The Manchester Central Convention Complex hosts many interesting events throughout the year, only last week UC Today visited IP Expo in the venue, which is one of the largest in the north west. Last week it was the stage to ‘Experience Avaya’ which is the latest event to be thrown by the global UC giant.
Over 500 delegates representing the customer, partner and analyst community attended to hear more about Avaya’s latest news and to learn how a blend of customer experience and employee productivity is key to profitable digital transformation. As well as conveying their latest messages Avaya also expressed a strong and continued commitment to UK and Irish customers, communicating a focus on simplifying technology, investment in employees and a commitment to an ecosystem that complements Avaya solutions that deliver success.
Speaking at event were some of Avaya’s most senior staff from both the UK divisions and the company as a whole. Whilst attending we caught up with Nidal Abou-Ltaif, President of Avaya International, about the importance of the event.
“So many things have taken place over the last 12 to 18 months. Technology is changing and customer demands are changing, there are a lot of challenges. It’s so important to be here to show our customers that we are transforming our propostions to meet their needs”
Outside of the main conference hall Avaya took the opportunity to showcase their various different technology propositions. There innovative use cases for IoT technology were on show alongside Avaya Ava, their cloud AI solution. As well as showcasing emerging technology they also had a range of new hardware devices available to examine. Their IP endpoint selection provides a full range of devices ranging from the more simplistic to the most advanced, fully featured devices. Most impressive though was the CU-360 which is due to be released later on this summer across Europe. The device containing a high definition camera and microphones converts any display into a conference or huddle experience utilising an Android operating system and therefore opening it up to a wide range of application possibilities.
The main conference stage itself,was the platform for senior Avaya executives to outline plans for the future and unveil some research, in conjunction with IDC, that highlighted the need for organisations to focus their business communications transformation efforts on employee productivity and efficiency, to drive better customer experiences. Organisations that are doing this reported the highest growth from a revenue perspective.
The report found that a digital transformation strategy that focuses support on employees provides a solid foundation for organisations to turn their attention to CX. Employee productivity is often a prerequisite for CX and it follows that a happy, informed employee equals a better customer experience. If a business can attract more customers, keep them and offer them a better service, this in turn establishes a more loyal base from which organisations earn a lifetime of value.
As well as the research analysis Avaya also took the opportunity to update the community on their growth both in the UK and globally. Ioan MacRae, Managing Director UK, Avaya was also available to elaborate.
“Avaya UK has been going from strength to strength. We’ve experienced six quarters of sequential growth, 62% of global cloud deployments have been implemented here in the UK and our IP Office Powered By solution has grown 40-50% quarter on quarter. We’re taking the opportunity today to show our customers the unique alliances we have with our partners and the best-in-class world-leading technology we can provide.”
Events like Experience Avaya offer the Avaya community unparalleled access to not only their latest solutions, and senior executive staff but also it enables customers, partners and onlookers to get a glimpse of the new Avaya. Understanding some of the drivers behind such a large company and better appreciating their future strategic direction is an invaluable insight for any partner.
