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A short note for navigating this section - scroll below for the most recent posts, and then for more, click on the Blog Archive box, where you can view all of my posts, going back to the beginning in March 2005.
My series of guest posts for Aizan continues, with the latest topic being the role for messaging apps to improve customer experience. Customer service has historically been voice-based, but the use of messaging has increased greatly, especially with mobility, and there are many scenarios where this is the best way to engage with customers. For more on this, I hope you check out my post, and more topics are coming soon.
Back-to-back months of hectic travel, so writing has been on the light side. Lots of new work in play, though, and over the next few days I’ll catchup on the backlog and get all of that posted. Until then, here’s a digest of my public writing from June.
Avaya ENGAGE - Takeaways for Act III, BCStrategies, June 30
SIP Trunking vs. VoIP - What’s the Difference?, TechTarget, June 15
Campaign Registry - a Higher Bar for A2P Messaging, Aizan Blog, June 9
I’ve got a new guest post to share, and it’s for Toronto-based Aizan Technologies. They’re doing some interesting things in the communications space, both for telephony and messaging, as well as for both fixed and mobile networks.
One area of interest is A2P messaging - application to person - which is a much bigger deal in the consumer world, but as the contact center space keeps morphing, A2P becomes relevant here as well.
My guest post is about some fairly new requirements for A2P campaigns that marketers and brands need to be aware of. Without higher standards and safeguards to mitigate fraud, these campaigns will become even more of a nuisance for consumers, as well as a greater risk for brands.
Given how messaging is becoming more widely-used for customer service, there’s more at stake here than just pushing out marketing pitches en masse. If this piques your interest, I hope you give my writeup a read, and to do that, here’s the link.
I attended my second Twilio SIGNAL event earlier this month in San Francisco, and as good at my first one was, this was even better. Bigger too, but also full of many updates that shows how far and wide their capabilities keep evolving.
For the collaboration space, I focused on two in particular, and they are addressed in my latest No Jitter post, which is running now. The conference also had lots of strong visual elements, and if you didn’t see my earlier post here with some photos, here’s the link. As always, comments and sharing are welcome.
Last year was my first SIGNAL event, and impressive as it was, this year’s was bigger and better. Twilio is on a roll for sure (transparency alert - I’m a happy shareholder - but that doesn’t color my take here), and being on home soil, this was a loud and proud gathering in San Francisco. It’s an understatement to say that things are just different here - for better or worse - and if you were going to build a successful business at scale from the bottom-up for today’s digital economy, it would look a lot like Twilio.
As I often do when these events wrap up and I’m about to fly home, I just have time now for some photo highlights while everything is still fresh. There’s lots more to talk about, and over the next few days, I’ll have a more reflective set of takeaways, so check back here soon.
If you believe bigger is better, this was the place to be. The event planning team clearly had a mandate to spend and make sure you couldn’t miss SIGNAL. But in this case, I think Twilio lived up to the buzz.
The seating area for analysts was off to the left, so not great for getting photos during the keynotes. Above, CEO Jeff Lawson bringing vision, energy and passion. This sure sounds like a guy you’d want to work for, esp if you get behind their mantra of “we can’t wait to see you build”. Jessica Popp updating us on Flex, and Christine Roberts talking about Verified by Twilio. I’ll have more to say on both of these soon.
“Papa Vic” - Jeff really nailed the importance of personal relationships talking about his grandfather, and connecting that to Twilio’s vision to create the same at scale with their technology. Erin Reilly, as she did last year, showcased Twilio’s commitment to social good, with great examples of how they bring communications to vulnerable people and make a big difference in their lives. Boost - Jeff giving yet another example of pervasive messaging has become, and clearly, Twilio is on to something here. Final picture - a really good panel session on email - and the risks around spoofing, spam, etc. The acquisition of SendGrid for email was very strategic, and it’s an important part of Twilio’s story.
Sensoneo demo - yet another layer to Twilio - IoT. This was a smart city application, mapping out all the waste bins across San Francisco, and thanks to sensors placed inside all the lids, the sanitation department gets a birds-eye view of which bins are full and need pickup. This helps optimize their routes, and they’ve 30% cost savings as a result - that’s a great use case. Later, a session on blocking robocalls - Twilio has a fix for that now. Then some fun onstage with rapper Macklemore, the performer for the big party last night. The hash #freemacklemore” quickly became a thing, but I think we’ve moved on now. Last shot - yes, it’s what you think. The party was held in a parking garage, retrofitted to an event space. Seemed strange at first, but very cool, and very Twilio. Can’t wait to see what they build for the next SIGNAL!
If you subscribe to my newsletter, you likely would have taken in this podcast by now, but for everyone else, this is being shared for the first time.
I meant to post this a few weeks back, but it didn’t happen, and since the podcast was mainly built around my takeaways from their SIGNAL conference, it’s not super-timely. However, Chris and I do speak more broadly about Twilio’s momentum and what makes them disruptive to us.
If you’re not a regular here, let me explain. Our podcasts are exclusive to subscribers, but I recently decided to cap that period to a couple of weeks, after which I would share it here to reach a broader audience. So, the benefit for subscribers is getting the podcast ahead of the pack, plus all the regular content that always remains just for that audience.
I realize that this approach isn’t ideal for podcasts that cover timely topics like conference recaps. However, if you’re new to the space or the company hosting the conference, the podcast will definitely have value. That said, our podcasts aren’t always tied to specific events, and I’ll do my best to get them shared on a more timely basis.
Perhaps if/when I start attracting big-time sponsors, I’ll find a better way, but for now, all I can do is put it out there, and get back to working on the new stuff! So, here you go, and if you like it, let me know - and feel free to suggest topics you’d like to see us cover.
It’s busy enough with 3 conferences coming this month, but this is a good time to get the word out about another one in late January. While 2019 seems far off, it really isn’t, and planning for the Future of Work Expo has been underway for a while. In fact, the program is largely in place, but as co-chair, if you strongly feel you should be speaking and/or sponsoring, please drop me a line.
To give you a better sense of what to expect there, I just completed a Q&A with TMC’s Paula Bernier, the other co-chair for FoW Expo. There’s more to come about the Expo, but hopefully her interview with me will help you decide in favor of joining us in Fort Lauderdale in the depths of winter.
Had a very heavy month fulfilling client work, along with attending two conferences - and a long drive to Florida for a family visit. Life happens, and there wasn’t much room for writing, but here’s what I’d like to share for October for those who want to read more of my work.
Twilio SIGNAL Day 2 Thoughts and Pix - OK Go, and do you Believe in Magic?, my blog, Oct. 19
Mavenir Analyst Day - Quick Take and Pix, my blog, Oct. 19
What Potential Security Threats Could AI Introduce?, TechTarget, Oct. 17
AI in Contact Centers Offers Agents Behavioral Analytics, TechTarget, Oct. 16
Collaboration Endpoints - Understanding the Bigger Picture, Toolbox.com, Oct. 11
Cybercrime and Collaboration - On A Collision Course?, No Jitter, Oct. 9
3 Things to Remember About Amazon Mayday, Toolbox.com, Oct. 8
Look to the Laggards to Drive Collaboration Adoption, Toolbox.com, Oct. 5
Can’t remember the last conference that hit the ground running with intensity, passion and creativity - and stayed there end to end. That’s been the vibe here, certainly for the general sessions on both days. It was enough just to keep up taking notes and posting some pix on social, and for now, I’ll be short, just like my Day 1 post. I need to digest and recover from two weeks of steady travel, but my considered thoughts will be coming soon. Until then, some Day 2 pix.
First, there is a really strong vibe here, not just for being socially conscious, but for social justice. For left-leaning liberals, Twilio is your kind of culture - Trump not spoken here. This was best exemplified by Erin Reilly, their VP of Social Impact and GM of Twilio.org. They’re not just talking about this stuff, but they’re doing a lot about it. Check our her “I am a Voter” t-shirt (worn by other Twilio speakers, including Jeff Lawson), and her social experiment with texting to see how many in the audience agree with her - love it. They’re also using their messaging platform to help people in need, especially the disadvantaged, like those subject to racial profiling or immigrants facing deportation. Pretty strong, but inspiring stuff.
On the fun side, SIGNAL did not lack for star power and cutting edge technology. First, Tony Hawk, who sure has inspired a few generations of skateboarders. He’s a legend, but not that recognizeable, so the running joke is that people think he looks like Tony Hawk - check out this tweet that shows what he’s talking about - hah! Then we had the creators of West World, Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan - cool. Even cooler, we were treated to an amazing “performance” by OK Go. I would need a whole post to break down all the things they did, but let’s just say, as developers, they mixed technology and music in a really creative manner that involved all of us, and all of our mobile devices. Tough act to follow!
Finally, magic was a big theme at SIGNAL, beginning with a cool demo from a magician who made the mobile phones of two strangers call each other simply by touching their index fingers together. Pretty impressive way to show the power of human connection, and there was more magic to follow. Now, check this out - CEO Jeff Lawson wearing the AR/VR goggles and doing a demo with Magic Leap. In the third photo, he’s doing a virtual chat with Magic Leap’s Rony Abovitz. The two avatars are chatting and interacting in real time, while Jeff and Rony are speaking from different physical locations. Jeff says this is the first time an avatar chat has EVER been done in real time in front of an audience. Aren’t we special, and isn’t that some kind of magic?
Following my last blog post, this is “next stop” #2 for the week. I was in Dallas - still am, actually, about to board an early flight to SFO - for Mavenir’s analyst day, and now I’m heading to Twilio’s SIGNAL event in San Francisco. If the flight is on time and my Uber ride goes to plan, I should be there in time for the opening keynote at 10am.
More details are here on the Event Calendar section of my website, and I’ll be happy to be home Friday night. That’s enough excitement for me this week, but I’ll keep writing and posting about the event as time allows.
The busy state throughout August carried over into September, and things were productive on many fronts.
Writing took a back seat to other things - namely webinars, podcasts, speaking, conference planning and strategy work - but here are the writing highlights from last month. To get the bigger picture about the work I do with clients, you really should sign up for my newsletter.
Adopting Collaboration to the Digital Workplace, Part 2, Toolbox.com, Sept. 26
My New Infographic - 5 Things to Know About Slack, my blog, Sept. 25
Adopting Collaboration to the Digital Workplace, Toolbox.com, Sept. 18
Slack and the New Frontiers of Collaboration, BCStrategies, Sept. 14
Building a Business Case for Contact Center as a Service, 2 podcasts with Genesys, Enterprise Management 360, Sept. 11
I really wanted to get this posted before the week is out and while the conference is still fresh. My followers will know that I posted some photos and thoughts earlier about Slack’s event, but more needed to be said, and that’s what I’ve done here.
As my followers will also know, I’ve long been a BC Expert with BCStrategies, and that’s a good place to share my high level takeaways about Slack and their Frontiers 2018 event.
There’s more to come, but I hope this post gives you a good flavor for what’s coming with Slack, and how they’re pushing the frontiers of collaboration. As always, your comments are welcome, and any sharing would be greatly appreciated.
This is just Slack's second industry event, and while they've come a long way in a little time, they're not quite a household name. That's probably a good thing, as they've been quietly and intelligently building what looks to be a great organization with the kind of vibe, culture and passion that makes for very successful companies.
Over the last two days, I've gotten to see that first hand, and it looks pretty real to me. Make no mistake - the established collaboration players are watching Slack closely, and not surprisingly, some of those people have now joined their ranks.
I was lucky enough to be one of a handful of analysts in attendance - and I don't think the media was there - so, unless you've been following my tweets, what I'm sharing here will be new for you. For now, I'll let these photos do most of the talking, as I wanted to quickly get a post up before flying home. I've got lots to say, and that will be coming in a few different forms shortly, so check back soon - and even better, you might want to sign up for my newsletter.
For now, I'm just going to leave you with a couple of comments from the sessions that reflect the big-picture takeaways.
First, from April Underwood, their Chief Product Officer: "this really is a movement". Yup - she's referring to how the workplace is changing, and there's a need for tools and solutions that align with this fundamental shift. I've been following Slack for a while, and have long felt that if UC - or something along those lines - was being invented today from scratch, it would look like Slack.
Second, a very telling quote cited by Neil Shah, their Sr. Director of Strategy and Analytics. This was from one of their customers: "People told us they would quit if we took away their Slack." Sure sounds like "I want my MTV", huh? Maybe a tad dramatic, but have you heard anyone talk like that about Spark or Skype for Business?
People have similar attachments to their iPhones, but workplace tools? That's what I call sticky, and when you can build that kind of organic, bottom-up emotional attachment, your odds of converting free users to paid are way better - and that's the key to making Slack a true force, not just for disruption, but for innovation.
Much more to talk about, but I need to get to the airport! I hope this gives you a taste of what I saw at Frontiers 2018, and I'd love to get your comments, either here or on Slack.
Above - Places - mis en scene - an uber-industrial setting, but perfect for showing what the future holds.
Below - People and Things.
People - speakers from the various sessions, including Ed Catmull, Founder of Pixar, in conversation with Slack CEO, Stewart Butterfield.
Things - SO Cali, SO San Francisco - can't wait to come back!
Sure has been a while since my last blog post. I was on the road three weeks out of four last month, so blogging has been light, and same for my writing output overall.
The time, however, has been well spent, and I now have a number of new projects starting up. No conferences til late September, and I'll be plenty busy close to home fulfilling client work. Since we're in a new month, it's time for my June roundup, but also a heads-up for my next newsletter. It should be in subscriber's hands - or inboxes more accurately - by this Friday, so if you get it, the wait won't be long.
If you don't subscribe yet, this would be a good time to sign up, and here's the form. As a sneak peak, I've got another podcast coming with my colleague, Chris Fine - and if you're a fan of Mary Meeker's annual Internet Trends report, you'll want to hear our discussion about some highlights.
Ok, back to the writing - it's a short set, but here's what I was up to in June.
How do you train an AI service for collaboration?, TechTarget, June 28
Internet Trends 2018 - How Digital Technologies are Driving Digital Behaviors, Toolbox.com, June 25
AI, Chatbots and Business Success, my blog, June 20
Is Ribbon Communications the New BroadSoft?, BC Strategies, June 19
Collaboration - Think About Outcomes, not Technology, Part 2, Toolbox.com, June 18
NEC Advantage - Quick Thoughts and Photos, my blog, June 15
Cybercrime - are you Paying Attention?, Toolbox.com, Jun 12
Am back now from the Ribbon Communications conference in Los Angeles, and definitely glad I went. For me, there were both good answers and new questions, and I'm going to explore those in a separate post that will run next week on the BCStrategies portal. For now, I'll just share a few high-level impressions, along with some photos to give you a feel for what was on tap there.
First is the changing of the guard, with Fritz Hobbs taking on the CEO role, and David Walsh taking on a more focused role as Founder of Kandy. Fritz Hobbs is unknown to pretty much everyone I spoke with, and clearly he's a finance guy, not a tech guy. He said very little on stage, so it's hard to tell how he's going run things, but it's safe to say he'll be focused on keeping shareholders and investors happy. David's entrepreneurial and visionary style seems likely to be applied to Kandy rather than the entire organization, so it's also hard to tell what his overall impact is going to be now.
Speaking of Kandy, that was clearly the focus of the conference, and we didn't hear much about the core products that drive revenues and get the attention of analyst houses that track market share and build forecasts. This was also the case at last year's conference, but with the newly-formed Ribbon being a public company, I was surprised about that. We heard even less about how Kandy is actually doing - lots of use cases, customer success stories and touting of CPaaS and UCaaS capabilities, but no metrics. David Walsh made it clear that it's too early for that so let's just move on.
I really liked the clear focus on how Kandy is a great way to leverage the cloud so service providers can be more competitive, not just against other carriers, but the disruptors like Amazon and Twilio. It's debateable how much of a threat those players really are, but they're definitely in the mix, and service providers really do need an innovation engine to bring new services to market, and that's exactly Kandy's MO. Sound like another platform provider serving the carrier market? I'll have more to say about that in my BCStrategies post. And with that, let's shift from text to images with a few photos from the event - and to follow further, check out the twitter feed, #RBBNP18.
New CEO, Fritz Hobbs
David Walsh, no longer CEO, but now Founder, Kandy, and I love those cons - my kind of sneaker.
Patrick Joggerst and Bita Milanian
Innovation Panel
Service Provider Panel
10-piece band AMFM, who played throughout the show - great energy and very fun!
The LA sunset - a hotel specialty - did I pick the right cocktail for this conference or what?
Got industry events happening during the next two weeks, so it's travel time again. On Sunday, I'm flying to LA for Perspectives18, the annual confernce for Ribbon Communications. I've been to a few of these, but this marks the first Perspectives event under the Ribbon name, since the merger between Genband and Sonus happened shortly after last year's event.
I've always struggled a bit with the rationale for this pairing, and hearing more about how it's working out will be a primary focus for next week. Also, the messaging last year was heavy on Kandy, their CPaaS platform, and am keen to hear the progress report nearly a year later.
More details are here in the Event Calendar section of my website, and to follow the updates, my twitter handle is @arnoldjon, and for Ribbon's feed, it's #RBBNP18.
Lately, it seems like like each month brings a major change of some sort among the collaboration vendors - and things get even more intense as the overlap with contact centers gets larger. Cisco just bought Accompany, Mitel just went private, Plantronics just acquired Polycom - just to name a few.
Aside from the dizzying pace of acquistions, large players who either weren't in this space until now, or are themselves new companies, are creating all sorts of disruption that cannot be ignored.
That's the milieu I'm going to address in my next Ziff Davis webinar on May 24, and if you'd like to check it out, all the details are here on the registration page. Hope you can join me then.
I'm going to do a standard shout-out here each time my newsletter is published. You need to subscribe to get it, and all you need to do is provide your email address. Not all of you follow my blog, or understand the range of services I provide, and the newsletter addresses both by providing updates on my practice, broad insights about the collaboration space, and current examples of what I'm doing with my clients.
My newsletter is very much a work in progress, and this month marks the inclusion of a podcast as a regular feature. For this segment, I'm in conversation with colleague Chris Fine, talking about the MoNage conference we spoke at last month, and how technology is reshaping the way we work.
The content in my newsletter is exclusive for subscribers, so if any or all of this is of interest, you need to subscribe. Signup forms can easily be found on my website - including this standalone page - and hopefully that will be your next stop. I should add that many of you follow me via RSS, but we'll both be better served by subscribing as well, and if you do, thanks!
Pretty light month on the public writing front, but I was busy with a couple of conferences, a webinar and a lot of post-conference follow up for new business. So, just a handful of links to share, and maybe this means you'll review more of them.
1 Week, 6 Cities, 2 Conferences and 7 Takeaways, April 30, BCStrategies
Should You Buy Contact Center Services in a UC Bundle?, April 24, TechTarget
Is the Contact Center Going the Way of the PBX?, April 10, No Jitter
4 IT Success Strategies for Collaboration, April 9, Toolbox.com
That's the title of my latest writeup for BCStrategies.
If you follow me, you'll know that I'm a BC Expert, and contribute a monthly analysis on the portal, and get on my share of podcasts. This time around, I've summarized my thoughts for two recent events - MoNage and Cisco's Customer Care Analyst Day.
It was a hectic week, but very worthwhile, and I hope you find my reflections of value. The writeup has been posted now to the portal, and as always, sharing and feedback are welcome.
J Arnold & Associates is an Independent Technology Research and Analyst, helping businesses understand the strategic value of communications technology as they adapt to the digital transformation of work
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