In February, I posted a blog stating that customers need more Empathy in Action, which includes four actions — Listen, Understand and Predict, Act, and Learn — that are in a perpetual cycle to deliver superior experiences.

This four-step cycle for fostering empathy as an agent for positive change can be applied to any experience, whether it’s a customer, employee, partner or customer experience professional, as well as other topical issues. As we celebrate Earth Day today, I’m excited to share how we’re applying Empathy in Action to our sustainability practice, specifically to the environment.

Listen

First, we listen to the planet. Temperatures are rising; and 2021 is expected to be among the 10 warmest years on record. In fact, 2020 was Europe’s hottest year in history and Japan’s cherry blossom season had its earliest peak since the nation started recording in 812. As a result, in addition to warm temperatures, we’ve been witnessing a wide range of natural disasters.

We also listen to our employees, customers, partners and suppliers. A 2019 survey led by Hotwire found that roughly 50% of internet users worldwide had dropped products and services from a brand that violated their personal values. Protecting the environment topped that list.

Understand and Predict

Global warming is mostly attributed to human activities such as transportation, electricity production and industrial activity. Global Trends 2040, the US National Intelligence Council report issued this week, states that “governments have belatedly pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and promising green technologies are emerging, but the current pace of decarbonization will not prevent disastrous warming.” The time to act is now.

Act

In our industry, the biggest lever we can pull in protecting the environment is moving our customers from on-premises solutions to the cloud, which is the core of our business strategy and one we continue to vigorously pursue. As we lead with innovation, we’re also focused on using our products and solutions for the good of the society and planet — our goal is to touch 1 million lives through technology in meaningful ways.

As a company, we’re rolling out a hybrid workforce strategy that’s built around our employees. Creating this flexibility enables us to also effect change on our collective imprint through sustainable site selection, reduced business travel and office commuting. We’re acting by taking on an aggressive goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2030.

Learn

We’re in our first year of creating a Sustainability practice and are committed to continual learning and improvement as we focus on three specific areas: the environment, society and economic governance. We’re committed to a holistic long-term approach in executing upon a sustainable business strategy with measurable goals, and how we aim to deliver upon our promise of Experience as a ServiceSM that’s truly unique to Genesys.

As a company with 5,500 employees in 55 countries, our team is enthusiastically embracing Sustainability to deliver the power of empathy to every experience, and our actions will leave sustainable impressions on the world. As we mark this important milestone of Earth Day, Genesys is Moving Forward fast on Sustainability!