Next Stop Update #2 - Future of Work Expo, Ft. Lauderdale

Am doing back-to-back events starting tomorrow, and just posted about the first stop - Zoho’s analyst event. Will be staying down south after that, heading to Ft. Lauderdale, home of TMC’s ITExpo. I run one of the sub-events there - Future of Work Expo - and this is my 6th year as Chair. The program is solid, and I hope you can join us.

If you’re still on the fence about going, here’s the latest update from TMC, and to learn more, just drop me a line. Also, my next podcast goes live tomorrow, and the main topic is a preview for what we’ll be doing at the event.

Future of Work Expo is Back - Feb. 8-10, Ft. Lauderdale

It’s time for another shout-out for the Future of Work Expo, which I’m returning to as Chair again. The agenda is filling out nicely now, and many more speakers are in play to join us. This is one of several sub-events that are part of the broader ITExpo, which is TMCnet’s flagship event.

We’re still on for this to be a fully live, in-person event, and hope you can join us in Fort Lauderdale, February 8-10. More updates to come, and for now, you can learn more about the event here and here. We’re still open to new speakers, as well as exhibitors at the Future of Work Pavilion, so please get in touch with me if interested.

Messaging, Slack and Facebook - it's Complicated

That's the title of my latest Rethinking Communications column for TMC's flagship publication, Internet Telephony magazine.  I've been writing this column for a few years now, but you haven't heard from me about it for some time. The reason is that at the start of 2017, the magazine cut back its publishing cycle from monthly to quarterly, reflecting the broader trend of reduced print readership. I got my start in the trade publishing business, and can totally relate to what they're up against.

As such, I haven't posted about my column since January, and for whatever reason, their Q2 edition has been slow to publish. However, it's out now, both in print form, and digitally, and here's the link to read it online. The title is self-explanatory, and I've been writing a lot lately about how players from outside the collaboration space are having a big impact on the market. I hope you like it, and comments are welcome.

 Aside from that, I'm also cited in three different features in that issue:

• Avaya Files Chapter 11: What Now?
• Team Collaboration - Why Everyone is Rushing to Pick Up the Slack
• Go Big or Go Home: Why More UC Outfits are Going Global and Upmarket

I hope you get a chance to read these as well, and any sharing is always appreciated!

ITExpo Shout-Out #2 - Panel Session: Emerging Technologies Influencing Your Business

Am moderating back-to-back sessions next Friday at TMCnet's ITExpo in Fort Lauderdale. Yesterday, I blogged about the first panel, and this one is at 11am. 

Emerging technologies covers a lot of ground, and I'll be joined by a diverse group who will have more than enough to talk about in the short time we have. Along with SAP, IBM Security and Plantronics, we'll have independent perspectives from Jeff Pulver and Chris Fine.

It will be a great way to wrap up the conference, and you won't be disappointed if you join us. More details are here on the Conference Program page - just scroll down to Friday in the Hot Topics in Tech and Telecom track.

Just When You Thought UC Was the Answer...

That's the title of my current Rethinking Communications column, which I've been writing for a few years now. The column runs in TMC's flagship publication, Internet Telephony Magazine, which has just switched from 10x/year publishing to a quarterly issue.

My roots are in the trade publishing business, so I totally understand the switch in today's market. That also explains why you haven't seen anything recently from my column, as the last article ran back in early September.

 A lot has happened since then, and my current column speaks to the down side of UC being a moving target. While it's great that UC is so adaptable, its shape-shifting nature makes it more of a Swiss army knife than a precision instrument that does one thing really, really well. As such, while it's easy to think that UC will solve all your collaboration challenges, it has some blind spots, and to some extent, messaging has exposed one of them. 

That's the focus of my current column, and I'll have more to say about this in future posts. Until then, I hope you give my article a read, and as always, sharing and comments are welcome.

Why Aren't You Using Video? My Latest Column

My Rethinking Communications column has been running in TMC's flagship magazine, Internet Telephony, for years, and my latest is one in a series that poses the "WHY" question.

This time around, the topic is video, and the question is as valid as ever, especially since I'm asking why people are not yet using it. Both the use cases and economics keep improving, and video has a key role to play in what's often called the Nextgen Workplace. I'm focusing quite a bit now on the broader "future of work" theme, and this article is a small glimpse into how things are changing - for the better. I hope you like it, and if so, stay tuned for Part 2 in the next issue.

Why Are We Still Working in Offices? My Latest Article

My Rethinking Communications column for Internet Telephony Magazine has been running a few years now, and as technology keeps changing there is no end to the things that we need to rethink. 

Over the last few columns, I've been using the "Why?" theme to explore why we still use various technologies that seem out of step with today's needs. You can explore those here on my TMCnet archive page, and I'd love to hear your thoughts on any of them.

Continuing that theme, I'm now asking why we work in offices any more, and there are lots reasons to be thinking this way. Old habits die hard, but change happens for a reason, and when something as fundamental as the workplace comes into question, you know big things are in play. Are you seeing what I'm seeing? You can give my article a read here, and after that, I hope you'll let me know.

Why Are We (Still) Using UC?

Good question, and I think I've got a pretty good answer.

This is the focus of my latest Rethinking Communications column on TMCnet. It's actually a continuation of other recent posts asking "why?" about other tools we use for work, and my intent is to pose some questions to reconsider their true value.

I hope you give it a read - and perhaps my earlier columns too - and would love to hear your thoughts on whether UC is still worth using - or not. There's usually a short registration process on their site to access the article - let me know if any difficulty and happy to get it to you another way.

My VoIP Group Interview - Spotlight on the LatAm Market

Sometimes content gets generated in a few seconds, and other times much longer. This falls into the latter category, as do most things that are published and go through editorial review. I actually have another example of this set to run next week, and I'll update that in due course.

For now, the story is my interview with Alfredo Bellagamba, CEO of Brazil-based VoIP Group. I didn't know this company until I met with Alfredo for an interview during the recent ITExpo event in Ft. Lauderdale. They have a good story to tell, and it's a great example of what goes on in the VoIP space outside of North America. LatAm is a major market in its own right, and VoIP Group seems to be in the middle of most everything going on there.

My interview was published this week on TMCnet as a featured article, and I hope you give it a read.

Why Are We Still Using Desk Phones?

This is one of my favorite questions, and depending on your needs - and perhaps age - the answers will be very different. Neither is right/wrong - it's just that the realities of how we communicate have been constantly changing ever since VoIP came along. Those changes continue to come, and the idea that desk phones will disappear isn't so radical any more.

While that logic might lead to an inevitable conclusion, we're not there yet - far from it. The desk phone business is very much alive and well, and my latest Rethinking Communications column for TMCnet explores why that's the case and what you should consider in terms of what's really best for your employees. That should be a strong enough hook to get you over to their site, where my article is now running in the March 2016 digital edition of Internet Telephony Magazine.

How NOT to Make UC Strategic - My Current Column

Rethinking Communications is the monthly column I write for TMC's Internet Telephony Magazine, and in the current issue I look at things businesses do that goes against the grain for making Unified Communications a strategic investment. You really do need the right mindset, and if you're still thinking in legacy terms, you'll have a much harder time getting full value from UC.

Here's the link to the article, and it's the follow up to last month's column, where I wrote about how you do make UC strategic. I hope you read them both, and if you can share, that would be great too. If you're having any difficulty accessing these posts, drop me a line and I'll help you out.

Two Things to Know About Hosted UC

That's the theme of my current Rethinking Communications column for TMCnet's Internet Telephony Magazine. Every month I examine different themes in terms of communications technologies that business decision-makers might need to rethink. There's still a lot of legacy technology out there - much of which is working very well - and with that comes varying degrees of legacy thinking about the value of these technologies.

Hosted UC is one such topic, and that's the focus of my column running in the current issue. There's a lot to like about the cloud, but before jumping in - or up - a few realities need to be considered, and my post addresses two of them. I hope you give it a read, and if you care to comment and/or share, that would be great.

Slack May be the Uber of the UC Space

I sure think so, and that's the focus of my current Rethinking Communications column with TMCnet. These columns usually run in their long-running flagship publication, Internet Telephony. These days, a magzine title like that seems dated, but that's another conversation. The pub continues to pull strong readership, both in print and online. The digital edition is posted now, and you can read my latest column here.

Speaking of TMCnet, their next ITExpo is in late January - perfect time of year for Fort Lauderdale. I'll be there, moderating some sessions as usual. Planning will be underway soon, and I'll provide updates here.

Rethinking Collaboration - My Latest Column

There's a lot to think about with collaboration - as with UC, it can be an overused and amorphous term, so I'm giving it a closer look. My current Rethinking Communications column for Internet Telephony Magazine explores that, and will continue with Part 2 in next month's edition.

Part 1 is running now online, and I hope it gets you thinking more critically about what to expect with collaboration, as well from the vendors selling it.

Personal Video and UC - "What are You Afraid Of?", Part 2

That's the name of my latest article running now in TMC's Internet Telephony Magazine. My Rethinking Communications column has been featured there for some time, and this writeup builds on Part 1, which ran last month.

We all know about room-based video and immersive telepresence, but personal video opens up new possibilities, both for one-to-one communication, but also the broader spectrum of UC.

The angle I'm exploring in Part 2 is bit more future-forward, as the focus is on the recent acquisition of Viber by Japan-based Rakuten. In the shadow of WhatsApp/Facebook, these types of deals send signals for how the communications market is shifting. Personal video is a distinct opportunity in its own right, but things get even more interesting when texting/messaging is part of the package, suggesting yet another move away from telephony and voice-based communication.

Nobody has quite figured this out yet, but when big companies get involved in acquisitions like this, the UC community needs to pay attention. Disruption seems to invariably come from outside the circle of usual suspects, and my view is that the Viber deal will filter up - or down - to the UC ecosystem sooner than later.

I'll leave it at that, and now it's time to steer you to the article. Also - to do this right, make sure you read Part 1 first if you haven't done so already. Then let me know what you think - deal?

ITExpo Session #3 - Big Data and the Customer Experience

Whether you believe Big Data will be a Big Nothing or a Big Deal, you'll want to join us as we talk about what this means for the "customer experience". I'm not sure which of these is the bigger buzzword right now, but the question of the day is "what's the connection?" I don't think anyone quite has the answer yet, but that's where the conversation is headed next Thursday at 12:30pm.

TMCnet's ITExpo East, 2014 edition is less than a week away, and if the cold weather has finally gotten to you, it's not too late to make plans for Miami Beach.

Once you're there, I hope you make time for our session, and joining me will be Brian Sadowski from Apriva, and Brian Spraetz from Interactive Intelligence. We're working on adding another speaker, and will pass that on once in place. For more details on the panel, scroll down the Program tab on the show site - we're part of the Customer Interaction track.

ITExpo Session #2 - Transitioning Your Enterprise to UC

As we go from freezing to deep freeze here in Toronto, Miami Beach is looking better by the minute, and it's not too late for you to join us at next week's ITExpo!

If you've been following my posts, you'll know I'll be busy there wearing a few different hats. This post is about the second session I'm moderating, and it should be a must-see for anyone thinking about deploying UC. I write about this topic constantly, and have a pretty good sense of the challenges, so I'll be keen to hear what other have to say.

Joining me will be Dean Manzoori from Masergy, Frederic Dickey from Sangoma, and Khris Kendrick from CounterPath. The 45 minute panel format means the time will fly by, and we'll have no problem sharing real world examples of what works, what doesn't work, and best practices to make your path easier.

Our panel is at 1:30 on Wednesday, and it's part of the Enterprise Solutions Track. For more details, scroll down the Program tab on the show site, and if there's anything in particular you want us to to talk about, drop me a line.

ITExpo Session - Next Generation Contact Centers

This is the next update in a series of posts I'm running about what I'll be up to at next week's ITExpo in Miami Beach. My prior post covered what I'll be doing with the Government of Ontario and their economic trade mission showcasing some leading tech startups.

Now I'll focus on the sessions I'm moderating. My first panel is on Wednesday, from 9:00 - 9:45 am. The title is pretty self-explanatory: "From Call to Contact: Next Generation Customer Service Centers", and it's part of the Customer Interaction Track.

Joining me will be Max Ball from 8x8, and Rick McFarland from Voice4Net. We expect to add another speaker soon, and I'll pass that update along. This is a big topic, so we won't have time to fully re-invent the contact center, but I'm sure you'll come away with a few new ideas about what you could be doing.

For more detail, just go to the Program tab on the show's site, and scroll down to our time.

Also, an FYI, I'll be participating in Editor's Day on Tuesday, so if you're planning to be at the show, I won't be hard to find. If you can't attend, the next best thing is to follow TMC's show blog, as well as their tweets - @TMCnet and @ITEXPO - and even mine - @arnoldjon.

Amazon Mayday and Your Contact Center

Amazon Mayday created a lot of buzz recently, and along with many others, I wrote extensively about it. Just because things have died down doesn't mean it's gone away. I think it's fair to say that contact center decision-makers are still assessing what it means to them, so this article should still be timely.

As you may know, I write a monthly column - Rethinking Communications -  for TMCnet, and the posts usually run in their flagship pub, Internet Telephony Magazine. Given the subject matter, this month's writeup is running instead in Customer Magazine. Unlike the near-instant world of online portals, the logistics around print-based publishing mean long lead times. This post was written a while back, and is just hitting the market now.

I think Amazon's Mayday button can impact the contact center on many levels, and if you can get past the novelty of a 15 second response time, and focus on what's really important for customers, the rest really shouldn't be that hard to do.

That's my teaser, and for the rest of the story, here's the link. I hope you find a few new ideas in my article,  and as always, comments and suggestions for new themes are welcome.

Our Next Contact Center Webinar - the Holy Grail for Increasing Personalization and Engagement

If you follow me, you'll know I've been writing a lot lately about Amazon's Mayday button, and that has been a springboard for thinking about how to elevate you contact center to connect better with customers.

Last month, I spoke on a webinar about Mayday, and the turnout was tremendous. That particular event was sponsored by software giant SAP, and hosted by our good friends at TMCnet. Well, we're reprising that combination again with another webinar on January 21, at 2pm ET.

Clearly, there's an appetite to learn more about what all this means and what contact centers should be doing, and that's what we'll be talking about. The title tells the story pretty well - Search for the Holy Grail - Increasing Customer Engagement with Personalization in your Contact Center.

Joining me will be colleague Neal Shact, CEO of CommuniTech Services, and the discussion will be ably moderated by Rich Tehrani, CEO and Editor-in-Chief of TMCnet.This should be another strong event, and we hope you can join us. I'll be socializing the webinar off and on, and if you're ready to register now, here's the landing page.