Conversational AI Vendor LivePerson Hires Five9, Intelisys Alum for Tech AlliancesConversational AI Vendor LivePerson Hires Five9, Intelisys Alum for Tech Alliances

Kelli McMillan will focus on building partnerships with voice and CCaaS companies for the conversational AI platform provider.

James Anderson, Senior News Editor

January 21, 2025

2 Min Read
LivePerson partners now working with Kelli McMillan
LivePerson's Kelli McMillan

Kelli McMillan is taking her experience in contact center as a service (CCaaS) and indirect channels to the conversational AI and digital transformation platform, LivePerson.

McMillan will work to establish and strengthen the vendor's technology partnerships. Alliances are one of LivePerson's main routes to market, with companies such as Cisco and Avaya using LivePerson's platform to create more omnichannel experiences for customers.

McMillan has a background working with tech services distributors (TSDs) and technology advisors (TAs), but she said the referral/advisor model is something the vendor would only be considering down the road.

“My main priority is strengthening our relationship with voice and CCaaS ecosystem partners. By aligning partner capabilities with our connected experience platform, together we will deliver personalized CX solutions that drive business and customer outcomes," she said.

LivePerson Alliances

For now, McMillan says LivePerson is prioritizing the tech alliances with voice and CCaaS companies that have been helping the company get into customer deals. McMillan brings relationships with many such vendors into the fold, including CCaaS companies not currently in LivePerson's partner stable.

"Many of our customers currently use voice solutions from other providers, while turning to LivePerson for digital channels. This creates a natural opportunity for us to partner with voice providers to deliver a truly connected experience," McMillan told Channel Futures. "By strategically collaborating, we ensure we can help customers achieve measurable outcomes across their enterprise. This partnership-driven approach allows us to orchestrate personalized engagements across all channels, setting the standard for AI-powered customer journeys. 

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Some of those vendors are voice providers looking for CCaaS features. Others are on-premises CCaaS providers that need cloud features. McMillan said LivePerson allows providers to bring together customer experiences across voice and messaging.

Who Is Kelli McMillan?

McMillan spent the last six years at contact-center-as-a-service (CCaaS) provider Five9. She oversaw the company's relationships with TSDs and helped the vendor significantly grow its revenue with those partners. Prior to Five9, McMillan worked at TSD Intelisys.

In 2019 she founded Xposure IDC, which has helped people in the channel and in technology with mentorship and advocacy, as well as assistance building employee resource groups. Part of her passion, McMillan told Channel Futures, is to help people listen to other people better. And that made LivePerson's customer strategy a natural fit, she said.

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"We want consumers to engage with our customer brands in their channel of choice and give them the experience they expect. That's why traditional UCaaS providers are jumping into the CX space," she said. "Our partner-always approach is a commitment to strengthening this ecosystem and delivering value to our joint brands and their customers."

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About the Author

James Anderson

Senior News Editor, Channel Futures

James Anderson is a senior news editor for Channel Futures. He interned with Informa while working toward his degree in journalism from Arizona State University, then joined the company after graduating. He writes about SD-WAN, telecom and cablecos, technology services distributors and carriers. He has served as a moderator for multiple panels at Channel Partners events.

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