My Top Telephony Partners for 2024?

* All views expressed are my own*

Before you dive in, my role as a specialist is to understand vendors strengths and weaknesses so businesses don't have to - some are great in areas where others aren't, vice versa.??

You'll hear UCaaS and CCaaS throughout so it's important to understand what that mean:

UCaaS - Unified Communications as a Service

CCaaS - Contact Centre as a Service

The following list is written from my active experience of working with these vendors and are who I see pop up most frequently, however there are other vendors I work with that would a perfect fit for some organisations. Every business need is unique - keep that in mind!??

How we communicate is ever evolving and telephony solutions that, at one point, were the best of breed are becoming less relevant - In no particular order, here are my?top six?UCaaS/CCaaS partners for the year:??

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1. Dialpad

Dialpad are one of the most exciting partners I've ever worked with, their AI centric contact centre solution is a must see for anyone looking to unify or enhance the way their business/customers communicate. From back-office users to inbound contact centre agents, their UCaaS and CCaaS offering is a great fit for businesses of all sizes. Some key features I enjoy are: real-time transcription, sentiment analysis, live coaching, predictive CSAT, and more.?

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2. Five9

Five 9 are a true safe pair of hands when it comes to the world of contact centre. They've been around since 2001 and their constant innovation has kept them levels above others who entered the world of voice around the same time. This team get it, whether it's growing your business through sales outreach or dealing with a high volume of inbound calls, webchats, instant messages, CRM data, emails, teams… The list goes on. Their reliability and product speak for itself and have transformed any customer I've implemented the platform in to.??

3. GoTo

??GoTo truly are becoming a go-to for customers looking for a cost-effective solution that still delivers on features and functionality. Some of my favourite parts about the solution include: International dialling capabilities (without the price tag!), easy to view analytics and high-level reports, simple back-end configuration and a great integration in to Microsoft Teams.??

Microsoft Teams voice is becoming the norm for many organisations, however, sometimes can lack on features such are reporting or recording - that's when GoTo can shine! Lastly, GoTo Resolve, their RMM product, is equally as fantastic as their UC offering!??

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4. Zoom

Zoom is far more than just another video platform. Zoom was the lockdown saviour and helped connect us to friends and family despite not being able to be in the same room but Zoom is MUCH more than virtual gatherings. Zooms collaboration ecosystem is seriously impressive from video meetings to contact centre to employee engagement platforms topped off with AI functionality creates a solid tech stack! The great thing about the full suite is the fact that any updates bleed through their entire portfolio meaning what you invest in now can grow and mould as the modern tech landscape changes.?

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5. 8x8

If you've began the search for an new cloud hosted telephone system you've probably heard of 8x8. Their array of licensing types ensures that your business only pays for the functionality each user NEEDs, for example; you may wish to report on customer service agents talk time, monitor calls for QA purposes or analyse the sentiment of the call but HR may not need this functionality, so why pay for it? 8x8 are who Softcat currently use for our telephony as they have a great integration to MS Teams but also allow us to collect the data we need to ensure productivity.??

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6. Gamma

Gamma’s price point, reliability, and ease of use when it comes to bringing voice to Microsoft Teams is why our customers love it. Gammas operator connect offering option is a great, cheaper and more feature rich alternative to Microsoft Teams, what I like most about Gammas Teams offering is there SIP Trunk Call Manager portal which allows businesses to divert calls at network level, activate DR plans and add pre-built messages should a disaster happen (Teams goes down, Internet fails, the building is on fire..!). Gamma don’t just do VoIP solutions, they also have a connectivity and mobile offering too!??

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In conclusion, the telephony landscape is evolving rapidly, with new technologies and solutions emerging to meet the diverse needs of businesses. While the five partners mentioned above—Dialpad, Five9, GoTo, Zoom, 8x8, and Gamma—represent some of the top players in the market, it's essential to remember that every business is unique. Again, there are many other vendors that I work with in this space that aren't on the list, however they may be a perfect fit for the right customer. When evaluating telephony partners, businesses should consider their specific requirements, budget, and long-term goals to find the solution that best fits their needs. With the right technology partner by their side, businesses can unlock new opportunities for growth, collaboration, and success in an increasingly connected world.?

Ps. the only thing AI generated in this article was the image (I promise..)