November Writing Roundup

Another busy month, and while my public writing output was on the light side, other things are helping keep my plate full. Here's a digest of my November posts that may still be of interest if you didn't see them before.

Will AI Become Like Organic Food?, UCStrategies, Nov. 30

Can AI Really Improve Collaboration?, Toolbox.com, Nov. 29

How do you Measure Collaboration ROI?, TechTarget, Nov. 29

Learning from Oreos and Hackonomy to Improve Collaboration, Toolbox.com, Nov. 17

Three Reasons to Focus on Outcomes with Collaboration, Toolbox.com, Nov. 14

Using Hackonomy to Create Relevance for Customers, No Jitter, Nov. 7

3 Things Businesses Need to Know About Amazon Connect, Toolbox.com, Nov. 2

Will AI Become Like Organic Food?

That's the title of my latest post wearing my UC Expert hat for UCStrategies. I think it's a valid question as AI becomes the trend-du-jour in our space, and everyone wants to be on the train as it pulls out of the station. Where that train is going, nobody knows, but so long as you believe AI can be a force for good, you need to be there.

As a marketing guy, I have concerns that "AI" is already getting over-used, and that could undermine its true value - presuming we start seeing some true innovation. Lots to think about, and I hope this post piques your interest.

As a sidebar, I didn't realize it's been so long since my last blog post. Apologies for the gap - just been full-out busy finishing up white papers, getting regular client work done, and getting a bunch of new projects mapped out. Inquiries keep coming in, so it never gets dull.

Am also trying to squeeze in time to get some exclusive content out to my blog subscribers! You know who you are, and apologies for this taking so long. Won't be much longer - promise. Until then, I hope you enjoy this UCStrategies post of mine.

Cisco's Acquisition of BroadSoft - Our Podcast Analysis

If you haven't had your fill of what this deal means for the collaboration/UCaaS space, this should be your next stop. Wearing my UC Expert hat with UCStrategies, I've already written my perspective on the Cisco/BroadSoft deal, as have several of my peers. That post continues trending well, btw, and I welcome your comments if you give it a read.

Building on that, our latest podcast had a strong turnout among both analysts and consultants, and you won't find a stronger mix anywhere of people who know this space well, and really understand what's happening. The podcast has been posted now to our portal, and I think you'll find it time well spent.

October Writing Roundup

Was a busy month, with more travel than usual, and attending/speaking at four events. Also made some good behind-the-scenes progress on my website, and had a good jump in new followers for my blog.

I've been talking about providing regular - and exclusive - updates for my subscribers for some time, and it's looking good to finally get that going this month, so please bear with me. All of this has cut into my writing a bit, but here's what was keeping me busy on that front during October.

Understanding Cisco's Acquisition of BroadSoft - I Think Taher Behbehani Knows Why, UCStrategies, Oct. 27

How do Huddle Rooms Fit in Video Conferencing Strategies?, TechTarget, Oct. 25

Why is Walmart Using Facebook for Collaboration? Should You?, Toolbox.com, Oct. 20

Why Messaging is the new Driver for Collaboration, Toolbox.com, Oct. 16

Chatbots - 10 Risks you need to Consider, Toolbox.com, Oct. 12

6 Reasons to Use Chatbots in your Business, Toolbox.com, Oct. 4

Market Analysis - How Mobility and Messaging are Transforming CX, JAA Blog, Oct. 3

Podcast - BC Summit Recap

The month has zoomed by, and the BC Summit was one of four events I attended and/or spoke at in October. Am glad to be done travelling for a while, but the BC Summit kicked the month off on a strong note.

As always, the mix of content was strong, and there was something for everyone.  Highlights have been posted already in written form, but we did a podcast as well, and it's finally been prepared for posting. You can access it now on our portal, and if you'd like to ask more questions, just drop me a line.

Why Did Cisco Buy BroadSoft? I Think Taher Behbehani Knows Why

It's been quite a week, starting with BroadSoft Connections in Phoenix, then MoNage in Boston. Been a big blur, but am back now, and along the way, I managed to write up my thoughts about the big news that dropped just ahead of the BroadSoft event about being acquired by Cisco. 

I hope the title of my post piques your interest, and if you read my latest analysis for UCStrategies (now branded as BC Strategies), the answer will emerge, along with many other thoughts that I think help explain what's behind the move. The post is running now on the portal, and while there, I welcome you to read my other posts, along with those of my fellow BC Expert peers, many of whom were also at BroadSoft's event.

Next Stop - BroadSoft in Phoenix, then MoNage in Boston

Busy week ahead, with back-to-back conferences. On Monday, and for a bit of Tuesday, I'll be at BroadSoft Connections in Phoenix. I've been to several of their conferences in the past, but not recently, and am really looking forward to getting back. BroadSoft has really hit critical mass now, and I'm certain 2018 will be the year they decide whether to keep building on their momentum, or take an exit. Other players are in the same boat, and am sure the playing field will be smaller by this time next year.

I'll be dashing from Connections on Tuesday to Boston for Jeff Pulver's next MoNage event, where I'll be speaking along with Chris Fine on Wednesday morning. Just finishing up our presentation now.

As time allows, I'll be tweeting throughout the week, and for more details, please check the Events Calendar section of my website.

Gartner's Magic Quadrant for UCaaS - Our UCStrategies Podcast

Gartner's 2017 MQ report on the ever-changing UCaaS space came out recently, and that was the topic of a recent UCStrategies podcast. We did this a few weeks ago, but with the BC Summit just past, it didn't get posted until the other day.

Our takeaways are still timely, so if you want an informed view of where UCaaS is heading, you'll find this podcast time well spent. Here's the link to give it a listen, and I hope you spend time on the site to explore the rest of our content.

Shout-out for MoNage and next speaking event

Time sure flies, and the Fall 2017 MoNage event is next week in Boston Just doing another shout-out here for the conference, which is now starting to scale as messaging becomes more mainstream.

More detail can be found in the Event Calendar section of my site, both about the conference and my speaking spot there next Wednesday.

Also, if you haven't registered yet, I can share a 20% discount code, and maybe that will get you off the fence. If so, just drop me a line, and am happy to pass that along.

Next Webinar - Messaging - the New Driver for Collaboration

Time for another Ziff Davis webinar, and this is a topic I've been focused on for a while now. Messaging has kind of come out of nowhere to become an important driver in the collaboration space, and I'll explore that further during the webinar.

The date is coming up fast - next week - it's Wednesday, Oct. 18, at 2 ET. Hope you can join us, and all the details are here on the registration page.

September Writing Roundup

September was fairly quiet on the writing front, but I was plenty busy working on client projects, lining up a busy October for conferences and speaking at events, and more fine tuning for my updated website. That's largely under control now, and I'll have a broader writing digest to share next month.

What are Practical Applications of Contact Center Analytics? - TechTarget, Sept. 28

What Businesses Can Learn from the TacoBot - Toolbox.com, Sept. 28

Apple Business Chat - Tough to Beat on Messaging, Mobility and Brand - No Jitter, Sept. 26

How Device as a Service Makes it Easier to Have the Latest IP Phones - Toolbox.com, Sept. 20

Three Ways How Collaboration Solutions are Disruptive - Toolbox.com, Sept. 11

Habitat Soundscaping - a Fresh Take on Collaboration - Toolbox.com, Sept. 8

Next Stop - BC Summit, Palm Springs, CA

Been too busy to blog recently, but it's time for a conference shout-out. Thankfully, there has been no business travel since July, but it's the Fall now, and I have three travel events coming up in October.

Next Monday, I'll be flying to Palm Springs - whoo hoo - for the 2017 edition of the BC Summit. I'll be speaking on two panel sessions, and more details are here in the Events section of my website. Am working on my presentations now, and there's still time to register if you're thinking about going.

August Writing Roundup

It's hard to focus on work during the late days of summer, but I still managed to do my fair share of writing in August. Here's a digest of highlights that kept me busy (but by no means all of my posts/articles), and a sign of what I'll be working on and speaking about as my conference schedule resumes for the fall.

Sidebar - my website evolution continues, and there will be updates coming over the next few weeks. That includes the start of a program to support my blog subscribers, where I'll share exclusive content such as research notes or podcasts with colleagues about current events.

My blog subscription base is growing, especially among new followers, but I also have many RSS followers. Am happy to have any/all followers, but would prefer direct subscribers, and to drive that, I'm starting to offer exclusive content. So, if you're following my blog via RSS, I urge you to consider a direct subscription, which you can do here, or on just about any page on my website.

Enough said - here's my writing roundup for August:

Reimagining Voice in the Age of AI, UCStrategies, Aug. 31

How do you Prepare if your UC Provider is Acquired?, TechTarget, Aug. 30

Innovation and Disruption - Know the Difference, Toolbox.com, Aug. 29

Customer Care for the Digital Generation, Upstream Works Blog, Aug. 23

Formulating Your Collaboration Strategy - be a Leader, Toolbox.com, Aug. 18

The Benefits of Improved Agility with Collaboration, RingCentral Blog, Aug. 16

Selling Management on Omnichannel - it's a Driver for Customer Care, Toolbox.com, Aug. 10

Habitat Soundscaping - and Now for Something Completely Different, No Jitter, Aug. 8

What Omnichannel Brings to Collaboration and Customer Care, Toolbox.com, Aug. 3

The Benefits of Improving Workflows with Collaboration, RingCentral Blog, Aug. 2

Reimagining Voice in the Age of AI

That's the title of my latest post as a UC Expert with UCStrategies. AI takes many forms, and in the collaboration space, voice is particularly interesting now that devices like Amazon Echo are becoming mainstream. Business applications are emerging now for these devices, and there's lots more to come.

To read more, here's the link to my post, and your comments are welcome, as would be any sharing. I should add that the BC Summit is about a month away, and if you're attending, I'll be speaking more about this topic there.

Customer Care for the Digital Generation - Guest Post for Upstream Works

I've been exploring thought leadership themes with Toronto-based Upstream Works Software recently, and my first guest post has been published now on their blog portal. As I normally do with direct clients, my analysis isn't about their offerings; rather, my focus is on industry trends that impact their served market, which in this is case is cloud-based customer care.

Their site has a good repository of blog content and other resources, and it's worth reviewing to stay current in this space. Of course, I hope you'll give my post a read, and your feedback is welcome any time. 

UCStrategies Podcast - Gartner Magic Quadrant Report for the UC Sector

For better or worse, it's hard to ignore the Gartner's Magic Quadrant reports when they cover your space, and with their UC coverage out now, we knew what the next UCStrategies podcast topic was going to be about.

If you've been following these reports, you'll know that the market has consolidated to the point where it's clear who the leaders are, and the playing field is well-established. That's not surprising given that the underlying product - enterprise telephony - is highly mature. It's certainly not a growth market, and that's why the vendors are transitioning to UC, but of course, that's only half the story.

Before that could happen, however, the cloud blew in, and now the bigger challenge is how quickly they can transition from premise-based UC to cloud-based UC. That's what's really driving the market now, and the current MQ shows that Microsoft and Cisco are doing that better than everyone else.

Lots more to talk about, and we all had something to say about what this report says about the current state of UC. The podcast has been posted to the portal, and after you give it a listen, we'd love to hear your thoughts as well.

My Digital Transformation Series - Part 3: Driving Agility with Collaboration

This is the third post in a series I've been doing for RingCentral about digital transformation, and the response has been strong enough to warrant more analysis, so watch for that soon. During this series, I've examined three specific business-level benefits of digital collaboration, and the role collaboration can play to support them.

For this post, my focus is on business agility, and it's running now on the RingCentral blog page. The other two posts addressed improving workflows and the customer experience - you can read those, along with the other posts I've been writing for RingCentral, here on my profile page.

My Next Webinar - Digital Assistants for Collaboration and Customer Care

I've been doing webinars with Ziff Davis on a steady basis lately, and the next one is about digital assistants. This is another way of saying chatbots, and what I'm really talking about is the emergence of conversational interfaces as a way to leverage AI to make both collaboration and customer care more effective.

There's a lot to explore here, and I'll be providing an overview of current trends and opportunities based on my current research in this space. The webinar is next Tuesday, August 22 at 2pm ET, and I hope you can make it. As always, Ziff Davis webinars are free, and you can register here.

Habitat Soundscaping from Plantronics - Now for Something Completely Different

If you don't know what I'm getting at with that title, then ask your parents - they'll know.

Either way, I'm talking about something very new - and very different - from Plantronics. Building on their rich audio heritage in the headset business, they've come up with a unique approach to making the workplace more conducive to collaboration, but I'm not going to tell you here. I'm just trying to make sure you know that my current No Jitter writeup has been posted, and that's where you can read my take on Habitat Soundscapes. I hope you like it, and would love to hear your thoughts.

Mitel's ShoreTel Acquisition - Our Take on UCStrategies

In the UC/collab space, this was definitely the big news story last week, and it seems everyone had an opinion. This was Mitel's second try for ShoreTel, and aside from coming at a lower cost this time around, the move finally positions Mitel as the UCaaS consolidator they've long been talking about. I'll be sad to see ShoreTel go, but this is just part of the market's evolution, and it won't be the last time the pool shrinks.

There was lots to discuss, and Dave Michels was his usually engaging self moderating the group. Our podcast is running now on the UCStrategies portal, and here's the link. There was lots of buzz in the media as well, and I was cited in this writeup from TMC.