Create a digital world that allows immersive experiences, focusing on peoples’ interactions – even performing actions that would be impossible in the real world. This is the definition of Metaverse, new bet of Meta, a group from Mark Zukenberg, previously known as Facebook.

The new group’s bet was presented in October 2021 during the Facebook Connect event. During the occasion, the presentation counted on a presentation video that mixed the real Mark Zuckenberg with his avatar.

According to the Meta’s owner, the expectation is that in 5 or 10 years many technologies will be together, allowing the Metaverse to exist. Despite the uncertainties, the theory has aroused the interest of many interested in the digital future. Thus, we see increasingly more companies running to be the pioneers in the Metaverse, betting on innovative experiences that will have the power of directly influencing the way that we live in the real world.

The question that remains is: what we can expect from the Metaverse in the next few years and what will be its impact in customer service – a field that deals daily with a great amount of real people?

Metaverse, CX and Customer Service: what we should expect for the future?

According to The Future of Metaverse report, published in 2022 by Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies, the Metaverse can be defined as the convergence between the physical and digital, created through “virtual environments”.

In the face of this context, the reports define four possible scenarios for the Metaverse future:

1.Free Metaverse – open and convergent

In this possible scenario, people interested in the Metaverse, either voluntarily or commercially, will work together for its development. The objective would be replacing the 2.0 Web for a decentralized internet that combines the use of many XR technologies (Virtual reality, Augmented Reality and Mixed Reality).

According to experts, one of the biggest problems in this scenario would be guaranteeing the security, once that, technically, the Metaverse would not follow any specific rules.

“In this case of Free Metaverse, determined meta spaces could have their own codes of conduct. They would even have users who would report violators – as already happens today in social media. However, complete security would never be guaranteed, and this would compromise many operations that demand data confidentiality, such as customer service, which requires, including by Law (LGPD), that companies keep customer data in maximum security”, explains Antimo Gentile, CEO of DNK Infotelecom.

Being in the Informatics and Telecommunications markets for 43 years, Gentile has been the leader of DNK since 2007. The company has been gaining more and more customers with their modern and innovative solutions for call centers and contact centers, focusing on CX, performance and data security, being nationally recognized for successful cases in partnership with clients.

2.Nerdverse – open and separated

According to the report, the Nerdverse would have been created by a group of people interested in innovation.

However, once curiosity is already supplied, the interest would decrease. Thus, virtual spaces would be limited to specific interests – solutions called Betaverses, as we already have today – without really offering something new or necessary for the users.

“Therefore, many corporations that invested technology in the Metaverse could have problems in satisfying the CX needs, like for example, those of co-creation and co-ownership”, warns Gentile.

The expert explains that the name Nerdverse is related to a possibility that users self-proclaimed as “tech geeks’ ‘ or metaheads are the biggest audience for this version, looking for visual and interactive experiences, like increasingly real games.

“In matters of technologies, the advances wouldn’t be revolutionary. On the other hand, some of them, especially the ones that involve high definitions, could exclude determined users. After all, the ones that don’t have a good internet connection or have a device that doesn’t support the demanding quality, will not be able to experience the Metaverse”, he says.

3.Disunited Betaverses – proprietary and separate

In the running to gain the consumer trust and provide new products that generate significant income, the report suggests that disunited Betaverses would be a reality where technology companies create their own versions of what is Metaverse.

“In common, these spaces would use 3D virtual environments, accessed from XR technologies. These spaces would be public or private, where, through your avatars, people could experience new and exclusive experiences”, explains DNK’s CEO.

In addition, Gentile also says that it would be possible to perform the purchase of many different products. In this case, the CEO explains that they would have a real integration with the real world, but could become worlds apart. Thus, companies with a smaller size would try to adapt and be present in these places, while its control would be made by groups and countries that developed it.

“Smaller companies would run to adapt and be present in these meta spaces, while its control would be made by groups and countries that developed it. Besides that, not necessarily a Betaverse would be linked to another, which would also favor user niches or require them to participate in all virtual spaces, something that happens today with social medias”.

4.One metaverse to rule them all – owner and convergent

Similar to the disunited Betaverses, only a few companies would stand out in this scenario; either for the best structure or for offering truly innovative experiences for the customer. Thus, they would naturally become the most popular options for Metaverse, attracting users that want to be where the others are.

“In this scenario, people are aware of the use of data by companies, but are accepting this control in exchange of good experiences- as we already see happen. After all, people are attracted and retained by companies not only because of price and quality, but also for memorable experiences”, reflects Gentile.

Data censorship could be applied through AI technologies. Besides that, it is worth reflecting that open-code Metaverses, most likely, would have difficulties establishing themselves in this system, given the lack of incentive”, continuous DNK’s CEO.

Another important point highlighted by Gentile is that most of the competitors could not follow bigger Metaverses. This is because, due to the income generated by exclusive services and products, their continued improvements would make them the dominant options.

When Facebook changed its name for Meta and the directions of the company were revealed, this new reality has become the most discussed subject. The concept of Metaverse is old. But now, the possibilities of actually happening are real. However, these possibilities generate opinions. On the one hand, enthusiasts with new technologies. From another, people worried with security, liberty and the inclusion in the Metaverse.

“Gentile explains that what generates so many discussions is the fact that not even companies have the answers for the creation of this new universe.

“It is impossible to predict a correct future about it. At most, some scenarios help us to understand what it could become, while we follow its real evolution in the coming years”, he concludes.