
but across every industry shaping Saudi Arabia’s future.
Where
expectations meet infrastructure
As organisations scale their
digital operations, they face a layered challenge: How do you deliver personalised,
real-time, multichannel engagement whilst ensuring data privacy, regulatory
compliance and operational efficiency?
It's no longer enough to have
siloed digital tools or individual channel integrations. What’s needed is a cohesive infrastructure for
communication, one that can keep pace with user behaviour and
support the customer-first mind-set
driving Vision 2030.
This is where engageX from e& enterprise steps
in, to make execution possible at scale.
How engageX
powers customer-centric transformation
·
Omnichannel reach for a mobile-first
nation
With 93% of Saudis accessing the internet via
smartphones,
meeting people where they are isn't a convenience—it’s a baseline. engageX
enables organisations to orchestrate communications across SMS, WhatsApp, voice, email, social
platforms and mobile apps.
This is particularly vital in
sectors like government, banking and retail where customer touch points have
multiplied, and consistency matters more than ever. engageX unifies those
channels under one umbrella, enabling smooth, intuitive interactions that feel
effortless for users and manageable at scale for organisations.
·
Intelligent contact
centres, built for agility
As customer expectations
evolve, contact centres must become more adaptive, responsive and
channel-aware. engageX enables this shift by equipping organisations with
cloud-native infrastructure, omnichannel agent interfaces and AI-powered
self-service tools—all designed to streamline support operations.
From real-time routing to
seamless transitions between virtual assistants and human agents, engageX helps
reduce response times while improving customer satisfaction. For added
flexibility, organisations can also tap into engageX’s BPO support for staffing
and workflow management, making it easier to scale operations without
compromising service quality.
·
Data protection and responsible
innovation
As
digital touchpoints evolve, user trust is more important than ever. engageX is
built with this in mind, offering:
- Encryption by default, ensuring secure
conversations across all channels
- Granular access control, providing tight governance
over sensitive information
- Enterprise-grade security, designed to protect data
and maintain compliance
These
features are essential for industries handling sensitive information, such as
healthcare, finance, education and public services, where security breaches can
have far-reaching consequences.
·
Localised innovation for a
localised vision
While engageX is built on
global standards, its true strength lies in regional relevance. The platform
understands and integrates:
- Arabic language
preferences and UI
- Local telco integrations
These capabilities not only
accelerate deployment but improve adoption and usability, ensuring that digital
experiences actually resonate with Saudi users.
With over 6.5 billion interactions enabled
annually and use cases spanning everything from social commerce to airline support
across 900+ agents, engageX is already demonstrating how Saudi
institutions can bring Vision 2030 to life, not just through services, but
through better experiences.
Conclusion
– From digital to human
Saudi Arabia’s journey to
2030 is one of extraordinary ambition and real, measurable progress. And if the
goal is a society that’s not just digital, but truly human-centred, then the
way people experience these services must evolve alongside the infrastructure
itself.
By closing communication gaps
and enabling smarter engagement, solutions like engageX are helping organisations
transform Vision 2030 from a strategic vision into a lived reality, one meaningful
interaction at a time.
Customer experience that is
real, responsive and relevant is no longer a competitive advantage, it’s a
national imperative. Whether in the public or private sector, organisations
must now rethink not just how they serve, but how they connect, listen and
adapt.