June 2023 Summaries

Webex Calling is a cloud-based enterprise calling solution that provides phone systems and unified communications capabilities for businesses to work productively. Users can make and receive calls, send messages, and host video conferences over the cloud. To add PSTN connectivity to their Webex Calling instance, businesses have three options: Cisco PSTN, Cloud Connect, and Local Gateway. Cloud Connect is a pure cloud Bring-Your-Own-Carrier solution that offers ease of use, global reach, spend reduction, and better calling experience. Local Gateway is a connectivity model that allows users to plug in any provider to Webex Calling, offering hybrid or pure cloud options, vendor availability, migration control, efficiency, and increased security. Businesses can choose different connectivity models on a site-by-site basis, managing everything through the same Control Hub.

AI is set to revolutionize the business landscape, with Gartner predicting that bots will handle 20% of interactions by 2031, saving $80 billion in labor costs. Conversational AI is already being used in call centers and is expected to improve customer experience (CX) and return on investment (ROI). Key technologies include better Interactive Voice Response Systems, Natural Language Processing, and Conversational AI. Businesses can upgrade their CX by speeding up issue resolution, improving agent engagement and productivity, and automatically scaling to customer demand. To prepare for the future of call center AI, companies should consider setting up a futureproof tech stack and partnering with providers like Bandwidth that support AI activities.

The Great Cloud Migration is underway, driven by a 240% increase in UCaaS adoption within the last two years. Many businesses are moving from legacy on-premise infrastructure to cloud models due to improved scalability, performance, flexibility, and lower overhead costs. Key challenges of migrating to the cloud include disjointed SIP trunking providers, regulatory concerns, complex contact center configurations, compromised data integrity, and holdouts on legacy hardware. Strategies for migration include rehost, refactor, revise, rebuild, and replace, while deployment strategies can be single cloud, hybrid cloud, or multi-cloud. Tips for a successful cloud migration include auditing infrastructure, identifying the right SBC configuration, and testing SIP and emergency services carefully.

CiscoLive, a major event in the tech industry, brought together nearly 20,000 IT professionals to discuss emerging technologies and innovations. Key highlights included industry-defining innovation from Cisco, new approaches to hybrid work, the launch of Webex Calling, flexibility amidst complexity, and AI's impact on communications. The event also emphasized trust in partner ecosystems like Bandwidth. Hybrid workplaces remain a focus as technology teams seek solutions to support remote and hybrid work environments. CiscoLive showcased various innovations in artificial intelligence for network operations, cybersecurity, customer experience, and contact centers.

The Enterprise Communications Landscape report highlights the disruption in digital communications and the need for accelerated digital transformations. Organizations are moving their communications to the cloud, driven by cost optimization and a desire to provide exceptional employee and customer experiences. However, managing complex tech stacks, regulatory concerns, and global IT management presents challenges. The report discusses strategies to create competitive communications, including simplifying the stack, creating consistency across channels, and ensuring emergency compliance for U.S. enterprises.

Toll-free messaging has been a popular method for businesses to deliver notifications, alerts, surveys, marketing, and customer support since the early 2000s. To ensure message quality and protect mobile subscribers from fraudulent messages, toll-free verification is required for all messaging-enabled toll-free numbers in the U.S. and Canada. The process involves reviewing the sender and use case of each number. Bandwidth has introduced a Toll-Free Verification API to streamline this manual and time-consuming process, enabling businesses to achieve maximum messaging throughput quickly and easily.