Scott Draeger, Senior Vice President, Product Marketing and Industry Solutions, Smart Communications

By contrast, organisations that cling to fragmented, transactional messaging risk creating friction at scale. Each unclear status update generates inbound calls, and each confusing form submission leads to abandonment.

Why 2026 is a turning point

The coming year will be pivotal because technology now makes Status-as-a-Service achievable at scale. Advances in real-time data processing and AI-powered automation mean organisations can surface live case statuses and dynamically guide customers through complex processes.

But technology alone is not enough. If implemented poorly, automation can amplify the very problems it is meant to solve. A stream of robotic updates, devoid of context or empathy, can feel neither reassuring nor human.

Status-as-a-Service does not mean flooding customers with notifications. It’ s about designing experiences that feel like conversations rather than broadcasts.

That could mean:

• Providing a live claim tracker that explains not just which stage has been reached, but what that stage actually means

• Replacing static HTML and fillable PDFs with guided digital experiences to reduce errors and clarify requirements before submission

• Offering proactive updates when timelines shift, rather than waiting for customers to chase progress

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