AVAYA NEWS: Avaya Reinvests in Avaya

Avaya News: Avaya Invests In Avaya

Avaya Goes All-In on Digital Transformation

Avaya is a successful global company and a major force in the technology marketplace. The company specializes in the competitive business communications sector, with industry leading software, services and devices for Unified Communications and Contact Center. Avaya’s market leadership is evidenced by an exhaustive list of awards and accolades, here are some highlights:

2018 Gartner Magic Quadrant Leader: UC and CC
More than 90% of the US’s largest companies are Avaya customers
#1 Contact Center / ACD, Globally
#1 in Unified Messaging, Globally
#1 in Interactive Voice Response, Globally
19/20 of the World’s Largest Banks rely on Avaya solutions
10/10 of the Top Passenger Airlines rely on Avaya solutions

10/10 of the Top Insurance Companies rely on Avaya solutions
8/10 of the Top 10 US Colleges rely on Avaya solutions
8/10 of the Top 10 Investment Services Firms rely on Avaya Solution
9/10 of the Largest Automobile Manufacturers rely on Avaya Contact Center
4,500 Patents and Patent Applications Worldwide
4,700 Channel Partners, Globally

Engaging in Workforce Optimization (WFO) is vital to the growth—and continued health—of every enterprise-level organization.

However, Avaya is not immune to the changing world economies, an intensely competitive technology landscape, the evolution of cloud-based capabilities and capacities, and increasing consumer expectations of simple, yet on-demand experiences. Avaya’s historical track record of success is something to be proud of, but in our new digital era it is simply not enough.

Like many other companies, Avaya is working hard to remain relevant and in a leadership position as many of the legacy business rules have been thrown out the window and new rules have emerged. Avaya is in the midst of its own digital transformation which is resulting in decisive moves to forge new partnerships, evolve its core solutions and re-focus on user experiences.

Two recent announcements have pushed Avaya back to the front line of innovation.

Avaya Shifts Its Focus to CX (Customer Experience)

As mentioned in our previous article on Customer Experience (CX), UC and CC technologies are at the center of the world’s shifting expectations. By 2020, Gartner projects 81% of companies across all industries will compete on the basis of CX.

That’s a massive opportunity for a company like Avaya. With a robust history in these technologies, they’re learning how to redefine their legacy offerings through SDx (Software Defined Everything) and Enterprise Cloud functionality.

To do so, they decided to work with one of their newest, and most prominent, competitors.

An Eye to the Future: Avaya Partners with RingCentral

On October 3, 2019, Avaya announced its partnership with RingCentral — one of the world’s leading-edge providers of Cloud-based communications solutions for enterprise-level organizations.

Together, they’re set to offer Avaya Cloud Office (ACO) by RingCentral in 2020. In practicality, that means RingCentral will be the exclusive service provider for Avaya’s Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) offering. The partnership promises to be the perfect balance of RingCentral’s new-to-market technology with Avaya’s stable base of customers, partners, and experience.

What that means for Avaya users is this: Avaya will deliver public Cloud versions of its UC and CC services using RingCentral’s industry-leading infrastructure.

Avaya IX-CC: Next-Gen Contact Center as a Service Solution

It’s hard to underestimate Avaya’s in the Contact Center with well over 120,000 customers in over 180 countries. This large base allows allows Avaya to have laser focus on transitioning these customer to a Next-Gen platform.ust a few days after announcing its partnership with RingCentral, Avaya announced its new Cloud-based Contact Center offering: IX-CC (Intelligent Xperiences Contact Center). Set to release in the first half of 2020, IX-CC will operate through ACO as a service (CCaaS).

The solution will be instantly scalable and usable from anywhere in the world without the need for large-scale hardware installation.

According to Gartner, by 2023, customers will prefer voice over text for self-service interactions 70% of the time. In developing the new IX-CC platform, they’ve anticipated the next shift in CX functionality: an increased desire for voice-initiated self-service.

IX-CC exponentially elevates Avaya’s current CC solution by improving IVR (interactive voice response). They’ve done so through a focus on natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning, the technologies behind digital virtual assistants like Alexa and Google Home.

With the upgrade to IX-CC, companies will be able to automate upselling and cross-selling opportunities through this all-important channel of communication.

(More on Avaya’s Contact Center below.)

Building Bridges to Existing Nortel CS1000 Users

When the Nortel CS1000 UC hardware debuted in the 1990s, there was nothing on the market like it. Avaya purchased Nortel in 2009, producing a “snap-in” feature so users could continue to leverage the aging PBX in conjunction with updated Avaya software.

However, it’s become clear this rock-solid piece of equipment has reached end of life (EoL), and Avaya is scaling back support.

Though many companies continue to use it, there are risks. They’ll have to use third-party vendors for repairs, and replacement parts will become increasingly difficult to find. More importantly, the hardware PBX cannot offer the CX functionality key to success in the current market.

However, Avaya partners (like VOX) make upgrading to leading-edge UCaaS and CCaaS functionality relatively painless. Avaya accepts the legacy CS1000 in trade, and the hardware upgrade is much more cost-effective than PBX purchases of the past.

And with much experience helping companies upgrade, VOX can help companies leap to Cloud communications with noticeable disruption.

Avaya Continues to Move Forward with Key Offerings Private Cloud

PRIVATE CLOUD

As RingCentral is set to provide Avaya’s Public Cloud offerings, Avaya’s Private Cloud options bring Cloud computing to on-premise or third-party dedicated servers. As part of the OneCloud universe and delivered as a software defined (SDx) service, security patches, updates, and upgrades occur automatically.

Avaya offers three private-Cloud options:

Avaya OneCloud ReadyNow is the fastest way to move to the Cloud.
Avaya OneCloud Secure is designed for Federal Government and Contractors with strict security requirements.
Avaya OneCloud Custom represents deployments that need a high-level of customization.

For more on transitioning your business to the Cloud, see our article on Cloud Migration Strategy.

CONTACT CENTER

Avaya’s CCaaS (Contact Center as a Service) game has never been stronger. With Avaya IX-CC, organizations have access to all the necessary services to ensure world-class CX.

Coordinates customer communications across all voice and digital channels
Intelligently pairs customers with agents based on personality, behavior, and expertise
Higher Workforce Engagement through Avaya IX Dashboard, which provides analysis, insight, call recording, and coaching
Workforce Management features that automatically schedule employees based on call volume forecasting
Voice of the Customer (VoC) insight and machine learning to increase the ability to resolve customer issues on the first contact
Workforce flexibility, allowing users to log in and work securely from any Internet connection anywhere in the world.

UNIFIED COMMUNICATIONS (UC)

Though Unified Communications services have become ubiquitous, Avaya was born out of a desire to create first-class UC for enterprise-level organizations. They were named a Leader in the Gartner Magic Quadrant nine separate times (most recently, as mentioned, in 2018). Globally, Avaya boasts more than 141 million currently deployed UC lines.

They can deliver their current solution, Avaya IX Workplace, on-premises, in the Cloud, or a hybrid solution. And their RingCentral partnership on the ACO platform will mean a considerable upgrade in service and functionality for both current and future customers.

Avaya IX Workplace includes a suite of products delivered as a service, allowing users to scale up and down as their needs change.

Telephony and Messaging — Whether at a physical workstation or using their mobile app, Avaya continues to offer top-tier integrated voice and SMS service.
Meetings — Workplace gives users the ability to conduct secure virtual face-to-face meetings from any device over any Internet connection.
All Channels, One App — Many organizations have diversified their communications across several apps, like Slack, Salesforce, HubSpot, and Microsoft Office. Using Workplace’s underlying infrastructure, all of that can be streamlined, combined, and leveraged for simpler use, data tracking, and collaboration.

Does Avaya Have a Solution Right for Your Organization?

Every provider has its own complex set of offerings. On the surface, competitors all seem like they have the same few services. How do you choose? Then, how do you make it work for you?

That’s is why VOX Lifecycle exists. We form partnerships with companies like Avaya (see all others here). We dive many layers deep into their available products. Then, we get to know your company, along with its current challenges and objectives.

We match you with the best industry solutions, then oversee their full integration.

Our goal? To help you meet or exceed your organizational objectives through effective technology.

VOX is an AvayaEdge Diamond-Level Partner — the highest and most prestigious partnership Avaya offers. That means we have an up-to-the-moment understanding of Avaya’s services. We know how their products best serve and integrate with client needs.

It may be time to speak with a VOX Transformational Guru if:

It may be time to speak with a VOX Transformational Guru if:

> You want to evaluate Avaya’s latest solutions in light of their recent partnership with RingCentral

> You’re ready to trade up from your aging Nortel System

> You’re ready to move to an integrated Enterprise Cloud environment

> You realize you are not competing effectively on the basis of Customer Experience

> You want to scale up or down quickly and efficiently

If you want to work with a consultative expert who understands how to customize a solution to your situation, get in touch today.