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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.
Was a light month for writing, and just about everything else, but will hit the ground running after Labor Day - things are set to ramp up again then, and will be as busy as ever. Just two posts to share, and I hope you give them both a read!
RingCX AI: Blending Intelligent Automation with Personalized Support, Aug. 29, RingCentral blog
How AI Helps Address Core Challenges for Utilities, Aug. 21, No Jitter
I’ve been closely following RingCentral’s move into CCaaS - along with all the other players of course - and they’ve now taken the next step with their AI story. Not surprisingly, RingCentral has developed their own platform to stake claim in this growing market. It’s getting crowded, but with this platform they feel ready to hold their own, and so far they’re getting good traction to validate that.
There’s lots to like with what they’re doing here, and my latest guest article about it is running now on the their blog. Would love to hear your thoughts, and happy to chat further any time.
I’ve been meaning to share some photos from last week’s NCEC conference in Wilmington, NC. This was my first visit to that part of the US, and really liked it - next time I’ll go back for fun.
The back story about the rural utility market was covered in this earlier post, and for this post, I’m mainly just sharing some photos for the vibe of the event. More analysis and takeaways can be found in my latest No Jitter post - here - and I’ll be talking about it as part of our next Watch This Space podcast episode, which will publish just after Labor Day.
For more background, here are my takeaways and photos from last year’s conference.
A follow-on writeup is also in the works, focusing on two pressing security issues for utilities - both cyber and physical. The conference had very interesting sessions on each topic - stay tuned.
In short, this is the world of utility co-ops, which basically serves the non-urban population, and just like everyone else, they’re struggling to modernize and adopt new technologies, especially AI.
Customer service is an important vector for this, and I presented on the role of AI for making CX better. Later in my session, I was joined by Hardy Myers from Cognigy to talk about real-world examples where their AI technologies are being used now to improve CX.
This is a very interesting vertical that I’ve been involved with for over 15 years, and I find that many of their challenges are similar to what we experience in the communications technology space.
Below - opening panel session with industry execs talking about making the grid more resilient and reliable; view from the show floor
Casey Werth from IBM talking about the role of AI for modernizing utilities; signage for my breakout session with Cognigy on Conversational AI in the contact center; from the show floor - I believe this is a current transformer - utilities are very hardware-intensive, just like telcos used to be
Two fascinating keynote sessions and speakers. First, Jesse Tuttle - “Hackah Jak” - talking about the dark side of hacking and cybersec - yeow. Second is two speakers from CACI - Lance Manthey and Chuck Jackson. Both are ex-Marines, providing a very sobering, military perspective on how vulnerable utility infrastructure is to attacks, along with how they conduct threat assessments. More on both of these sessions later.
My breakout session on Conversational AI and CX for utilities (photo: Josh Conner, NCEC), and a selfie with Jesse Tuttle and his off-the-charts sharp daughter/protege, Reese.
I recently recorded another on-demand webinar for VentureBeat, this time in conversation with Gary Sorrentino from Zoom. Moderated by Thom Langford, we discussed how today’s “workplace” has been evolving, and the impact AI is having both for workers and organizations in general. AI is more than just technology, and we touched on related issues such as generational change, hybrid work models, and what constitutes productivity in today’s workplace.
The webinar has been posted now by VentureBeat, and here’s the registration link. I hope you give it a listen, and happy to hear your thoughts as well.
Around this time last year, I spoke at this conference on a couple of sessions about the growing role of AI, with a particular focus on the utility sector. In some ways, utilities are leading adopters of tech, but in others, they lag, so I was there to bring them up to speed on AI. The audience was rural coooperatives, who provide power throughout much of North Carolina, and their organizing body is the NCEC - North Carolina Electrical Cooperatives.
Well, they’ve asked me back for their 2024 conference, which runs next week in Wilmington, NC, and am very much looking forward to it. The format will be a bit different this time, where I’ll be providing an update on the AI landscape, along with specific use cases for customer service - an area where they definitely lag. To make things even more interesting, my session will also include a fireside chat with Cognigy, where they’ll share real-world successes in this space.
I’ll share what I can on social while there, but follow-on takeaways will be coming for sure. Until then, to get a flavor for this event, here’s my blog post with some highlights from last year’s conference.
The latest editions of both my newsletter and podcast are out now - JAA’s Communications and Collaboration Review, and my Watch This Space podcast, now in its 7th season.
If you’re not a subscriber, signing up to my newsletter is easy - JAA’s Communications and Collaboration Review - the signup page is here.
For my Watch This Space podcast, you can subscribe on all the major platforms, or listen to any episode directly here on my website, or here on the dedicated WTS website.
This month, Chris and I further explored the topic of “workplace strategy”, which draws from my recent No Jitter article (both newsletter and podcast include the link), and why I see this as an opportunity for both UCaaS and CCaaS vendors.
We also talked about how recent missteps from CrowdStrike, Patagonia and Ticketmaster reflect concerns about Big Tech that we regularly voice on Watch This Space. To give it a listen, here’s the link, and would love your feedback any time.
There was no travel during July, but I kept busy on many fronts, including writing. As per below, I only had two articles with my byline, but three others were published last month that I wrote, but sans my byline. You might be surprised by the variety of ways we indie analysts ply our trade - and I’d be happy to tell you more about that any time!
No Jitter - my latest article, AI in the Enterprise - Are We Missing the Best Use Case of All?, July 17
Aizan Blog - my latest guest post: Communications Tech Events to Attend - an Analyst’s Take, June 28 (did not run in time to be included in my June writing roundup)
I recently authored a white paper for NICE about digital self-service, and in support of that, there’s a webinar coming on Aug. 8. I’ll be presenting along with Elizabeth Tobey, sharing highlights from the paper, along with how contact center leaders should be thinking about how AI is transforming what’s possible now with self-service. Details are here, and I hope you can join us.
Regular followers will have noticed I’ve been blogging less frequently, and am not really sure if this is a blip or a real change. As you know, I’m pretty old school, and I don’t know too many people who have been blogging continuously as long as I have - going back to 2005.
The reality is that most of my activity is tracked on LinkedIn, along with my newsletter and podcast. I continue to blog, however, as this is the entry point for many people who learn about my capabilities and offerings once they find my website.
Speaking of the website, there are some refreshes coming, and I’m very much aware that some sections aren’t up to date, and I’d like to make the site more engaging - more to come on that.
All that aside, I have been staying busy throughout July, but that’s not reflected here on my blog. So, I’m going to rectify that right now, with a simple tally of things you might want to check out, ICYMI.
Intelligent Thinking AI Summit - was a speaker at this virtual event, July 18
No Jitter - my latest article, AI in the Enterprise - Are We Missing the Best Use Case of All?, July 17
Let’s Do Video Boardroom - finally, my first guest appearance on David Maldow’s long-running interview series: the Future of UC and Contact Centers, July 15
UC Today - was cited as being a UC All-Star, July 11
Big UC News - was part of the panel for the latest edition of this industry news roundup, July 8
Watch This Space Podcast - our July edition: HPE Discover and NICE Interactions - Reflections on Latest Industry Events, July 3
Aizan Blog - my latest guest post: Communications Tech Events to Attend - an Analyst’s Take, June 28
Well, not an actual stop - this is a virtual event, but one that I’m looking forward to. This one-day event is put on by IoT Marketing, and it’s my first time doing something with them.
I’m doing a fireside session with Tiffani Neilson of IoT Marketing, where she’s interviewing me about AI trends, use cases, opportunities, etc. Should be a lively session, and I hope you can join us next Thursday. Details to register are here, and our chat begins at 11am PST.
Just in time for the July 4 break! The latest editions of both my newsletter and podcast are out now - JAA’s Communications and Collaboration Review, and my Watch This Space podcast, now in its 7th season.
If you’re not a subscriber, signing up to my newsletter is easy - JAA’s Communications and Collaboration Review - the signup page is here.
For my Watch This Space podcast, you can subscribe on all the major platforms, or listen to any episode directly here on my website, or here on the dedicated WTS website.
This month, Chris and I reviewed recent events each of us attended in Las Vegas - HPE Discover for him, and NICE Interactions for me. LOTS to talk about, and some other sidebars I think you’ll enjoy. To give it a listen, here’s the link, and would love your feedback any time.
More writing and less spoken word for June - four public writeups, and all were reviews of recent industry events.
Zoom Perspectives - Five Takeaways, June 5, BCStrategies
Verint Analyst Days - Four Takeaways, June 10, BCStrategies
Zoholics 2024: How the Company Models a Different Path to Success, June 21, No Jitter
NICE Interactions 2024: Just CX It - Executing on the Vision, June 21, BCStrategies
I’ve had four conferences over the past few weeks, and my run of travel has finally hit pause. Writing is a big challenge when on the road, and invariably this creates some gaps in getting timely analysis done, along with having time to share it.
So, in case you missed it, here’s where to find my reviews from two of these events. I’ve written reviews for the other two as well, and both are in line to publish any day now.
Verint Analyst Days - my review runs here on BCStrategies
Zoom Perspectives - this review also on BCStrategies
The June editions of both my newsletter and podcast are out now - JAA’s Communications and Collaboration Review, and my Watch This Space podcast, now in its 7th season.
If you’re not a subscriber, signing up to my newsletter is easy - JAA’s Communications and Collaboration Review - the signup page is here.
For my Watch This Space podcast, you can subscribe on all the major platforms, or listen to any episode directly here on my website, or here on the dedicated WTS website.
This month, the podcast reviews two recent analyst events I attended - Zoom and Verint - along with examining the pros and cons for these companies going all-in with AI. To give it a listen, here’s the link, and would love your feedback any time.
Make what you will of the event name, but that’s where I’ll be next week. Zoholics is Zoho’s customer/partner event, and they have several of these on a regional basis around the globe. Earlier this year, I attended my first Zoho event, and this will be my first Zoholics event - in Austin, woo hoo - so I’m getting to know this very interesting company a bit better now.
The weather will be hot, the BBQ will be great, and there’s no better city for live music, so it’s shaping up to be a pretty, pretty good week. I’ll post updates as time allows, and you can track the event more broadly using these tags on social - #Zoholics24 and #ZoholicsUS.
Last week I had back-to-back analyst events in the US, and just wanted to share some photos here. First was Zoom Perspectives in NYC, followed by Verint Analyst Days in Dallas. I’ll be doing a written review of these later this week. Not sure where it will run, but stay tuned.
Also, as a heads-up, I discussed takeaways from these events with my partner Chris Fine on our Watch This Space podcast, which will run next Tuesday, along with my June newsletter. I hope you check those out. Until then, here are some quick pix of mine from last week’s events.
First, Zoom Perspectives in NYC. Below - executive team during Q&A session, Gary Sorrentino, Mahesh Ram
More from Zoom - Jeff Smith, Smita Hashim, and our tour of the MLB studios, a high-profile Zoom customer - very cool
Now, on to Verint Analyst Days in Dallas. Below - Dan Bodner, Jaime Merritt, David Singer
More Verint - event sign, the “CX Automation Matrix” discussion, Jaime with the event-themed cocktails
Application entries for the 2024 edition of the UC Awards have been open for a few weeks now, and the window is closing soon - June 7, to be exact.
If you haven’t checked it out - especially all the new categories - here’s where you need to go next. Aside from details about the application process, you can also review the profiles of all the judges.
Just a quick shout-out for NICE Interactions, coming soon in Las Vegas. I’ll be attending for the first time, and it’s a much bigger event than their Analyst Summit - you won’t believe where it’s being held this year!
I’ve attended Interactions virtually during Covid - it was pretty cool then, and as you know, NICE doesn’t do anything half-measure. Being in Vegas, it’s even more amped up, and they always bring star power - this time, it’s Nicole Kidman.
Really looking forward to being there, and I won’t be hard to find, so drop me a line if you want to connect. Details here if you’re still making up your mind about going.
Am finally back to travel for industry events. Since the end of February, Enterprise Connect has been the only business travel for me, but that’s about to change. I was recuperating from foot surgery all of April, and had to pass on five events to manage that. The last two weeks, I was in Israel on a personal trip, but now it’s time to get back to events.
Starting today, I’m flying to NYC for Zoom Perspectives, then to Dallas on Wednesday for Verint Analyst Day. It’s way less flying than Israel, and a lot easier with time zone changes. I’ll be posting on LinkedIn as time allows, and soon after will write up my takeaways.
It’s time for the May editions of both my newsletter and podcast - JAA’s Communications and Collaboration Review, and my Watch This Space podcast, now in its 7th season.
If you’re not a subscriber, signing up to my newsletter is easy - JAA’s Communications and Collaboration Review - the signup page is here.
For my Watch This Space podcast, you can subscribe on all the major platforms, or listen to any episode directly here on my website, or here on the dedicated WTS website. The title in the thumb below tells you what we have on tap for this episode , and here’s the link if you want jump in right now. Hope you do, and would love to hear your thoughts!
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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