Talkdesk CTO, Microsoft Alum Will Work 'Closely' with Channel

Contact-center-as-a-service provider (CCaaS) Talkdesk has a new chief technology officer (CTO) in Munil Shah. He most recently spent nearly six years in the same position at business automation and artificial intelligence (AI) firm UiPath, playing a pivotal role in the company's April 2021 initial public offering (IPO). 

Shah spent more than 23 years at software giant Microsoft in various engineering roles, developing core products like Azure, Bing and Windows. 

Talkdesk's Munil Shah

He told Channel Futures he wants to work closely with the channel. Now he's focusing his efforts on boosting Talkdesk's AI-powered future as the company appears to double down on its artificial intelligence aspirations. 

Talkdesk recently launched what it calls an industry-first GenAI suite for on-premises contact centers and a next-gen industry-specific virtual agent. The company also debuted Ascend Connect, Talkdesk Autopilot for Banking, Talkdesk Autopilot for Retail and Talkdesk Autopilot for Healthcare, wanting to capture more vertical market business. 

The freshly appointed Talkdesk CTO stands to take over the CCaaS company's engineering efforts. Also expect him to help accelerate Talkdesk's AI road map.

Under Shah’s leadership, Shah's engineering team will "accelerate the company’s AI road map and drive strategic first-to-market technologies that enable AI-first customer experiences for enterprises worldwide," the company said.

Talkdesk CTO: 'Our Channel Partners Are Pivotal'

Shah told Channel Futures that channel partnerships and integrations "play a pivotal role in our product development." And in his prior role at UiPath, the new Talkdesk CTO said he worked closely with the company's head of strategic alliances.

Shah said Talkdesk's remains focused on delivering a "modern AI-powered customer experience for companies, agents and consumers across all industries," and the channel is an "important part of that experience delivery process." 

"Delivering on this promise requires collaboration with strategic partners as they help us provide seamless, integrated solutions that meet the unique technological needs of our diverse customer base," Shah added.

In February, the CCaaS company snagged ex-Zscaler executive Albert "Al" Caravelli to lead its channel efforts. Shah told us that cultivating a partnership with Caravelli is vital as he settles into his role.

Moreover, Shah said not only will he work closely with Caravelli and his team, but collaboration between departments is "essential to foster innovation and develop solutions that meet the needs of our diverse customers."

More CCaaS/UCaaS Companies Look to Rebrand as 'AI-First'

As more CCaaS and UCaaS companies rebrand to a "2.0 version" of their technologies that are more AI-centric, we can begin to understand how profound of an impact the technology will have on customer (CX) and employee experience (EX). 

From Microsoft to Mitel and Zoom/Avaya, Cisco and others, we have seen a massive proliferation of AI in the UC/CC space — with more sure to come.