Bandwidth recently held its first-ever customer and analyst event, Reverb24, at its headquarters in Raleigh, NC. Bandwidth is an interesting company because its platform powers most UCaaS / CCaaS industry. Most mainstream providers use its Communications Cloud, including Zoom, Webex, Five9, Nice, and others.
From one vertical to the next and across the globe, corporate decision makers are huddling up over how best to protect their people from the coronavirus disease, COVID-19. Many have curtailed or restricted travel, and others have broadened the scope of their work-at-home programs as fear over the pandemic spreads. Use of video meeting services, which had already been on an upward trend at businesses looking to create more collaborative and engaged workforces, has skyrocketed.
Recently, Five9 reported its second quarter FY24 results. While the quarter was strong, the forward-looking guidance was light, which sent the stock tumbling over 25%. I asked the company about the light outlook, and a spokesperson stated, “We reduced our 2024 revenue guidance by 3.8%, primarily driven by macro headwinds.” While the company cited macro as an issue, its guidance contradicted Five9’s publicly traded peers, which all echoed a more consistent outlook.
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.