From a CCaaS milestone to a differentiative AI approach, here are some extracts from our most popular news stories over the last seven days.
Zoom Reaches 700 CCaaS Customers, Virtual Agent Growth Soars
Zoom added 200 customers to its contact center install base last quarter as its CCaaS business ramps up.
In total, the enterprise communications stalwart has 700 CCaaS customers – many of which are expanding their relationships with Zoom and leveraging its virtual agents.
Kelly Steckelberg, CFO at Zoom, shared the news on an earnings call, stating:
First, Zoom Phone reached approximately seven million paid seats. Second, Zoom Contact Center reached approximately 700 customers as of quarter-end, while Zoom Virtual Agent customers nearly doubled quarter over quarter.
"These proof points demonstrate our customers’ willingness to entrust us with their critical CX and EX processes and their commitment to grow with us as we expand our platform."
As they do so, Zoom’s revenues continue to grow. In Q3, they reached $1.137BN – up three percent year-over-year (YoY).
That growth defies many of Zoom’s doubters, who predicted a slump as its consumer business slowed in the post-pandemic world, where people have returned to their pre-COVID routines.
Thankfully, its enterprise growth – also powered by its Zoom ONE bundles, as per Steckelberg – has filled and flowed over the expected revenue void. (Read on...).
Verint to Introduce 50 Specialized Bots for Contact Centers
Verint has announced it will have 50 specialized bots generally available to customers by the end of January 2024.
After that, it plans to release another 50-100 bots before the beginning of 2025 to support contact center teams further.
Verint designed each to automate specific tasks and seamlessly integrate into contact center workflows – according to David Singer, Global Vice President of Go-to-Market Strategy at Verint.
In an exclusive interview with CX Today, Singer said:
We want to talk about bots, not about generalized AI, because we're focused on driving specific value using AI.
The slide below from a presentation at the recent Verint Analyst Day demonstrates this targeted and application-specific approach.
Moreover, it highlights a handful of the specialized bots Verint has already brought to the market.
Singer pinpoints the "Interaction Wrap-up Bot" as an excellent example – which leverages generative AI.
"The bot operates by listening to conversations in real-time, regardless of whether they are voice or digital," he said. "It then provides a summary after the call concludes." Agents may then upload this to the CRM and accelerate post-contact processing. (Read on...).
Salesforce Wants to Poach Disgruntled OpenAI Employees
In the wake of Sam Altman’s ousting from his position as CEO of OpenAI by the company’s board, more than 700 of its employees have threatened to quit in support of Altman.