From “disappointing” revenue results to calls for industrial action over a pay dispute, here are extracts from popular news stories this week.

Zoom Execs Brand Q2 Revenue ‘Disappointing’

Zoom’s revenue results for Q2 of the fiscal year 2023 have been branded “disappointing” by the company’s CFO, Kelly Steckelberg.

The company’s senior team spoke on an earnings call where Zoom confirmed it had a total revenue of $1bn for Q2, up eight per cent year over year.

“In Q2, total revenue grew 8% year over year to $1.099 billion, approximately $16 million below the low end of our quarterly guidance,” she commented.

“A stronger U.S. dollar, which had an impact of approximately $8 million, weaker new Online sales, and to a lesser extent backend linearity in the quarter were the biggest factors contributing to the miss.

“We recognize that the revenue results are disappointing and below our expectations as we navigate the current environment.”

Despite the disappointing revenue made across Q2, Zoom had seen product growth throughout the period, with Zoom Phone being key to the company hitting several milestones.

New Tools to Integrate Teams Calling into Apps

Microsoft has made Azure Communication Services support for Teams generally available to users.

By making the feature available to Team users, it means that applications can be developed to connect people to the Teams platform.

The new capability makes it possible to develop specialised business apps, create new workflows for apps and bring Teams calling capabilities to devices that are not supported with the standard Teams client.

A Microsoft blog post states:

“As organizations look for new ways to connect staff, customers, and partners, we’re excited to share news about increased interoperability of Azure Communication Services with Microsoft Teams with the general availability of Azure Communication Services support for Teams users.

“This enables the development of applications that connect people to the Teams platform and the potential to realise even more from communication investments.”

App developers can build custom communications apps for Teams users on any endpoint, with opportunities to add and manage chats, channels, and Teams Meetings.

Developers can also add server and client-side calling bots and integrate information about people in the organisation.

BT Group Workers Set to Strike Over Pay Dispute

Over 40,000 members at the Communication Workers Union (CWU) have agreed to strike for two days on August 30 and 31.

The strike includes more than 30,000 Openreach engineers taking industrial action over a pay dispute.

It follows two months of discussions between the CWU and BT Group at the start of the year when no agreement on pay could be reached.

A BT Group spokesperson said: “We know that our colleagues are dealing with the impacts of high inflation and, although we’re disappointed, we respect their decision to strike.

“We have made the best pay award we could and we are in constant discussions with the CWU to find a way forward from here.

“In the meantime, we will continue to work to minimise any disruption and keep our customers and the country connected”.

According to the BT Group, the company gave its team members and frontline staff the highest pay award in more than 20 years when it became clear that no agreement could be reached with the CWU.

Webex App for Salesforce Available in AppExchange

The Webex App for Salesforce is now available from the Salesforce AppExchange to offer IT admins a seamless path to integration.

Salesforce customers can now deploy Webex Meetings, Messaging, and Calling, with Webinars available soon.

Webex App for Salesforce also allows Salesforce customers to improve their workflows due to not having to switch apps.

Dario De Santis, Product Leader at Cisco, commented in a blog post: “Whether you are looking for a comprehensive solution to streamline lead prospecting, collaboration on opportunities or customer engagement/service workflows, the Webex App for Salesforce has got you covered.

“Working throughout the Sales lifecycle requires constant communication and collaboration, both internally among Sales team members and externally with customers.

“When your Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software is integrated with your collaboration tools of choice, then the experience of closing a deal is less stressful and more rewarding.”

According to Webex, sales and service representatives can benefit from the Webex App for Salesforce due to working on one platform.

Zoom Add-On Helps Remove Language Barriers

Zoom has released an add-on for accounts to help remove language barriers and promote inclusivity through translated captions.

The feature reduces the need for interpreters and third-party integrations in meetings and webinars.

Translated captions allow users to translate the source language into English captions or translate English into another preferred language.

A Zoom blog post said: “Zoom connects the world, and more specifically, Zoom connects people. Many of these people, however, don’t always speak the same language.

“We’re proud to announce an add-on for Zoom accounts to help remove language barriers, connect people, and promote inclusivity to your meetings and webinars: translated captions.

“The translated captions feature reduces the need for interpreters and third-party integrations so you can foster a more inclusive environment in every meeting and webinar.

“Whether you’re a large company conducting business in multiple languages or a global university with multinational enrollment, translated captions help bridge language gaps.”

Translated captions are already included in the Zoom One Business Plus and Zoom One Enterprise Plus plans, which were released in June 2022.

 

 



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