Customer experience has long been at the top of boardroom agendas. What has changed in 2025 is not its importance, but the pace at which expectations are shifting. Large enterprises and SMBs alike are under pressure to serve customers across multiple channels, keep agents productive in hybrid environments, and deliver outcomes that drive measurable revenue.
For channel partners, that pressure is twofold: they’re expected to help customers meet rising expectations, while also evolving their own go-to-market strategies to sell and support more complex, integrated solutions.
Too often, unified communications and contact center platforms have been treated like separate worlds; one for internal collaboration, the other for customer service. But today’s customers don’t see that divide. A customer interaction can shift from support to a revenue opportunity in seconds, and the technology behind it needs to keep up. That’s why integrating UC and contact centers, underpinned by AI, is quickly becoming a must-have for delivering modern, connected customer experiences.
Why Integration Is Non-Negotiable
Business buyers increasingly expect UC and contact center solutions to work together seamlessly, empowering employees to collaborate, escalate, and resolve issues without missing a beat. For partners, that means presenting customers with a single, integrated experience, not siloed toolsets.
Robert Handel, Senior Vice President of Cloud Strategy at LDI, said this was central to their work with Intermedia: “The end result is a tightly integrated solution that delivers both unified communications and contact center capabilities, exactly what we needed to address our markets.”
The model highlights a broader industry trend. Providers like Intermedia deliver the integrated, AI-enabled platforms, while partners such as LDI bring the consultative expertise, market knowledge, and customer relationships that ensure successful adoption.
Integration is no longer merely a technical preference. It is a commercial differentiator.
AI Is Changing the Game — for Agents and Customers
AI is rewriting the rules around customer experience. What began as post-call transcription and sentiment analysis is evolving into live, “agentic” AI that helps agents adapt in real time. This is where channel partners can create more value: not by positioning AI as headcount reduction, but by showing how it can boost agent performance and drive better customer experiences.
As Handel put it, “The real opportunity is in real time, what we call agentic AI. That’s about providing agents with live data during customer interactions so they can adjust on the fly.”
For customers, that means faster resolutions and better first-call outcomes. For agents, it means confidence, empowerment, and reduced reliance on after-the-fact coaching. And for the partners overseeing it all, it opens the door to solutions that boost efficiency, build loyalty, and deliver clear, measurable ROI.
Real Results: How One Customer Turned Transcriptions into Revenue
The most compelling sales stories for partners are grounded in results. Upgrading customers from legacy systems to integrated UC and contact center solutions doesn’t just modernize their technology, it transforms how they serve customers and generate revenue.
One of LDI’s clients, a plumbing supply business, began with a simple request for basic cloud contact center features. But once AI transcription was enabled, it uncovered inefficiencies in its call flow and reorganized operations accordingly. “With AI, they could mine transcriptions, spot patterns, and improve both efficiency and customer experience,” Handel recalled. The same insights highlighted upsell and cross-sell opportunities that directly boosted revenue.
This is a clear example of the power of integration: tangible improvements in customer satisfaction, agent engagement, and financial performance. For channel partners, those are the outcomes that close deals and build long-term trust.
Charting the Path Forward
Selling AI-powered UC and contact center solutions isn’t about pitching features; it requires a deeper, more consultative approach. Partners are moving beyond product sales toward engagement; understanding customer contexts, mapping processes, and aligning solutions to measurable outcomes.
As Handel emphasized, “Understand this isn’t just about selling a product. It’s a consultative process. You need to dig into the customer’s environment, their goals, and the outcomes they’re looking for.”
Security is equally critical. Remote work has multiplied the number of access points and vulnerabilities in customer environments. Partners who can address these risks in tandem with AI adoption will differentiate themselves in a crowded market.
Succeeding in this landscape will take more than great technology. Partners may need new skills, new resources, and closer collaboration with customers’ IT and security teams to compete. Those who adapt won’t just survive – they’ll thrive as trusted advisors.
Conclusion: The Partner Opportunity
Integrating UC and contact centers is becoming a fundamental strategic necessity in today’s market. Customers expect seamless experiences, scalability, and airtight security. At the same time, AI is reshaping what agents and businesses can achieve in real time. Channel partners who embrace these changes aren’t just keeping up but setting themselves apart.
As Handel’s experience shows, success isn’t just about delivering technology. It’s about helping customers reach outcomes that matter. That consultative role will define the next generation of successful partners.
Intermedia’s partner-first model makes that possible, giving providers like LDI the ability to maintain customer ownership, sell under their own brand, and rely on 99.999 percent financially backed SLAs and 8x J.D. Power-certified technical support.
Just as importantly, partners receive help before, during, and after the sale — from sales enablement and training to onboarding, marketing, and ongoing support — ensuring they have the tools and resources to strengthen customer relationships and drive long-term success.
Intermedia is already helping partners like LDI deliver on that promise. For more information on how Intermedia can support you and your business, visit here.
