Article Insights and Takeaways from Enterprise Connect 2019
By Insight Editor / 26 Mar 2019 / Topics: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Cloud
The catechism of the cloud was on full display at Enterprise Connect this year. The collaborative workforce with optimal user experiences and workflows to increase customer satisfaction and employee production utilizing cloud services with AI integrations were prevalent with all the major players. This has been the most excited I have been to be in the Collaboration sector in years. The ability to be able to provide business changing technology from a space years ago that was heavy dial tone and outrageously priced video conferencing to cloud based solutions with full IA integrations can truly deliver transformational user experiences.
Cisco announced Cognitive Collaboration, which provides built-in AI into its collaboration portfolio of products. This will play big into WebEx and the contact center products. The cognitive collaboration in WebEx will include facial recognition to provide name tagging and information on the individuals in the meeting. The contact center will have Cisco Answers, which will assist the agent in providing the correct response to customer questions and issues.
The RingCentral ecosystem was on strong display with its open APIs and 150 apps that can be easily downloaded into its UCaaS service.
The introduction to AI voice analytics using Gong.io, ThetaLake, and Velvetech provide real-time and post-call voice analytic services to its global customer base. I found the solutions to be easily deployable and a great way for customers to experience the possible business changing outcomes that are possible with AI based applications.
The video conferencing offerings from the likes of Poly, Logitech, Zoom, LifeSize, and Cisco, provided a good insight into cost effective and easy to deploy options. The smaller huddle space cameras meant for 2 to 4 users with simple setup is a game changer. The proficiency of deploying a small unit into rooms that previously did not have expensive video conferencing units has the chance to really increase the usage rate of video calls across every possible vertical.
Attending conferences like Enterprise Connect provides a good idea of the direction technology is moving towards and the investments the leading firms are pushing towards. The conclusion I came away with was powerful AI workflows, cloud is dominant, deployments are quicker, and technology is always progressing to assist business needs. But no mater how technology advances the human interactions are always the real highlight.
