Aspire Blog
The New Rules of Customer Engagement: What the CCM-CXM State of the Industry 2026 Revealed
This September, we ran our CCM-CXM State of the Industry market briefing series. Our Founder and CEO, Kaspar Roos, delivered a keynote on how AI, regulatory change and rising consumer expectations are rewriting the rules of Customer Communications Management (CCM). Here are five shifts from the keynote, set against the regulatory and market developments driving them.
Read MoreAspire Leaderboard Q2 CCM-CXM Market Update
Even in a typically quiet third quarter, the CCM/CXM space kept moving — with agentic AI and MCP (Model Context Protocol) integration emerging as the connective thread across nearly every major vendor update. Messagepoint unveiled MARCIEAssist™, a new agentic layer that can plan and execute content, rules, and template actions autonomously — with governance and rollback built in. kwsoft advanced its Quarkus-based Serie M/ platform with a new MCP server and expanded cloud services, while Elixir grew its privacy-first product family with two new zero-retention tools and a roadmap pointing toward native MCP support. Smart Communications made headway on its Conversation Cloud, layering MCP-based AI agent infrastructure and governed oversight into its SmartHUB and SmartPATH acquisitions. And we’re excited to welcome UK-based MBA-Group to the Leaderboard, bringing its MBA Pulse orchestration platform and Textplode’s CPaaS capabilities into the fold.
Read MoreThe Real Barrier to CCM-CXM Convergence Isn’t Technology
Seven in ten organizations have begun aligning CCM and CXM. Only 13% have actually finished the job. Our new Market Trend Report digs into why the barrier isn’t technology, and what it means for organizations still stuck in the middle. Join us at our CCM-CXM State of the Industry 2026 to talk through what closing that gap actually looks like.
Read MoreQuadient: Navigating the Next Phase of Customer Communications
Quadient is entering an important new chapter and the strategic decisions it makes over the next few years will shape its future position in the customer communications market. In this analysis, Aspire founder & CEO Kaspar Roos examines the leadership changes reshaping Quadient Digital, the company’s shift toward SaaS, its roots in the postal and hybrid mail market, and its growing push into finance automation and e-invoicing. He argues that Quadient now faces a defining strategic choice: remain a portfolio of adjacent products, or unify its software assets into a single intelligent communications and transactions platform.
Read MoreCrawford Technologies: Orlando Event Review
Last month, Aspire’s CEO and Founder, Kaspar Roos had the pleasure of participating in a Crawford event event in Orlando. Here’s a short write-up highlighting that the downstream Enterprise Communications Processing (ECP) side of CCM remains highly relevant in an evolving industry.
Read MoreWhy communications sourcing strategies are being rethought in 2026
The CCM-CXM industry saw significant transformation this quarter with notable M&A activity, strategic pivots, and AI integration across the board. From Broadridge’s European expansion through Signal acquisition to Smart Communications’ ownership transition and dual acquisitions, consolidation continues reshaping the market. Meanwhile, vendors like OpenText, Precisely, and Quadient are advancing cloud-native platforms and embedding AI capabilities, while eGlue pivots to digital consultancy and Formpipe refocuses on core document generation. Get the latest on key vendor updates, product launches, and market momentum heading into year-end.
Read MoreSmart Communications’ Innovate Review
The CCM/CXM market shows no signs of slowing in early 2026, with a wave of acquisitions, leadership shifts, and AI-driven product launches reshaping the competitive landscape. Messagepoint’s acquisition of Sefas, Dialog Group’s strategic investment in M2SC, and Quadient’s continued platform consolidation signal ongoing industry consolidation, while vendors like Smart Communications, OpenText, and MHC are doubling down on agentic AI, governed data foundations, and practical automation. As Aspire CCS finalizes its 2026 Enterprise Research – including a new Leaderboard grid focused on AI capabilities and strategy – one theme is clear: the race to embed responsible, auditable AI into regulated communications workflows is well and truly underway.
Read MoreAspire Leaderboard: Q1 CCM – CXM Market Update
The CCM/CXM market shows no signs of slowing in early 2026, with a wave of acquisitions, leadership shifts, and AI-driven product launches reshaping the competitive landscape. Messagepoint’s acquisition of Sefas, Dialog Group’s strategic investment in M2SC, and Quadient’s continued platform consolidation signal ongoing industry consolidation, while vendors like Smart Communications, OpenText, and MHC are doubling down on agentic AI, governed data foundations, and practical automation. As Aspire CCS finalizes its 2026 Enterprise Research – including a new Leaderboard grid focused on AI capabilities and strategy – one theme is clear: the race to embed responsible, auditable AI into regulated communications workflows is well and truly underway.
Read MoreMessagepoint Acquires Sefas: Expanding End-to-End CCM Capabilities and Strengthening Its European Presence
Messagepoint has acquired French-based Sefas, a move that adds enterprise composition, print automation, and downstream document processing to its AI-driven content management platform. The deal roughly doubles Messagepoint’s customer base, boosts revenue by a third, and establishes a stronger foothold in France and the UK – marking a significant step in Messagepoint’s evolution into a full end-to-end Customer Communications Management vendor.
Read MoreThe Communication Clarity Crisis: Why Consumers Can’t Understand Your Messages
Most organizations believe their customer communications are improving – and consumers agree. Yet nearly the same number still struggle to understand those communications. This disconnect isn’t cosmetic; it’s driving real customer churn, especially among younger consumers, and undermining trust faster than price or product issues ever could.
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