Intermedia’s Mark Sher, SVP of Product Marketing, and John Tucker, VP of Product, break down the biggest challenges, and opportunities, facing service providers today.
From AI disruption to Microsoft Teams integration, it’s clear: the rules of the game have changed, and those who adapt fastest will win.
AI Meets Legacy Tech
According to Mark Sher, service providers are caught in a “once-in-a-decade” inflection point. A convergence of outdated hardware platforms and the rapid emergence of AI as a foundational technology.
“AI will be the new battleground,” Sher says. “Legacy solutions simply won’t have it, and customers will expect it.”
Sher warns against falling into the “boiling frog” trap — sticking with extended legacy systems while competitors race ahead with modern, AI-native platforms.
Customers are no longer just impressed by AI-generated meeting notes and transcripts — they expect it. And as agentic AI begins performing real-time tasks and decision-making, the performance gap between legacy and modern systems will widen dramatically.
The Differentiation Dilemma
John Tucker expands the conversation by diving into another hot topic… Microsoft Teams. While Teams is widely adopted, many service providers are getting boxed into commodity offerings — delivering "minutes and numbers" without true differentiation.
“There are 35 to 40 providers in the U.S. offering Operator Connect — very few are standing out,” Tucker explains.
He encourages providers to look beyond connectivity and instead position themselves as business solution partners. That means integrating voice, contact center, collaboration, and analytics directly into the Teams environment in a way that aligns with the customer's brand and workflow. These aren’t optional extras anymore — they are high-value components of a seamless user experience.
Small and mid-sized businesses want simplicity. They don’t want to juggle five different tools for communications, support, and customer engagement. Providers who embed advanced capabilities into Teams — with intuitive interfaces, rich features, and consistent branding — will stand out in a sea of sameness.
The key is to treat Teams not as a threat or a product to resell, but as a launchpad for innovation. It’s not just about integration — it’s about delivering outcomes.
