To AI or not to AI? That’s the question for many contact center leaders today. AI agents are a double-edged sword in that if deployed with the proper use cases, businesses can benefit significantly with improved brand loyalty, increased sales, and lower operational expenses. If done incorrectly, using AI will create a negative experience and drive customers away. The key is understanding the capabilities, where to deploy, and where not.
Intermedia, a cloud communications and collaboration solutions provider, just launched its latest product, Unite for Microsoft Teams Advanced. The company says this new offering enhances Microsoft Teams’ functionality by integrating advanced communication features directly into the Teams environment. I discussed this news with Intermedia’s SVP of product marketing, Mark Sher, and several product marketing team members. They walked me through this new offering, the latest on the company’s service provider initiative, its approach to AI for the contact center, and archiving for contact centers.
Every business or IT leader I talk to today has customer experience (CX) improvement as one of their top initiatives. My research shows that 95% of companies now compete on CX versus only 22% a mere five years ago. While there is no silver bullet to improve CX, AI is viewed as an enabler of change allowing companies to deliver differentiated experiences.
Last week, Avaya announced that its president and chief executive officer, Alan Masarek, will retire at the end of the calendar year (2024). His successor, Patrick Dennis, will take the helm and steer Avaya in its next phase. Mr. Dennis is an accomplished CEO with experience in enterprise software, SaaS, cybersecurity, and communications. He is currently the CEO of Venafi, a security vendor being acquired by CyberArk.
NICE recently held its Interactions user event under the hot and sunny skies of Las Vegas. Over the years, NICE has used Interactions as a platform for big news, and the 2024 edition was no different. At the event, the company announced its new 1CX product which offers customers a full unified communications as a service (UCaaS) suite for the low cost of $5 a month.