Throughout 2024, we have had an exciting partnership with CIO Watercooler, a networking community for IT and infrastructure leaders.

Yesterday on December 4th, we held our final webinar of the year with this community and had the chance to drive more great conversations about the future of connectivity. Our Head of Pre-Sales, Paul McMain, hosted the digital boardroom this time and led a discussion on, "The Future of UCaaS: AI Integrations and A New Employee Experience."

In this insightful session, we uncovered how AI has the potential to futureproof and enhance unified communications systems. Many organisations have behind on how these systems have evolved in recent years and are missing out on the benefits these systems can bring to both businesses and employees. We’re here to help change that.

Keep scrolling to find out the top learnings from this session!

What is AI in UCaaS?

AI in Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) refers to the integration of artificial intelligence tech into unified communication platforms such as Zoom or Mitel’s MiVoice Business. This includes features like AI-powered voice assistants, automated note-taking, intelligent routing of calls and advanced data analytics. These integrations aim to enhance collaboration, productivity and employee experience by leveraging AI to automate and optimise various communication processes.

Most businesses have some form of UCaaS in place, but not all are maximising the benefits of AI. And that’s why we’ve put together this blog to help educate businesses on what’s possible.

While the specifics of the discussions between IT leaders at our CIO Watercooler events remain confidential, we’re here to share the top insights and provide a quick summary so you don’t miss out!

Keep reading to see the top three learnings from our webinar, The Future of UCaaS: AI Integrations and A New Employee Experience

1) Future work enhancements will only be available in UCaaS

Most enhancements that are currently impacting the workplace – or soon will be – such as AI, mobility, analytics and advanced UX, will only benefit employees and businesses through UCaaS platforms. Right now, 50% of companies are using AI-integrated UC solutions to automate customer service and streamline business operations.

However, many companies are not maximising these AI opportunities.

Even if companies aren’t taking advantage, individual employees are. AI adoption is happening regardless of whether you’re offering it to your employees or not. According to McKinsey & Company, 88% of non-technical employees are already using generative AI at work. It’s now the turn of employers to make a move and empower employees by taking control of AI in UCaaS. Not only can employees give their teams access to better tools, but this control will help from a security and productivity perspective, rather than letting employees use mismanaged GenAI tools.

Despite AI in UCaaS not always being maximised, UCaaS itself is becoming increasingly important to all businesses, especially as services become more accessible with flexible licensing, subscription models and OpEx costs.

2) AI in UCaaS, when utilised properly, can unlock business potential

When implemented effectively, AI in UCaaS can transform many critical areas of a business. Here’s how:

Collaboration: AI can drive new workflows and streamlined systems, combined with AI-powered voice assistants, can boost team efficiency.

Productivity: From note-taking to self-learning and automatic information search, AI offer smarter alternative to conventional productivity hacks.

Data: AI can contextualise, summarise and present data to you automatically, saving your employees’ valuable time.

Security: AI-powered anomaly detection and machine learning can enhance network security.

Learning & Development: Automation can rapidly address common issues and present the best response options to agents in real time.

Whether you use Zoom or Mitel’s MiVoice Business, AI in UCaaS can do all the above and much more. Having a delivery partner on board will help with efficient implementation too.

3) Businesses need to be ready for the future

AI in UCaaS is evolving quickly, and if businesses want to address the most common challenges of the modern workplace, such as information overload, time spent on productive work and meeting focusing issues – preparing for the future of AI in UCaaS is crucial. The only way to stay ahead of the curve is to be aware of upcoming changes and ensure you have a UCaaS strategy in place to tackle what's on the horizon.

Some great future AI in UCaaS tech plug-ins include:

Integrated email automation that inserts specific, context-relevant information tailored to employees’ area of knowledge.

BYOLLM (Bring Your Own Large Language Model) - Allowing for your own databases and information.

An AI assistant embedded into everything your employees do.

AI policies that dictate how an employee behaves, with businesses looking to implement specific restrictions on AI.

Summary

In conclusion, AI integrations in UCaaS are set to revolutionise the way businesses operate. It will enhance collaboration, productivity, data management, security and learning and development. It’s also going to make your employees a lot happier.

To stay competitive, businesses must embrace these advancements and develop a robust UCaaS strategy.

For help with UCaaS products and services, and to stay informed about future webinar opportunities, please get in touch with us. We look forward to continuing these valuable discussions and helping you navigate the future of unified communications and AI.