2021: A Year of Change
2021 is coming to an end, and what a year of change it has been. Many companies have fewer team members trying to cover more roles, putting in hours around the clock from hybrid, work-from-anywhere environments. Company leaders are pushed to reduce costs and hopefully decrease employee burnout and customer churn. In the meantime, the global supply chain is disrupted and prices are rising.
Just some of the 2021 stories of change in our industry include:
- RingCentral and Mitel have formed a strategic partnership to provide Mitel’s global customer base with a seamless migration path to RingCentral’s Message Video Phone™ (MVP®) cloud communications platform (for UCaaS). More on Mitel’s news to effectively kill its cloud product and what that means for you in our Mitel in the Know section below, and on the Mitel website.
- Genesys has just acquired Pointillist, a journey management platform, and Exceed.ai, known for intelligent lead activation and conversation, to accelerate how businesses connect with customers across the marketing, sales and service lifecycle. Earlier in 2021, Genesys also acquired Bold360, an AI powered digital customer engagement platform from LogMeIn, known for its conversational AI, dynamic knowledge base and intuitive agent experience. Read more about the Genesys news on their website.
- 8×8 recently announced it is acquiring Fuse to accelerate its XCaaS offering and expand its global reach, particularly in Europe, while also creating cross-sell opportunities. You can read more about their announcement on the 8×8 website.
- Earlier this year, NICE acquired MindTouch Inc., a leader in cloud-based knowledge
management software for customer experience. Read more about NICE news on their site. - In October, Dialpad announced the acquisition of Koopid, the premier AI-driven platform for an omnichannel customer experience (CX). The addition of Koopid technology will bring comprehensive omnichannel support, including chat, messaging, self-service, and social media to Dialpad Contact Center. Read more on the Dialpad website.
- Ericsson announced in November that it is buying Vonage, a global provider of cloud-based communications, to spearhead the creation of a global network and communication platform for open innovation. Read more about the deal on Ericsson’s site.
So what’s one thing that has not changed? The fact that Packet Fusion is here for you. We want to help you make sense of the changing technology landscape and make the right plans for 2022 based on the best options for your company.
For a consultative review of your technology and 2022 plans, please reach out to me. Enjoy your winter holidays!
Your Referral Would Mean So Much to Packet Fusion
I hope that you’re doing well during these ever-changing times, I value our connection and hope that you will reach out to me if you ever need something. Today, I am reaching out to you to ask for a personal referral.
As CEO of Packet Fusion, I know the importance of having a Trusted Advisor for business technology decisions.
Clients count on me and my team that way. Will you please consider referring me to someone in your network who might benefit from technology advice and expertise?
If you would share a contact with me, I will personally get in touch with them. I will treat your referral with the highest level of respect and strive to provide answers to any urgent or longer-term technology challenges.
I would also like to send you a $100 Amazon gift card for any referrals that result in new business for Packet Fusion.
I’d be happy to discuss this with you at your convenience. Contact me and let me know what would work for you or just give me a quick call at 925-701-2015.
Mitel in the Know
The Mitel RingCentral Partnership: What It Means for You
Mitel has announced RingCentral as its exclusive UCaaS partner, fundamentally killing its cloud product. Whether you are on MiVoice Connect (Prem/ShoreTel) or MiVoice Cloud, these platforms will be supported for many years to come, with limited features being added to each, and Packet Fusion has you covered.
Mitel was unable to compete with Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and RingCentral, so it has decided to end its cloud offering and move users to the RingCentral platform. Mitel will focus on its premise-based unified communications business, with the goal of getting the 6900 and 400 series phones working on RingCentral in the next six months for an easy transition to the MVP platform.
Packet Fusion’s goal is to make sure you get to the right platform, period. While RingCentral might be the right fit for your move to the cloud, many other options can transform your business. Packet Fusion partners with all major platforms, including Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Ring Central, 8×8, Dialpad and more.
Please reach out to me or your account rep if you would like a more candid conversation about the Mitel situation and your options for moving to the cloud. You can also read Mitel’s official public statement about the Mitel and RingCentral partnership.
CCaaS
Genesys Recognized as Workforce Optimization Leader by Forrester
Forrester has just recognized Genesys in its December “Forrester Wave™: Workforce Optimization Platforms, Q4 2021 report.” This is the first leadership designation in the workforce optimization/workforce engagement management (WFO/WEM) market for Genesys, validating its efforts to focus on employees in the development and delivery of people-centric experience solutions. With this designation, Forrester now recognizes Genesys as a leader in both CCaaS and WFO. You can view the Forrester report now or contact us to learn more about implementing Genesys WFO capabilities into your CCaaS solution.
Avant Presents: CCaaS Podcasts to Keep You Informed
Rusty Jensen: Using Artificial Intelligence for CCaaS
Rusty Jensen of NICE tells us how AI fits into hosted voice, and how that combination translates to higher customer satisfaction.
Valerie Espie Bourseau: CCaaS from Both Sides of the Sale
Valerie Espie Bourseau of 8×8 discusses the benefits that CCaaS can bring to customer relationships, how to leverage a multichannel and omnichannel environment, how to align your staffing with call routing capabilities, and a whole lot more.