No Jitter Roll: Verizon Adds AI-Powered Tools to Its Virtual Contact Center

Welcome to this week's No Jitter Roll, our regular roundup of product news in the communication and collaboration spaces. In our second edition of 2023, Verizon expands customer options with new tools for its virtual contact center, and Windstream bolsters its video capabilities on its meeting platform with cloud-based architecture. 

Verizon adds new AI-driven tools to its virtual contact center 

The carrier announced a new suite of digital engagement capabilities for its Verizon Virtual Contact Center. The four new solutions, all of which depend on the contextual deployment of customer data, are: 

• VCC Enlighten XO, which builds applications using CX conversation data 
• VCC Expert, a knowledge management and content optimization tool  
• VCC Guide, which will offer self-service contextual guidance for customers accessing contact center services via web and mobile experiences 
• VCC SmartAssist, a conversational AI for customer interactions 

According to the NICE 2022 Digital-First Customer Experience Report, 81% of customers will first try to solve their problems on their own using web search or self-service. Verizon's new products are aimed at customers for whom multichannel customer experience is the norm. 

“In the past few years, the contact center has undergone a digital transformation, which is prompting the end-to-end customer journey to evolve in kind. With more customers turning to digital channels outside of the contact center to kickstart their issue resolution, companies need a holistic strategy for managing customer entry points,” Debika Bhattacharya, Chief Product Officer, Verizon Business stated in the company’s announcement. 

Windstream brings AWS architecture to its virtual meeting platform 

The communications and software company announced it is now using Amazon Web Services to boost its video streaming capabilities on the Windstream OfficeSuite Live virtual meeting platform. In addition to the AWS Cloud incorporation, Windstream Enterprise has made a series of enhancements to OfficeSuite Live that include: 

• Full integration between mobile and desktop application 
• Enhanced one-on-one meetings and group collaboration sessions 
• The ability to host or join audio or video meetings via the vendor's application or a web browser 

“Modern businesses are moving decisively to the cloud,” Art Nichols, chief technology officer, Windstream Enterprise stated, “and by working with AWS, Windstream Enterprise will be ready to meet our customers there." 

This Week on No Jitter 

In case you missed it, here are our top stories for the week:  

Enterprise Connect 2023 Is Seeking Innovation -- The Innovation Showcase provides a glimpse of tomorrow’s technologies. Enterprise Connect newcomers are encouraged to apply. 

Four Cost Savings Activities to Do Now as the Market Slows -- With reduced staffing, hybrid work arrangements and increasingly sophisticated services supporting enterprise communications, it may make sense to revisit what you're spending on. 

What to Watch in the Enterprise Wireless Market in 2023 – Players in the wireless market continues to pursue all manner of solutions in the quest to deliver new and innovative services.