January Writing Roundup

I was so busy through all of January, am just realizing now that I didn't do a writing roundup for December. That's getting a bit long at this point, but I'll include just a couple of items from December in this writeup. Many of my posts aren't that time sensitive, so the analysis often has a longer shelf life than the news-based posts that drive most of social media. That's not what I do, and to show the difference, here are some writing highlights from January and a bit beyond.

New Research from BroadSoft - Cloud UC is Growing, Toolbox.com, Jan. 30

Can you Collaborate without Voice?, Toolbox.com, Jan. 22

How to Navigate the Enterprise Collaboration Market, TechTarget, Jan. 16

What to Look for in a Hosted UC Partner - Who are they Selling to?, Toolbox.com, Jan. 15

2018 Outlook - The Shape of Collaboration, No Jitter, Jan. 9

Collaboration in 2018 - AI is Coming, Toolbox.com, Jan. 10

Hackonomy - How BroadSoft Helps Service Providers Succeed with the Cloud, my blog, Jan. 3

CCaaS - Another Slice of the Collaboration Spectrum, Call Center Scheduling Magzine, and  Internet Telephony Magazine, Q4 2017, Dec. 15

Shakeups and Shakeouts in Collaboration - Setting the Stage for 2018, UCStrategies, Dec. 13

Next Up - ITExpo, Ft. Lauderdale - Moderating 3 Sessions

There's something about Fort Lauderdale and February - sure works for me. That's the story for my next conference - TMC's ITExpo, and I'll be there from February 14-16. It's been a while since my last conference, but am not complaining as I've been full-out busy fulfilling client work the past few months.

Things ease up on that front after January, and starting with ITExpo, I have at least one conference happening each month through June, and others will certainly pop up along the way.

Speaking of TMC, you may not be aware that I've been writing a regular column for years for their flagship publication, Internet Telephony Magazine. It's one of several places I'm regularly published, and my latest Rethinking Communications column is running in their Q1 2018 issue.

This is my first shout-out for ITExpo, and I'll have specific posts coming about each session I'm moderating over the next week or so. For a snapshot of what I'll be up to there, details can be found on my Event Calendar page. I won't be hard to find  at the show, and if you want to connect, please drop me a line.

My Next Ziff Davis Webinar - 3 Collaboration Trends for 2018

Told you it was a busy month.  I've got two webinars coming up this month, and this one is with my mainstay, Ziff Davis. Being January, I've got another 2018 outlook theme, namely how three trends are now driving collaboration - chatbots/AI, messaging and the changing role of voice.

They're all connected, but each is having its own impact, and I'll be breaking that down, along with a review of the major consolidation moves from last year that are setting the table for 2018. Here's the registration page, and I'll do a couple more shout-outs to keep it on your radar.

My Next Webinar - 2018 Channel Outlook for UC

Got a lot going on this month, so no complaints for the new year so far. Am doing a shout-out here for my next webinar - it's Friday, Jan. 26 at 2pm ET, and it's my first one with Informa, best known for their Channel Partners portal and conference. They have 8x8 lined up as a sponsor, with their speaker TBD.

I'll be the featured presenter, looking at the state of the UC space for 2018, and the challenges facing the channels. Here's the registration page with all the details, and I hope you can join us.

My 2018 Outlook for No Jitter - The Shape of Collaboration

Got to see a bunch of really good films during the break, and I'll bet you can tell which one inspired this post. My latest No Jitter column is running now, and it explains why I see some telling parallels between the shape of water and the shape of collaboration, and how this should provide points of caution for IT decision-makers going into 2018. I hope you enjoy it, and your comments are welcome. 

Looking a bit further ahead, Enterprise Connect is coming, and I'll be giving a talk there about trends in speech technologies. That will likely be the focus of my next No Jitter post, so watch for that.

Hackonomy - How BroadSoft Helps Service Providers Succeed with the Cloud

I wanted to start off 2018 with my extended thoughts about BroadSoft, a company that has continuously stayed on the forefront of innovation in our space from my earliest days as an analyst in 2001. Among independents, I can't think of many others that fit the bill, and as the industry continues to consolidate, this is a good time to reflect on what they have done right to be successful.

Not only is the technology changing so quickly, but the barriers to entry are getting higher. In today's market, it's not enough to have great technology, and slick marketing will only take you so far. Competing on price is a race to the bottom, and what really makes the difference is having a customer-centric vision, and a culture that allows the business to innovate around these levers. Very few companies do it well over time, and there are lessons to be learned from BroadSoft.

That's what I've tried to capture in my latest analysis, and you can read it here. The format is a bit different, but with all the writing I do, I'm always looking to try new things to connect with my followers. Feel free to share, and as always, your comments are welcome.

2018 Business Comms Forecast - our Latest BCStrategies Podcast

Eventually, I'll transition fully from UCStrategies to BCStrategies, and hopefully this doesn't cause confusion. Two names, two websites, but the content is the same, and so are the people. Am hoping it will just be BCStrategies at some point in 2018, and I'm getting on the bandwagon now.

I stand corrected on my earlier blog post, saying that our podcast about Net Neutrality was the last one for 2017. Forgot about that one, and this one is our lookout for what 2018 holds for the always expanding/ever-confusing world of communications/collaboration/customer care.

Whatever you choose to call it, this podcast is a good roundup of analysts and consultants - myself included - who are all close to the trends shaping this space. I think you'll find it time well-spent, and here's the link to hear what we had to say. Feel free to add your take, and I'll be back to blogging early next week. Happy New Year!

Contact Center as a Service - my Latest TMC Article

My Rethinking Communications column for TMC's Internet Telephony magazine has been running for a few years now, but since recently cutting back to quarterly publishing, there's a longer gap now between my posts.

For some reason, their digital publishing schedule has been out of whack, and the Q3 edition was only recently posted, and that includes my most recent post. The focus is on CCaaS, and how it's emerging as another option on what I call the spectrum of collaboration. Here's the link to the article, and as always, comments and sharing are welcome.

As a sidebar, I should add that I'll be attending the next IT Expo in February down in Fort Lauderdale. I'll be moderating three sessions, and details will be posted soon.

Impact of Net Neutrality on the Enterprise - Our UCStrategies Podcast

Pretty timely topic here given the recent FCC rollback of Net Neutrality. It's a true cornerstone of the Internet as we know it, but that's about to change, and as consumers, we all have cause for concern. The same applies for the workplace, and these changes are going to have implications for the nature of Internet services used by enterprises as well as the providers we get them from.

It's pretty early to tell how this will unfold, but our view at UCStrategies is that it's a key trend to watch for 2018, and that's what we talked about on our final podcast of 2017. Whether you're on the IT/networking side or just a user of collaboration applications, I think you'll find our insights worthwhile. Here's the link to give it a listen, and it's a topic we will no doubt revisit again in 2018.

JAA Subscriber Newsletter Launch

I've lost count tracking the time for getting this done, but it's finally launched. Many of you have signed up to get my JAA update newsletter, and the first one was sent moments ago via Mailchimp. Thank you all for subscribing, and many of you have been signed up for a long, long time.

Now that I've got this in place, you can look forward to regular updates, hopefully monthly, and things will definitely evolve as we go. I'll soon be adding a short podcast where I'll review current trends in tandem with a guest, and if you have ideas for topics, please let me know.

If you aren't a subscriber, I hope you sign up, and it's not hard to find a reg form here on my site to do so. Many of you follow my blog via RSS - nothing wrong with that, but I don't know who you are, and by subscribing, you'll get exclusive content that I won't be sharing on the blog. Your call!

For my subscribers, I hope you find the content interesting, and would love to hear your feedback, as well as any business challenges I could help you address.

Shakeups and Shakeouts in Collaboration - Outlook for 2018

That's the title of my latest, year-end post as a BCS Expert for BCStrategies. We just did a podcast about the year that almost was, and this is my extended take on what I think 2017 tells us about what to expect in the coming year. Our podcast should be posted in a few days, and I'll provide an update here so you don't miss it.

As you may know, BCStrategies is still transitioning from UCStrategies, and both websites are still running. I'm doing my part here, and providing the link for my article on BCStrategies. Unfortunately, the new site doesn't allow readers to make comments, so if you have any feedback, please let me know here, thanks!

New UCStrategies Podcast - 2017 Year in Review

It's that time of year again, and there sure is lots to talk about for what transpired in 2017 in the collaboration space. This universe keeps expanding, but also morphing in directions that are hard for everyone to understand.

If you're nodding in agreement, then you'll find our collective reflections time well spent. Here's the link to listen, and there's more coming soon from me and others at UCStrategies in written form.

My New White Paper - Modeling CX to Create Tomorrow's Business Value

I've been working recently with Upstream Works, an emerging player in the contact center space with a strong focus on improving the customer experience. We just completed a white paper based on secondary source industry data and my analysis of the role of CX to create new business value.

The paper was just published today, and details are here on their website to get it. There will be more messaging around this on social media, and if you get a chance to read it, I'd welcome your thoughts, and I'm sure Upstream would too.

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.

RichCall Blog - Summary of Key Contact Center Technologies and Experts

This crossed my path recently, and wanted to share it as a good resource/overview of technologies currently leading the contact center space.

RichCall is a contact center vendor I didn't know previously, and they recently compiled a pretty extensive summary, based on industry research and insights from analysts/consultants/experts in this space. This is a handy reference post if you want a 5 minute snapshot of what's driving contact center technology and what's coming next.

There's a solid list of industry experts - myself included, thanks - and if you're not sure who to follow to stay on top of things, this cohort covers the ground pretty thoroughly. Otherwise, there's some useful stats from Dimension Data's 2017 benchmark report, and if you like what you see, am sure RichCall will be happy for any sharing - and likewise for keeping our names out there.

Using "Hackonomy" to Create Customer Relevance - My Latest No Jitter Post

I'm a regular contributor to No Jitter, and this time around, my focus was on a keynote speaker from the recent BroadSoft Connections conference. Of course, that event was overshadowed by the Cisco acquisition.

That development got plenty of coverage, but I wanted to provide a collaboration context around Bonin Bough's talk about hackonomy. He's a very engaging speaker, and while his focus was very much B2C, I can see relevance here for our space. He was speaking at BroadSoft for a reason, and if you didn't see him, hopefully my post will explain why. You can read it here now, and as always, sharing and comments are welcome.

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.