Overview

Recently there have been industry whispers about organizations deciding to cut the cord altogether and go wireless for their business phone services. The reasons are simple: The idea is that just about everybody has a cell phone these days; sometimes more than one. In some cases organizations offer cell phone allowances, or issue their employees a cell phone as part of a corporate plan. Moreover, many staff members have gotten accustomed to using their cell phones for business calls through call forwarding of their desk phones when not at their desks, or by using a ring all option of their phone system which encompasses ringing the desk phone, cell phone, or any other number added to the phone system in the ring all group. As a result of going all wireless, organizations can minimize devices, and overall telecommunications costs for voice services.

The Wrinkle

While the above seems feasible to some at the start, there are a few downsides to consider. Number one, companies that do not offer cell phones as part of their corporate plan do not have any rights to the cell phone number should the employee resign or be let go. This means when the employee goes, so does  the number. One example of where this maybe problematic is when a sales associate leaves for a competitor and is still receiving calls from customers at the former employer.

Secondly, there are still many Baby Boomers and Gen Xers that are accustomed to having a desk phone. They are not interested in using their cell phone for  business calls on a permanent basis. This generation grew up with phones on their desk, and when cell phones were introduced they were either supplied by the business for employees that were mobile, or those other employees that maybe had personal cell phones,  kept them mostly separate from work.

A Happy Medium

One way to address the above wrinkles is to consider using mobile apps. For those employees comfortable and requesting to use their cell phone as a single device for all company voice services, look at using a mobile app. Just about all UCaaS service offerings, and even newer premise based PBX’s offer mobile apps to tie the cell phone into the communications system. The beauty of using an app is that the app provides the dialtone, and is attached to the PBX so you can utilize company DID’s ( phone numbers) and they can be reused should an employee leave the organization. If the DID is published , there is no worry about losing the number, the business remains the owner of the DID; not the employee. There are some caveats, like forcing the employee to use the app when making calls from their cell phones as a general policy, but when adhered to, this can be a great alternative for using cell phone service for calling. And, for those that prefer to use their desk phones, they can remain as they are.

The contact center has evolved into an indispensable resource as businesses continue competing for customers’ allegiance by investing in extraordinary customer experiences. The current help desk is much more than a means of finding solutions to typical customer difficulties. It is also where partnerships between firms and clients are forged, laying the groundwork for an infinite number of prospects for expansion.

Genesys Cloud Contact Center

The Genesys Cloud Contact Center is an all-encompassing solution intended to optimize full customer satisfaction and give agents more control over their work, regardless of the environment. Moreover, Genesys’ cloud-based customer experience solution provides an all-in-one platform for inbound and outbound communications, self-service, automation, and analytics.

Features

Below are some features that set Genesys apart.

Smart Technology: With predictive technology allowing self-service engagements and orchestrating comprehensive chat encounters, Genesys cloud CX clients can dynamically move clients throughout their journeys.

Customizable Chat: You can build customized chat experiences depending on referrals, promotions, time on site, and services to make unique conversations.

Interactions across Multiple Channels: Genesys guarantees that client contact center experiences are consistent.

Workforce Management: Prediction and scheduling capabilities in Genesys workforce management systems help track which employees are available. There are also tools for compliance and quality control, interaction analysis, and elaborate training systems accessible.

Reporting and Insights: From historical information to actual news can access behind-the-scenes knowledge. Companies may keep track of all the KPIs that affect customer satisfaction.

The Genesys contact center prioritizes all experiences. Agents use AI and chatbots to execute jobs quickly and well. Managerial and supervisory teams can use workforce management technologies to get the best from their personnel.

NICE CXone (Formerly NICE inContact)

NICE collaborates with businesses of all sizes to develop consumer experiences that promote long-term customer loyalty and partnerships. Customer Analytics, Omnichannel Routing, Workforce Optimization, Automation, and Artificial Intelligence are all combined in NICE CXone. It is a unified data user experience solution to provide an amazing agent and consumer experience.

NICE’s infrastructure and capabilities integrate customer support software with a nationwide phone and Internet connectivity network.

Cisco Webex Contact Center

Cisco developed the Webex Contact Center to deliver more meaningful connections between customers and businesses. It provides customers with the answers they require, on the platforms of their preference, in an exceptionally quick, intelligent, and accurate manner.

Features

Below are some features that set Webex apart.

Dial-up: Highly scalable call routing and reporting in Webex Contact Center flow with the login process.

Call Assistance: Specify queuing status and wait for durations. Manual and automatic wrap-up features let agents switch calls.

Reporting: Actual and historic reporting includes agent performance data and superiors notifications.

Disaster Recovery and Restoration: Automatic disaster response redirects call center communications during interruptions and emergencies.

Management Portal and Dashboard: Full agent allocations, performance evaluation, and customizable routing

Music on wait and a robust environment for handling text messages received through the Cisco Webex help desk are among the other capabilities. Secure chat and voice functionalities, self-service IVR systems, touch-tone IVR alternatives, and a slew of interfaces with major CRM and other critical applications are all available.

Conclusion

The Genesys CX solution, NICE CXone, and Webex solutions are all cloud-based solutions that are adaptable and scalable for the contemporary customer support environment. While the primary function of all three remains the same, each offers a few key features to stand out.

Genesys CX stands out with its smart technology and workforce management features. It uses predictive technology to offer a high-quality self-service solution that dynamically moves the user through their journey. The workforce management feature incorporates a comprehensive overview of your workforce including scheduling, quality control, interaction analysis, and training programs.

NICE CXone focuses on building long-term customer loyalty through features such as in-depth customer analytics, omnichannel routing, and AI. Each of these features aims to efficiently process any client requests using the channel of their choice for a frictionless customer experience.

Cisco Webex brings highly scalable call routing with disaster recovery and restoration. This makes Cisco Webex one of the most reliable and robust CCaaS solutions although it misses a few bells and whistles that Genesys CX and NICE CXone include.

Which solution is best for you simply depends on your preferences.

Microsoft Teams vs. Cisco Webex: Which Communication Platform is Best for You?

With the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, communication solutions such as Webex compete with Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, and many other huge platforms. As part of social distancing parameters, face-to-face talks have been replaced by video conferencing. So, which communication solution best fits your needs?

Cisco Webex

Although Cisco does not have the same popularity in the consumer market as Microsoft or Google, the company is undoubtedly well-known in the business sector. Because of this, the company’s video conferencing software, Cisco Webex, quickly gained a significant user base in just a few years.

Microsoft Teams

During the pandemic period, one of the platforms that saw the most significant surge in popularity and use was Microsoft Teams.

Thanks to the platform, users can easily switch between chatting, video calls, and messaging, providing a robust native connection with the Microsoft 365 set of applications.

What are the Differences Between Microsoft Teams and Webex?

So, how is Microsoft Teams different from Webex? Here’s a breakdown showcasing the differences between Microsoft Teams and Webex so you can decide which fits your needs best.

Plans and Costs

While Microsoft Teams’ free service will appeal to a wide range of small organizations and individuals, Cisco Webex is targeted primarily at paying customers.

Cisco Webex offers a free plan, although it is limited to a single host and includes limitations on several functions. The monthly cost of the Starter plan is $15 per host, while the Business plan is $25 per host. Lastly, the Enterprise plan offers custom pricing based on the features and number of hosts you need.

Teams’ free edition has a better 60-minute conference time restriction, 2GB of private cloud storage, and an unrestricted chat feature. For paid plans, Microsoft 365 offers three plans:

• Microsoft 365 Business Basic – $6.00 per month per user
• Microsoft 365 Business Standard – $12.50 per month per user
• Microsoft 365 Premium – $22.00 per month per user

Features

The functionality of Webex is classified into three categories: meetings, conferencing, and chat. Customizable screen layouts and high-quality HD sound and video for up to 1,000 conference attendees are among the in-meeting functions. Webex users have a variety of sharing options as well. Even when not in a conference, group and private texting are available, and there are a handful of integrations.

Screen sharing, call recording, live transcripts, background blur tech, and chat functionality are available in Teams. But its most significant advantage is its ability to interface with other Microsoft apps.

Security

Cisco Webex is secure. All cloud recordings are encrypted, and meeting passwords prevent uninvited attendance. Also, Webex’s paid versions are HIPAA and GDPR-compliant.

Teams encrypt all data in Microsoft data centers. Moreover, Microsoft Teams mandates multi-factor verification to prevent account hacking.

Support

Microsoft Teams offers a solid official support service, but one of the most praised services is not from Microsoft. Due to Teams’ large user base, Microsoft developed a large user community that assists each other in resolving issues.

Webex offers video courses, online training, regular demos, and live broadcasts. The free service offers online help, but the Enterprise package has a personal rep, so issues are fixed promptly.

Conclusion

Webex is a well-established video conferencing platform. Enterprises will enjoy Webex’s high-level capabilities, while personal users typically prefer well-known brands like Microsoft.

Many businesses have used a TEM service, a Managed Services Provider, or other technology distributors when it comes to sourcing vendor services. Still some businesses have not  because they may not be familiar with this as an option, and/or don’t know the advantages of working with an organization that can assist with advising and sourcing of technology services.

Benefits of working with a good advisory service should include:

A customer centric approach to vendor solutions; project management and post installation support resources; a well-rounded client list proving a history of using best practices to achieve positive customer outcomes; vendor agnostic recommendations, and extremely low account team turnover  resulting in continuity of history on customer accounts.

Why Sage Allen Consulting Group as an advisor:

Where Sage Allen Consulting Group excels as a boutique advisory is the added steps taken to dive deeper into vendor resources to identify the “right” solution for our clients. We find that many of the competitors rely on the path of least resistance in suggesting vendor solutions. At Sage Allen Consulting Group, we’ve invested into resources that allow for us to push deeper and wider into various vendor solutions allowing us to find the right solution at the best cost; not “a” solution that happens to fit the requirement.

In fact, when  we asked a group of clients what they like best about working with Sage Allen Consulting Group as a technology advisor the answer was simple-“time” . All customers surveyed mentioned they appreciated the time Sage Allen Consulting Group saved  them searching  for solutions that would have otherwise taken resources away from important day-to-day activities. A close second is the continuity of account support that they experienced. This was in stark contrast to service providers annual account team turnover that they had experienced prior.

What you should look for in working with an advisor:

Depending on your companies requirements  Sage Allen Consulting Group suggest asking the following questions when researching companies to assist with sourcing vendors:

• Does your organization provide support with project management; post installation billing/repair, and adds/moves/changes?

• Does your organization have liability insurance?

• Do you have customers in our industry that we can reference regarding the recommendations?

• Will you be sourcing at least (3) quotes from the vendors along with a recommended vendor/solution to compare and contrast?

• Do you offer design, engineering, best practice around contract verbiage, and inventory management support if needed?

Data is the main lifeline of modern businesses, offering invaluable business insights and facilitating real-time management of essential business operations and systems. At present, businesses acquire massive amounts of data from a wide variety of sources. In fact, the average business stores 162.9 TB of data, and the average enterprise stores even more at 347.56 TB of data. To better put this massive amount of data to use, organizations changed how they manage computing resources with many moving towards edge computing.

Edge Computing

Edge computing refers to a type of decentralized information technology system in which client information is managed on the outskirts of a system, as near to its point of origin as feasible.

In its most basic form, computing at the edge involves moving part of the data acquisition and processing power out of the main data center and onto locations that are physically closer to the origin of the data. Instead of sending raw information to a central data center to be processed and analyzed, the work you must do is carried out at the location where the data is produced. The only thing that is sent back to the main data center for evaluation and other kinds of human engagement is the result of the computer work done at the edge. This includes actual business analytics, repair work predictions, or other solutions.

How does Edge Computing Work?

Data is generated at a user terminal, like a computer, in typical computer science. That data is transferred through a Wide Area Network or WAN, like the web, to a business LAN. This business LAN is processed and analyzed by an application program. The results are sent back to the client.

This method works for client-server computing with the most common corporate applications. Edge computing places stockpiling and processors where the data originates, often needing only a partial rack of equipment to gather and analyze information locally across a distant LAN.

Why is Edge Computing Important?

Computing jobs require adequate architecture. Edge Computing is a practical and useful solution for deploying processing and storage closer to the data origin.

Decentralization can be difficult, requiring significant concentrations of management and surveillance when shifting away from conventional computing. Edge Computing is important because it solves network challenges caused by the massive amounts of data companies produce and consume.

With Edge Computing, one can take advantage of better bandwidth and latency while avoiding congestion. Edge computing may operate on several devices through a much cleaner and more effective LAN where adequate bandwidth is used entirely by local data-generating components, virtually eliminating delay and congestion. One can also enjoy better autonomy, data sovereignty, and edge security.

Conclusion

Edge computing is a simple concept that looks easy on paper, but establishing a strong plan and implementation can be difficult. Edge computing deployments vary in breadth and size.

Monitoring solutions must provide a clear picture of the offsite implementation, allow easier installation and setup, offer extensive alerting and monitoring, and ensure installation and data protection. Edge computing keeps improving with new technology and approaches. Edge computing is frequently situation-specific today, but it is predicted to grow more pervasive and change how the web is utilized, introducing additional abstraction and application.