Avaya, Inc., now a private entity, has unveiled its inaugural annual report. Readers will find a strategic shift towards cutting-edge customer experience (CX) solutions, which has bolstered the company’s strengthened financial position. Avaya DevConnect Partner Easy On Hold has participated in the progress at Avaya by offering the only fully-tested streaming music solution for Avaya Aura Media Server. Let’s break down the major themes from the annual report and make some predictions for 2024.
CX is the strategic focus
The 2023 Avaya Annual Report To Customers aims to demonstrate how the company is bringing value to its customers. How? By naming customer service (CX) as Avaya’s “north star.”
It’s all about the customer experience.
AVAYA ANNUAL REPORT TO CUSTOMERS, DECEMBER, 2023
We expect to see further enhancements in contact center and communications technologies in 2024 geared toward improving customer interactions. For Avaya, it means laying out a robust but realistic roadmap they hope will earn the trust of existing customers (and thousands of new customers) looking for innovative solutions. The connection between customer experience and an enterprise’s financial success is no longer up for debate. Avaya refers to itself as “a global leader in customer experience solutions.” Coming out of the COVID era and into the remote call agent era, Easy On Hold recognized that customer experience is king. A 2022 blog article revealed that 86% of buyers are willing to pay more for a great customer experience.
The 2023 Avaya turnaround
CX has become a big buzzword in communications technology (2021/2022). Meanwhile, Avaya was mired in financial difficulty. Since then, however, the company has eliminated the vast majority of its debt and has capitalized with fresh investment money. The Avaya Annual Report declares, “Avaya is back.”
“They’ve got a good product roadmap here. When you talk to the customers, I’ve always said that Avaya has this oddly loyal customer base. For all the stuff this company has been through over the past few years, the customers really like the technology.”
Zeus Kerravala, Founder and Principal Analyst at ZK Research
Avaya’s bold push into innovation is evident with the addition of 600 new customer logos within a short 90-day span. The Experience Platform, a flagship offering, provides clients with a range of options, including AI-powered solutions to enhance customer interactions and significantly boost agent productivity. Clearly, the market is responding enthusiastically to these releases.
Strategic Collaborations
Avaya’s strategic alliances with industry leaders like Microsoft, Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise, Google, and others are reshaping the cloud landscape. These collaborations not only expand Avaya’s cloud repertoire but also introduce avant-garde solutions for the evolving needs of contact centers. Customers are looking for the perfect mix of communication tools, and Avaya wants to be a hub for their needs.
An example of Avaya’s willingness to partner with innovation leaders is the addition of the Easy On Hold streaming hold music solution for Avaya Aura Media Server in 2023. As announced in Telecom Reseller in September 2023, Easy On Hold was selected by Avaya for membership as a technology partner in the Avaya DevConnect program. Avaya customers now have the freedom to choose streaming music for contact centers.
“Technology partners like EASY ON HOLD are enabling Avaya customers to truly differentiate their customer experience.”
Eric Rossman, Vice President, Strategic Alliances and Technology Partners, Avaya.
Avaya still a favorite among large global brands
The world’s top 10 airlines and top 19 global banks use Avaya, solidifying its position as a stalwart in the telecom industry. Industry watchers, media outlets, and analyst firms have showered accolades on Avaya, reinforcing its standing. The complex needs of these organizations provide an endorsement for the Avaya platform.
Many large brands use the streaming hold music and messages feature in Avaya Aura Media Server (AAMS). Among them are large financial services brands, expansive medical centers, and health care providers in the US. More than 8,000 healthcare organizations around the world have chosen Avaya.
More than 8,000 healthcare organizations around the world choose Avaya to help improve patient outcomes.
AVAYA ANNUAL REPORT: milestones and moments fy2023
Innovation without interruption
Avaya’s unique “innovation without interruption” strategy sets it apart. The idea is to provide users the freedom to embrace their cloud journey at their own pace. The concept is that contact centers can enrich customer experience by layering onto their existing platform. You can keep Avaya Aura in place while new tools are clamped on via the cloud. The notion that premises-based solutions should be discontinued entirely is wisely rejected by the Avaya approach going forward. Avaya continues to invest in premises-based contact center offerings.
Predictions for 2024
AI – artificial intelligence is off the launch pad and skyrocketing into every corner of our lives. In telecommunications, AI can better inform agents and help seamlessly unify customer experiences across channels. Easy On Hold is introducing generative AI voices that are lifelike clones of in-house human voices. The best of both worlds is to have expressive human voices backed up by matching text-to-speech capabilities.
CX Focus. As Avaya has already decided, the CX focus will be the centerpiece of strategies in 2024.
Brands are increasingly recognizing that their contact centers are at the ‘tip of the spear’ for driving differentiating experiences for their customers.
Alan Masarak, CEO, Avaya
Avaya Engage Event May 13-15 at the Colorado Convention Center. Easy On Hold and other Avaya partners will appear at the year’s main event, Avaya Engage. Visitors will learn about developing cutting-edge capabilities to transform the customer experience.
IAUG, International Avaya Users Group. The IAUG grew to over 20,000 members in 2023, a trend expected to continue in 2024. Through local chapter meetings and special events, the IAUG is fostering collaboration and inspiration among Avaya Users.
