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, the results are evident everywhere—from biometric border control systems to AI-powered healthcare and cashless pilgrimages. Yet, as infrastructure advances and services go digital, a vital question arises: Is the customer experience evolving at the same pace to match this digital momentum?

Platforms like Absher and Tawakkalna have raised the bar for public service delivery, proving what’s possible when CX and technology work hand in hand. But across other sectors, there remain exciting opportunities to elevate digital interactions further—especially as citizen expectations grow more sophisticated.

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)

This digital access sets the foundation—but the real transformation lies in how people now expect to interact: with seamless, intelligent, and hyper-personalised experiences across every touchpoint. This marks an exciting inflection point for businesses and institutions looking to translate connectivity into more meaningful engagement.

Enhancing CX to meet tomorrow’s expectations

Customer experience (CX) is a pivotal element of Vision 2030’s people-first approach. From fintech to tourism and entertainment, sectors are already embracing more personalised, digital-first engagement. The success of digital banks like STC Pay and mega-projects like NEOM showcase the nation’s appetite for innovative, tech-enabled experiences.

Still, many organisations are in various stages of modernising their CX capabilities. Legacy systems, siloed communication channels, and disconnected data sets can sometimes limit the ability to offer consistent, real-time interactions. This represents a strategic opportunity for businesses to fully align experience delivery with their digital aspirations.

According to PwC’s Voice of the Consumer 2024, Saudi consumers are increasingly digital-savvy, health-conscious, and sustainability-minded—expecting intuitive, relevant experiences with every interaction. Yet, only a fraction of regional organisations have adopted insight-driven CX tools. As the Saudi customer experience management (CXM)

market grows from USD 181.2 million in 2024 to a projected USD 746.8 million by 2030 (BlueWeave Consulting), it signals tremendous untapped potential for those willing to evolve.

Shifting from reactive to proactive engagement, and from fragmented to unified communication, is now key. It’s not about catching up—it’s about unlocking the full value of existing digital investments to meet rising expectations with agility and intelligence.

Where expectations meet infrastructure

As organisations scale digital operations, a new challenge emerges: How can they deliver personalised, real-time, omnichannel engagement while ensuring data security, regulatory compliance, and operational efficiency?

It’s no longer enough to invest in isolated tools or single-channel solutions. What’s needed is a cohesive communication infrastructure—one that reflects user behaviour and supports the citizen-first mindset underpinning Vision 2030.

This is where engageX from e& enterprise empowers organisations to lead the charge.

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:
  
  o Arabic language preferences and UI
  o 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 toward 2030 is transforming the nation at every level. But to achieve a future that’s not just digital, but truly human-centric, customer experience must evolve in parallel with the rapid advancements in infrastructure.

This is where EngageX plays a pivotal role—helping organisations turn vision into reality by enabling seamless, secure, and intelligent engagement across every channel. It empowers businesses and institutions to align their services with rising citizen expectations, ensuring every interaction is intuitive, responsive, and meaningful.

As the Kingdom builds its digital future, elevating experience delivery is no longer optional—it’s a national imperative. By focusing on how people connect and engage, organisations can lead the next phase of transformation.

Read the full Arabic article on Gulftech News