The tech landscape has gone through one of the biggest transformations in living history. Sparked by a pandemic which forced huge amounts of tech spending and speedy deployments it was inevitable that we would reach a recalibration point.
Many COVID contracts came to an end in 2023 – 2024, and just as businesses re-evaluate their needs, Generative AI hits the space with full commercial propositions coming from vendors like Microsoft with more likely to be available this year.
For a business world that is looking to consolidate its tech stack, reduce cost and drive efficiency it presents few credible options.
According to Jeff Winnett, VP & Head of Global Channel Sales, Fusion Connect, the opportunity that sits beneath the Microsoft License at the nexus of voice and AI is quite literally a ‘goldmine’. Winnett joined Fusion Connect earlier this year from RingCentral, to help supercharge the Channel proposition and help maintain Fusion’s position as a top Microsoft Partner.
He commented, “What we do really well is understand the transformative power of integrating voice with AI technology. By leveraging Microsoft Teams as a business phone system and Copilot as the AI technology tool, we enable organizations to turn every conversation into a digital asset. It’s no longer just voice; it’s now a digital asset that fuels growth and innovation.”
For CSPs with customers that already hold Microsoft licenses (which will be the majority of them) it presents a huge opportunity to expand those licenses to include collaboration, voice and now AI.
“It’s the combination of voice and AI that opens up new approaches for analysing speech, understanding customer sentiments, and improving engagements with automated responses.”
“We emphasize the potential to increase success and customer retention by integrating Copilot with Microsoft Teams Voice Calling, offering enhanced customer insights and operational efficiencies.”
And how are Fusion Connect going to achieve this?
Winnett continued, “Partners are integral to our vision. We must protect their reputation by delivering on our promises. Our focus is on expanding our international reach and supporting partners to succeed in leveraging Fusion Connect and Microsoft for their customer’s benefit.”
Verdict
Partners are not short on providers that offer Operator Connect services so it’s essential they look beyond voice to providers that can really help them differentiate their services. The AI hype train doesn’t look like it’s going to slow down this year either, which means more businesses are going to be looking at how they can leverage it to their advantage.
Services such as Copilot are going to outweigh any limitations that might come with using Teams as your voice platform and given its integration with other ubiquitous Office apps like Word, Excel and Outlook, it’s a powerful proposition that can’t be ignored.
The Channel is going to be crucial for communicating the benefits of AI to customers, and we are likely to see this shift away from technology to selling on outcomes as customers choose providers that can communicate benefits and deliver tangible impact and ROI in the context of their customer’s market.
For now, Fusion Connect is doubling down on partner education and opening its eyes to this huge opportunity. Nearly all of Fusion’s partners have routes into Microsoft; expanding the license for customers helps consolidate their need for fewer suppliers, start them on their AI journey, and help partners expand into new revenue streams.
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