AI and machine learning allows Avaya to data mine call records and interpersonal interactions.

Edward Gately, Senior News Editor

January 16, 2019

4 Min Read
Artificial Intelligence

Avaya is expanding its A.I.Connect network with new partners and partner offers, and putting its focus on incorporating AI capabilities into its unified-communications (UC) offerings.

Knowmail and over.ai are the newly designated A.I.Connect partners which have services aligned with Avaya’s overall UC and collaboration strategies. They join the broader group of companies collaborating with Avaya on the use of AI and machine-learning technologies for UC and contact center, including Verint, with whom Avaya recently expanded its partnership inclusive of additional AI-powered and cloud solutions.

Eric Rossman, Avaya’s vice president of partners and alliances, tells Channel Partners the expansion of his company’s AI strategy to UC will create new opportunities for customers to make their employees more effective, both in individual and work group-based communications.

Rossman-Eric_Avaya.jpg

Avaya’s Eric Rossman

“Knowmail, in particular, has demonstrated integration with the Avaya Vantage device, extending Avaya’s existing voice and text messaging capabilities with prioritization of corporate email through the user interface offered by the Avaya Vantage Basic client,” he said. “This allows our channel partners to open dialogue with existing and potential customers regarding an evolution in strategy for desktop devices, moving from very traditional keypad-and-handset desk phones to a modern, Android-based touchscreen device that allows the user access to … a richer communications experience, as well as a wealth of productivity and corporate applications available for Android, rather than relying solely on desktop PCs.”

Over.ai is an AI-enabled voice platform that tackles complex tasks by embracing natural language processing technology and allowing end users to engage naturally, to create a fundamental shift in human-computer interactions.

“Enabling organizations to enhance their user experience across every channel will have an enormous impact on productivity and communication,” said Noam Fine, over.ai’s CEO. “We’re excited to be able to link over.ai’s Voice AI cognitive services with Avaya solutions and make this a reality.”

Avaya partners will be able to use the capabilities offered by Knowmail and other A.I.Connect partners to redefine how both communications and IT applications co-exist at the desktop level, Rossman said.

“We believe that our integration, and leveraging of AI and machine learning capabilities – in both the contact center and UC spaces – is a strategic advantage for Avaya,” he said. “Not only does the broad scope of AI – from speech recognition and analytics, to robotic process automation, to visual-and biometric-based capabilities – afford us and our customers new user and customer-experience options, it extends the significant value derived from the massive amount of customer and user data that is inherent in the overall product portfolios offered by Avaya.”

AI and machine learning allow Avaya to data-mine call records and interpersonal interactions, providing enterprise customers with new insights into their customers and …

… business operations, and to do so in real-time or near real-time, Rossman said.

AI will be a focal point at next week’s Avaya Engage 2019 conference, he said. The International Avaya Users Group (IAUG) has developed a new session track specifically focusing on AI, and Avaya will show a number of new products and demos throughout the event that are centered on exploiting the power of AI and machine learning to create new customer and user experiences, he said.

“Partner feedback has been overwhelmingly positive for our AI strategy, as it offers a differentiated value and allows them to conduct customer dialogues that border more on business and marketing strategy, rather than simply being an infrastructure player,” Rossman said. “This opens doors well beyond the realm of IT, and makes our partners more relevant to the sales, marketing and other lines of business for whom AI-powered solutions can offer up critical customer insight and valuable strategic planning recommendations.”

“We’re excited to be part of Avaya’s A.I.Connect ecosystem, and to bring the power of personalized communications to the Avaya customer base,” said Haim Senior, Knowmail’s CEO. “Through our relationship, Knowmail and Avaya are capable of delivering a wholly new productivity experience, offering email prioritization by urgency, along with predicted next-best-actions to increase focus, quickly get things done, save time and stay organized, all within the Avaya Vantage desktop smartphone. This allows professionals more focus and flexibility in their workday, completing urgent tasks even before they can boot and login to their computer in the morning.”

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About the Author(s)

Edward Gately

Senior News Editor, Channel Futures

As news editor, Edward Gately covers cybersecurity, new channel programs and program changes, M&A and other IT channel trends. Prior to Informa, he spent 26 years as a newspaper journalist in Texas, Louisiana and Arizona.

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