The job of today’s technology leader is as simple as punishment. They need to modernize their infrastructure without breaking the bank and deploy GenAI before competition makes it obsolete. In an effort to alleviate these dual pressures, HCLTech has announced the release of an enhanced version of its Fluid Contact Center solution. Deepening our 30-year strategic collaboration with Cisco, HCLTech is committed to simplifying the often risky journey toward a modernized, AI-driven customer experience.
Central to this announcement is the integration of HCLTech’s managed services expertise with the cloud-native architecture of the Cisco Webex Contact Center platform. The enhanced solution is designed to provide businesses with a “guided migration” path, effectively eliminating the friction that typically accompanies major infrastructure overhauls. HCLTech leverages Cisco’s AI-based capabilities to help enterprises adopt advanced capabilities such as multilingual virtual agents, conversational IVR, and real-time analytics without being tied to a static legacy ecosystem.
The name “Fluid” for the solution reflects its architectural philosophy. By prioritizing flexibility and scalability, organizations can layer proactive monitoring and agent support tools as needed. This approach targets the operational bottlenecks that plague global companies, particularly the need to extend support across geographies without the linear cost of hiring native speakers for every dialect. The partnership aims to adapt the interaction model between businesses and consumers by moving from rigid menu trees to natural language understanding.
Gurpreet Singh Kohli, Senior Vice President and Head of Network and Contact Center Business Unit, HCLTechemphasizes that this is a significant change in operating philosophy.
“As contact center environments rapidly evolve from reactive support to proactive and predictive engagement, GenAI and cloud-based architectures are redefining what an exceptional customer experience looks like. Our collaboration with Cisco, a trusted partner for over 30 years, is focused on reimagining the customer journey and together delivering transformational CX outcomes.”
Market Outlook: Bridging the Gap Between Ambition and Reality with Cisco and HCLTech
From a broader market perspective, this announcement signals another stage of maturity in the UC and CX sectors. Over the past five years, the industry has been dominated by the concept of “rip and replace,” meaning that companies must completely abandon their existing on-premises investments to take advantage of the cloud and AI. But the economic realities of 2026 make it difficult for cautious CFOs to justify these capital-intensive projects.
HCLTech positions itself as a risk absorber as well as an integrator. By wrapping a proprietary service layer around Cisco Webex technology, we are addressing the “implementation gap” that is holding back digital transformation. There is a plethora of powerful AI tools on the market, but a lack of expertise to safely implement them in regulated, complex enterprise environments. This “fluid” model suggests that the future of CCaaS is hybrid and evolutionary rather than binary and revolutionary.
Additionally, a focus on “anticipatory engagement” embodies the next battleground for CX differentiation. The commoditization of basic voice and chat services means that value is no longer created by quickly resolving issues, but by preventing issues from reaching agents in the first place. HCLTech’s strategy relies on the argument that the only way to achieve this at scale is to tightly couple the underlying network infrastructure, Cisco’s home base, and the application layer.
Strategic imperatives for IT and CX leaders
For IT decision makers, the key takeaway here is the feasibility of a phased approach to modernization. An “all or nothing” cloud migration strategy is no longer the only option. Leaders should evaluate this solution as a potential mechanism to gradually reduce technical debt. The ability to integrate specific GenAI modules, such as agent assistance or real-time transcription, into existing workflows allows for “proof-of-value” pilots that can gain broader buy-in from the board without the risk of a full platform transition.
For CX leaders, the focus must shift from efficiency to empathy at scale. The promise of conversational IVR and multilingual agents is not simply about increasing availability or reducing headcount. This technology now enables a “solar-powered” support model that does not require a physical presence at all times. Leaders must ask how these tools can enable the best human agents to handle high-value, emotionally complex interactions rather than the routine queries that bots can currently handle.
Ultimately, this partnership provides valuable lessons for purchasing committees. Technology is rarely a point of failure. The implementation is: like Shannon Leininger, Vice President of Global Partner Sales, CiscoThe goal is to “set a new standard for modern contact center innovation.”