The main purpose of this document is to compare Hybrid Chat 3.x with Expertflow CX, highlight feature parity, and clearly indicate any 3.x capabilities that are not yet available or behave differently in Expertflow CX.
Summary at a Glance
Hybrid Chat 3.x and Expertflow CX target very different scopes, even though they share many digital capabilities.
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Hybrid Chat 3.x = Digital add‑on for Cisco contact centers
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Focused on non‑voice digital channels (web chat, WhatsApp, SMS, social messaging).
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Deployed as an add‑on gadget on top of Cisco UCCE/UCCX/PCCE.
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Relied on Cisco or 3rd‑party products for voice, IVR, recording, QM, WFM, and surveys.
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Best described as a digital engagement layer extending an existing Cisco voice contact center.
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Expertflow CX = Complete contact center platform
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Provides voice and digital on a single platform, including WebRTC and SIP/PSTN voice.
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Includes built‑in Voice Recording, Quality Management (QM), Workforce Management (WFM), AI orchestration, outbound flows and omnichannel surveys.
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Can run standalone as the primary CC platform or overlay existing Cisco environments.
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Best described as a full CX platform (routing, reporting, AI, optimization) with Cisco as one of several possible telephony stacks.
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Implications for migrations and positioning
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Moving from 3.x to CX is not just a “version upgrade” of Hybrid Chat; it is a platform upgrade from a digital‑only add‑on to a complete contact center and CX suite.
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All major 3.x digital channel capabilities are preserved in CX, while voice, QM, WFM, AI, outbound, and surveys are new native layers in the platform.
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For new opportunities, propose Expertflow CX as the primary offer; treat Hybrid Chat 3.x as legacy for existing Cisco‑only digital add‑on deployments.
Architecture, Performance, and Deployment
|
Dimension |
3.x |
CX |
Migration / Positioning Note |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Deployment model |
Docker‑based, single solution |
Microservices, containerized, CCaaS/on‑prem |
Frame as a platform upgrade |
|
Tenant model |
Single‑tenant per HC instance |
Multi‑tenant (from CX 5.0) |
Better for service providers |
|
HA & Scalability |
Up to ~5000 active chats; some HA limitations |
Designed for higher scalability & resilience |
Validate capacity per customer |
|
Security & APIs |
Basic signatures & controls |
Hardened API gateway, 2FA, rate limiting, token auth |
Strong security story |
|
Data & DB |
Limited flexibility |
External Mongo replica sets, message‑level ETL |
Enables advanced reporting |
The parity tables below are the main reference.
Customer Channels
|
Channels in 3.x |
Expertflow CX |
Notes |
|---|---|---|
|
Web Channel |
See Web Channel Capabilities for details. CX Web Channel provides improved security and widget configuration. |
|
|
|
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See Dialog360 and Twilio. CX supports WhatsApp via providers such as Dialog‑360 (360dialog), Meta-WhatsApp Cloud API. See CX channel capabilities. |
|
Facebook Comments/ Social Media |
|
Available, handled via Facebook Social Media capabilities in CX. |
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Facebook DM |
|
See Facebook Direct Message Capabilities. Facebook DM support is available in CX with routing, reporting, and supervisor visibility. |
|
Viber |
|
|
|
|
|
See Twitter Chat |
|
SMS Via Twilio |
|
|
|
SMS Via SMPP |
|
See SMS Via SMPP |
|
Telegram |
|
The following channels are available in CX only and not present in 3.x.
|
Channels |
Expertflow CX |
Notes |
|---|---|---|
|
LinkedIn (social) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Introduced as a channel for Instagram messages and comments; see Instagram channel capabilities |
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YouTube |
|
Introduced as a channel for YouTube comments, see YouTube channel capabilities |
|
Google Play Store Reviews |
|
Introduced as a channel for managing Google Play Store reviews and feedback; see Google Play Store channel capabilities. |
Web Channel Capabilities
|
Channel Capabilities in 3.x |
Expertflow CX |
|---|---|
|
Plain text |
|
|
Emoji |
|
|
The browser and sound notifications |
|
|
Hyperlinks (URL) |
|
|
Structured (Button Messages) |
|
|
Video |
|
|
Image |
|
|
File |
|
|
System Notifications |
|
|
Download Transcript |
|
|
Business Calendar integration |
|
|
Callback |
|
WhatsApp Channel Capabilities
|
Capabilities in 3.x |
Expertflow CX |
|---|---|
|
Plain text |
|
|
Emoji |
|
|
Buttons |
|
|
Video |
|
|
Image |
|
|
File |
|
|
URL |
|
|
Location |
|
|
Audio |
|
|
WhatsApp Integration via Twilio |
|
|
WhatsApp Integration via 360Dialog |
|
Facebook Channel Capabilities
|
Capabilities in 3.x |
Expertflow CX |
|---|---|
|
Plain Text Comment |
|
|
Reply to a Comment |
|
|
Like a Comment |
|
|
Hide a Comment |
|
|
Delete a Comment |
|
|
View Full Post |
|
|
Photo |
|
|
Emoji |
|
|
Carousel |
|
|
Buttons |
|
|
Video |
|
|
Image |
|
|
File |
|
|
URL |
|
Viber Channel Capabilities
|
Capabilities in 3.x |
Expertflow CX |
|---|---|
|
Plain Text |
|
|
Emoji |
|
|
Button |
|
|
Video |
|
|
Image |
|
|
File |
|
|
URL |
|
|
Contact Message |
|
|
Location Message |
|
|
Audio |
|
|
WebRTC |
|
|
Structured |
|
|
Carousel |
|
Contact Center Core
Expertflow CX as Contact Center
Hybrid Chat 3.x did not provide its own voice stack. It relied on Cisco Contact Center (UCCE/UCCX/PCCE) for inbound and outbound calling, IVR, and recording, and focused purely on digital channels as an add‑on (Finesse gadget).
Expertflow CX, on the other hand, includes a native voice stack and can operate either:
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As a full contact center platform (voice + digital + AI), or
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As an overlay on Cisco CC, adding AI, digital, and analytics to the existing Cisco telephony.
Voice Channel
|
Voice |
3.x (Hybrid Chat) |
Expertflow CX |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Inbound voice calls |
|
|
Native voice channel via SIP/PSTN, see Voice Calls in Expertflow CX Overview. |
|
Outbound voice calls |
|
|
Manual outbound from Agent Desk and campaign‑driven outbound (preview / progressive), see Voice Calls in Expertflow CX Overview. |
|
IVR (DTMF menus) |
|
|
Traditional IVR via Media Server plus Conversational IVR with Jambonz + AI; see Deployment Planning |
|
Conversational IVR / Voicebots |
|
|
Voice stream forking via Jambonz to ASR/TTS/NLU engines (BYO AI) as documented in CX overview |
|
Agent voice controls (hold, mute, consult, transfer, conference) |
Provided by Cisco Finesse only |
|
Handled natively in Agent Desk for CX Voice; see Voice Calls in Expertflow CX Overview. |
|
WebRTC voice / audio‑video |
|
|
WebRTC voice and video as CX channels, see WebRTC Channel |
|
Dependence on Cisco for voice |
Required (3.x is an add‑on gadget to Cisco CC) |
Optional – |
CX can run standalone as a full contact center or in hybrid mode on top of Cisco CC; see Expertflow Contact Center (Cloud + On‑Prem) |
With 3.x, Expertflow’s value was mainly in digital add‑ons for Cisco contact centers. With Expertflow CX, we provide a complete voice stack, including IVR, outbound, and WebRTC, while still integrating with existing Cisco platforms.
Voice Recording
Hybrid Chat 3.x did not include its own recording solution. Any voice recording was handled by Cisco or third‑party recorders.
Expertflow CX provides integrated voice recording as part of the core platform and can also tie into external solutions such as Eleveo.
|
Capability |
3.x (Hybrid Chat) |
Expertflow CX |
|
|---|---|---|---|
|
Native voice recording |
|
|
CX provides a Voice Recording solution as part of the platform; see CX Data Sheet, Voice Recording line |
|
Recording of CX Voice calls |
|
|
Media Server handles secure recording of CX Voice calls; see Deployment Planning (Media Server component) |
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Recording Cisco voice calls with CX |
Outside HC scope |
|
CX can integrate with 3rd‑party recorders (e.g., Eleveo) and correlate recordings with CX Activities (see Eleveo/recording integration |
|
Recording storage and access via CX UI |
|
|
Call activity, metadata, and recording links are stored in CX Activities and surfaced via reporting and QM (see “Voice Calls in Expertflow CX Overview |
For HC customers, recording remained a separate concern. CX consolidates voice recording + interaction data, which is what makes automated QM and complaint retention possible.
Quality Management
Hybrid Chat 3.x did not provide a native quality management module for call or chat evaluations. Supervisors used external tools or Cisco‑native QM where available.
Expertflow CX includes a full QM suite that uses AI to score interactions, mix human and AI evaluations, and surface coaching opportunities.
|
QM Area |
3.x (Hybrid Chat) |
Expertflow CX |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Native evaluation forms & scoring |
|
|
Dedicated QM app with evaluation forms, scoring, and dashboards; see QM overview |
|
AI‑automated evaluation (100% coverage) |
|
|
AI analyzes 100% of interactions for sentiment, compliance and KPIs; see AI Driven Quality Management |
|
Hybrid evaluation (AI + human) |
|
|
Quality managers can set ratios of AI vs human evaluations and manually review AI‑flagged interactions |
|
Targeted selection of interactions for review |
Limited to manual report filters |
|
Filter by call direction, wrap‑up, sentiment, and survey results |
|
Agent coaching & feedback in the platform |
|
|
Agents can see quality scores, feedback, and coaching items; top interactions can be marked as training material, see QM docs |
|
Integration with 3rd‑party CCs (Cisco) |
Not provided by HC |
|
QM can work on top of Cisco Contact Center via recorded calls and CX Activities |
With CX, Quality Management is no longer a separate add‑on. It is a native part of the platform, continuously fed by CX voice and digital interactions, so evaluations, coaching, and analytics are all driven by a single interaction data model.
Workforce Management (WFM)
Hybrid Chat 3.x did not ship with forecasting, scheduling, or adherence features. It relied entirely on the underlying Cisco platform or third-party WFM tools. Expertflow CX adds native Workforce Management capabilities on top of its routing and analytics.
|
WFM Area |
3.x (Hybrid Chat) |
Expertflow CX |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Forecasting (calls/chats by interval) |
|
|
WFM provides demand forecasting to align staffing with expected volume |
|
Automated scheduling |
|
|
Smart Scheduling to generate shifts and rosters based on forecasts |
|
Real‑time adherence |
|
|
Adherence monitoring to compare planned vs actual agent state and take corrective actions |
|
Intraday management |
|
|
Adjust staffing during the day based on actual load |
|
Tight integration with routing and reporting |
N/A |
|
WFM is part of the unified CX platform, using the same interaction data and agent states; see CX overview |
CX turns WFM from a separate system into a native layer on top of routing and reporting, which was not possible with 3.x alone.
AI & Automation
AI Orchestration & Agent Assist
Hybrid Chat 3.x integrated with chatbots (Rasa, Dialogflow, etc.) for digital self-service and FAQ responses.
Expertflow CX adds a full AI orchestration layer across voice and digital, plus real-time agent assist.
|
AI Area |
3.x (Hybrid Chat) |
Expertflow CX |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bot integration (Rasa, Dialogflow, etc.) |
|
|
CX supports BYO AI via open APIs and connectors; see CX overview |
|
AI orchestration across voice & digital |
Limited to digital channels |
|
Bring Your Own AI” orchestration across voice, chat, email, and social; see Key Value Propositions: Expertflow CX |
|
Conversation Studio (low‑code flows) |
|
|
Node‑RED‑based Conversation Studio for IVR, voicebots, chatbots, and outbound flows; see Deployment Planning components |
|
Real‑time Agent Assist (co‑pilot) |
|
|
Live transcription, translation, KB suggestions, smart replies, and summaries; see Solutions → Agent Assistance |
|
AI‑driven conversation analytics |
|
|
Conversation Analytics across voice and digital, including topics, sentiment, and behaviors; see Solutions → Conversation Analytics |
Outbound Flows & Campaigns
Hybrid Chat 3.x supported limited outbound chat scenarios (e.g., initiating a WhatsApp conversation), but did not provide a full outbound campaign manager.
Expertflow CX includes a multi‑channel outbound engine for both voice and digital.
|
Outbound Area |
3.x (Hybrid Chat) |
Expertflow CX |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Outbound voice campaigns |
|
|
Outbound voice campaigns with preview/progressive dialing and IVR‑based campaigns; see Voice Calls overview |
|
Outbound digital campaigns (SMS, WhatsApp, etc.) |
Basic outbound chat only (per‑agent initiation) |
|
Outbound campaigns across voice, SMS, and messaging; see Solutions → Outbound Flows & Campaigns |
|
Visual outbound flow design |
|
|
Visual design of outbound journeys via Conversation Studio; see Deployment Planning / Conversation Studio |
|
Compliance (DNC, pacing, windows) |
N/A |
|
Outbound Flows solution emphasizes compliance controls (DNC, time windows); see Solutions for details |
|
Outbound reporting |
Limited to HC reports |
|
Dedicated outbound reports, as listed in Reports and Analytics |
Surveys & Feedback
Hybrid Chat 3.x did not include a native survey engine for CSAT/NPS; surveys, if any, were done via external tools or Cisco flows.
Expertflow CX adds an omnichannel survey builder that plugs into routing, QM, and analytics.
|
Surveys Area |
3.x (Hybrid Chat) |
Expertflow CX |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Built‑in survey engine |
|
|
Surveys as a core CX capability; see Solutions → Surveys |
|
Omnichannel survey delivery (voice, SMS, web, messaging) |
N/A |
|
Surveys can be delivered as post‑call IVR, SMS, web, or messaging flows. |
|
Visual survey form builder |
|
|
Omnichannel form builder as described in Solutions → Surveys |
|
Survey‑driven QM targeting |
|
|
QM can select interactions based on survey results |
|
Reporting on CSAT/NPS across channels |
N/A |
|
Surveys feed into the CX reporting platform; see Reports and Analytics |
Personas: Agent & Supervisor Experience
Agent Capabilities
|
Capabilities in 3.x |
Expertflow CX |
Notes |
|---|---|---|
|
Log in with local users |
|
|
|
Log in with Cisco |
|
|
|
Agent States |
|
Global state/ parent state where an agent can only be in Ready / Not Ready, plus custom states. |
|
Conference (Queue Conference) |
|
Supported as a Queue Conference in CX. |
|
Transfer (Queue Transfer) |
|
Supported as Queue Transfer |
|
Whisper Messages to other agents |
|
Agents can whisper to other participants already in the conversation. |
|
Session Attached Data (SAD) |
|
Implemented as Channel Session Data in CX. |
|
Send and receive Emojis |
|
Rich‑text and emoji support in Agent Desk; UX is more modern than in 3.x. |
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Send and receive files (Images, Videos, Documents, etc.) |
|
File transfer supported, subject to channel and provider limitations and security constraints. |
|
Outbound Chat |
|
Outbound initiation is mainly available for WhatsApp templates and specific outbound scenarios. Full parity must be assessed on a per-customer basis. |
|
Auto response based on bot confidence |
Partial and design‑dependent |
In 3.x, bot confidence thresholds controlled automatic responses. In CX, this is implemented via Studio flows and bot logic instead of a single global parameter. |
|
Language Translations |
|
CX supports multi‑language content. |
|
RTL, LTR support |
|
Introduces explicit RTL support and UI enhancements in CX4.10 and later versions |
|
View the Participants List in the chat |
|
Agents can see all conversation participants, including other agents, bots, and the customer. |
|
Hand Raise to Supervisors for help |
|
Introduced as Agent Hand Raise in CX4.10.3 and later versions |
|
Wrap up (codes, timers, state) |
|
Adds multi‑level pagination, infinite scroll, and search for wrap‑up forms in CX4.10.3 and later versions. Wrap-up UX is improved vs HC. |
|
RONA (Ring No Answer handling) |
|
Managed via CX routing and MRD. Exact timings and re‑queue behaviour may differ from HC and should be validated. |
|
Message Formatting (bold, lists, tables, spell check) |
|
Adds basic table support and real‑time spell check in Agent Desk. |
|
Knowledge Base Integration |
|
3.x integrated with bots and external KBs. CX primarily uses Studio and external systems; a generic KB widget depends on deployment. |
The following agent capabilities are available in CX only and not present in 3.x.
|
Capabilities |
Expertflow CX |
Notes |
|---|---|---|
|
2‑Factor Authentication (agents) |
|
Introduced 2FA, extends tenant‑level 2FA for CX Applications. |
|
Agent dashboards and self‑metrics |
|
Adds dashboards so agents can track their own KPIs and team statistics. |
From an agent perspective, CX offers equal or better UX. Most differences are in configuration (Studio flows, tenant settings) rather than raw capability.
Supervisor Capabilities
|
Capabilities in 3.x |
Expertflow CX |
Notes |
|---|---|---|
|
Active Chats Monitoring |
|
Implemented via Ongoing Conversation Details dashboards. |
|
Queue Stats Dashboard |
|
Provided by the Summary Dashboard and Queued Conversation Detail . |
|
Silent Monitoring/Barge-In |
|
Can silently join and barge into conversations. |
|
Whisper Messages to Agents |
|
Can send whisper messages to agents who are a part of the conversation |
|
Supervisor Announcements |
|
Available in Expertflow CX. See the announcement for details |
|
Agent Hand Raise handling |
|
Introduces Hand Raise, visible in supervisor dashboards for faster intervention. |
|
Real‑time KPIs per queue and channel |
|
Provides redesigned dashboards with real‑time multichannel KPIs. |
Reporting & Analytics
Reports Available in Expertflow CX
The specifics of some of the reports may differ from the previous version.
|
Reports in 3.x |
Status in Expertflow CX |
Notes |
|---|---|---|
|
|
Use the Agent Availability Report in CX. |
|
|
|
Use the Agent Productivity by Queue report in CX. |
|
|
|
Known as Agent Task Detail in CX. |
|
|
|
Use the Queue‑wise Stats Summary report in CX. |
|
|
|
Use the Channel Stats Summary report in CX. |
|
|
|
Use the Conversation Volume by Disposition report in CX. |
|
|
|
Will not be available with the current reporting parameters in the newer version. Can discuss the possibilities later on. |
Integrations & Ecosystems
|
|
Status in Expertflow CX |
Notes |
|---|---|---|
|
Cisco Contact Center (UCCE/UCCX) |
|
3.x supported Cisco CC. CX continues this, including multi‑leg call recording and Cisco Agent sync. |
|
Rasa bot |
|
3.x supported Rasa 1.4.5. CX supports modern Rasa via Studio and connectors. Exact version support should be confirmed. |
|
Articulate bot |
|
3.x tested with Articulate. CX focuses on its own Studio and mainstream bot frameworks. |
|
CRM or CTI embeddings (USD, etc.) |
Different model |
3.x’s gadget‑style embeddings do not carry over. CX prefers browser‑based embeddings and APIs. |
Integrations available with CX only
|
Email systems (IMAP/SMTP) |
|
|
|
Quality management and recording |
|
|
|
Security, SSO, and 2FA |
|
3.x had environment‑based SSO flags. CX adds 2FA, secure API gateway (APISIX), IP‑based rate limiting, and token‑based auth. |
Hybrid Chat was for some digital channels only and was an add-on to Cisco contact centers.
Expertflow CX is the complete contact center platform with Voice Recording, Quality Management, Workforce Management, AI orchestration, outbound flows, and surveys.