We start this week with several videoconferencing announcements, followed by a team collaboration update, and then the latest integrated telephony solution for Salesforce, a unified message platform, and a HIPAA-compliant CPaaS solution.
Latest Video Startup, GoToRoom & Zoom Rooms HaaS Offers
First up in video conferencing,
startup Huddl.ai this week launched its AI-based video collaboration platform. Huddl.ai's AI system allows for speech recognition, can suggest meeting agendas based on the participants, and automatically recaps meeting minutes and organizes agendas, notes, and actions via a feature called Motes. Huddl.ai also features noise cancellation and audio enhancements, for auto-optimization of speaker volume. Additionally, Huddl.ai can be integrated into Slack, which allows users to search for contacts and notes across both platforms.
Second, Lifesize, the branded company from this year’s merger between cloud video provider Lifesize and cloud contact center provider Serenova, this week
launched CXEngage, a video solution designed for the cloud contact center. With the service, contact center agents can initiate a video conversation via a text message, email, open chat, or another messaging channel to assist a customer, Lifesize said. CXEngage also includes standard videoconferencing features like screen sharing and screen-capture capabilities, and through the CXEngage Quality Management dashboard, admins can view reporting and analytics on agent engagement, Lifesize said.
Lastly, this week Neat and LogMeIn unveiled new hardware-as-a-service (HaaS) options:
- Neat announced its HaaS offering, Neat as a Service, for Neat Bars, Neat Pads, and Neat Boards. With the service, enterprises can deploy these devices to a Zoom Room through a 24-month plan with flexible payment options, instead of paying the full up-front price of the device. Neat Bar subscriptions start at $100/month with an annual billing option; subscribers can upgrade devices to the latest model after the 24 months, according to Neat.
- LogMeIn unveiled seven all-in-one hardware and software room-as a-service bundles for its GoToRoom conferencing solution, which includes hardware options from Dolby, Logitech, and Poly. RaaS model kits start at $99 per month, plus the cost of a GoToRoom license, and include a full equipment warranty for the length of the contract, according to LogMeIn.
Enhanced Slack & Workplace Experiences, Teams Integrations
Similarly, a number of team collaboration providers had new offerings to share this week.
- Updates for Workplace from Facebook — This week, Facebook announced usability and platform improvements, including a dark mode, an improved desktop experience that allows for easier navigation and post creation, and an enhanced Workplace Chat iOS app. The Workplace desktop experience will be available by the end of September, and the Workplace Chat app with dark mode is in rollout.
- Range Releases Team Member Check-in App for Slack — Software provider Range released its latest Slack app, designed to improve employee check-ins. With the Range app, team members can share a to-do list or plans for the day without leaving Slack, and users are reminded of items that require attention through a morning reminder, Range said. Additionally, the app comes with over 300 questions to ask your team, and integrates with GitHub, Jira, Asana, and Google Docs and Calendar, Range said.
- Vyopta Launches Support for Microsoft Teams — UC monitoring and analytics provider Vyopta announced support for Teams, Teams Rooms, Surface Hub, and Skype for Business Online via its Collaboration Performance Management (CPM) platform. With the CPM platform, enterprises have a single pane to view network and device metrics, allowing them to troubleshoot the Teams experience, Vyopta said. Additional monitoring capabilities, including proactive alerting for Teams and extended coverage for session border controllers (SBC) and cloud video interop platforms, are on tap.
- Fuze Enhances Microsoft Teams Integration — UCaaS provider Fuze announced an enhanced integration with Microsoft Teams. With the integration, users can escalate a one-on-one conversation or a group thread to a Fuze voice or video call directly in Teams and can access one-click Fuze calling from any chat or group conversation, Fuze said. The enhanced integration, which also supports Direct Routing, is generally available for all Fuze customers.
Salesforce Goes GA with Service Cloud Voice
Last December at Dreamforce 2019,
Salesforce introduced Service Cloud Voice, a natively integrated telephony solution within the Salesforce Service Cloud CRM. Initially planned for June release, but delayed due to COVID-19,
Salesforce this week announced general availability for the product, which lets agents answer calls from within the Salesforce console.
Salesforce also confirmed its partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS) for pre-integration of its Amazon Connect contact center service with Service Cloud. This collaboration between Salesforce and AWS provides agents access to phone calls, digital channels, and CRM data in one place. In addition, real-time transcription within Amazon Connect will feed into Salesforce’s Einstein AI platform, which in turn can deliver in-call insight to agents for a personalized customer experience, Salesforce said.
Blix Unifies Email, Messaging
Messaging provider
Blix this week announced a unified platform that integrates email, chat, calendar, contacts, tasks, and productivity features to simplify team collaboration and help end-users and enterprises balance workflows. The Blix platform combines BlueMail email technology with iMail app, which allows users to respond to emails via instant message, and chat for on-the-fly conversations. To support the chat integration, Blix has added IMail Bridge, which provides the ability to send emails into a chat channel for team discussion prior to formal email reply.
Users can manage inboxes with a “Later Board” capability that turns emails into actionable tasks, Blix said.
IntelePeer Becomes HIPAA-Compliant
COVID-19 is accelerating digital transformation, and as a result, malicious activities, such as security breaches in telehealth, are rising. To protect customer data and provide peace of mind for its enterprise healthcare sector, CPaaS provider
IntelePeer this week announced that its Atmosphere platform is HIPAA-compliant. The Atmosphere platform supports omnichannel communications, automation, advanced analytics, and AI capabilities. As healthcare providers adapt to remote care, new communication preferences, and securing patient data, the Atmosphere platform can prove useful to companies with limited budgets and IT departments, IntelePeer said.
Dana Casielles, No Jitter associate editor, contributed to this article.
