Sangoma Partners Gain Access to Generative AI ToolsSangoma Partners Gain Access to Generative AI Tools

Sangoma, the Ontario, Canada-based unified-communications-as-a-service (UCaaS) provider, is launching a fresh set of generative artificial intelligence (AI)-fueled tools for customers and partners spanning various vertical markets.

Anurag Agrawal, founder and chief global analyst at Techaisle, told Channel Futures that all this spells good news for Sangoma partners, who stand to benefit from the new gen AI tools.

"Sangoma's GenAI suite offers partners robust AI-driven solutions to enhance their offerings and gain a competitive edge. Things like their enhanced conversational interactive voice response (IVR) empower partners to provide clients with a more sophisticated and user-friendly interactive voice response system, increasing customer satisfaction, reducing call handling times as well as valuable data collection," Agrawal said.

Techaisle's Anurag Agrawal

Per a Techaisle survey, IVR is the top feature requirement for businesses to improve customer experience (CX).

David Smith, founder and principal of InFlow Analysis, told Channel Futures that judging by Sangoma's niche player status in the Gartner Magic Quadrant, it recognizes the "crucial role partners play in bringing complex solutions to market," adding that Sangoma's deeper dive into AI is a "good move."

Related:Sangoma Launches Pinnacle Partner Program Following Hire of Veteran Channel Exec

InFlow Analysis' David Smith

All of this comes ahead of Sangoma hosting its 20th annual AstriCon, Feb. 11-13. The three-day affair in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is where the UCaaS company plans to unveil more AI technology, including the increasing integration of its AI into Asterisk's open-source voice instrument.

Sangoma Partners to Diversify Portfolio, Revenue Opportunities

In line with the company's AI aspirations, the UCaaS vendor is rolling out a breadth of features that Sangoma partners can test internally and then roll out to customers as they become experts on the tools. Those AI-fueled components include IVR, which Sangoma says a Michelin-starred restaurant has already rolled out, improving elements of its service.

In conjunction with Sphinx Medical’s CallMyDoc, Sangoma said its AI will help integrate with electronic health records (EHRs), effectively automating appointments, prescriptions and telehealth communications, something Agrawal believes to be a "strong selling point" for Sangoma partners targeting the health care market.

"This segment is a fast adopter of AI solutions for improving patient care. With its transcription, summarization and sentiment analysis tools, Sangoma Scribe can allow partners to deliver valuable insights to clients, improving customer understanding, sales strategies and customer service," Agrawal told Channel Futures.

And then there is Sangoma Scribe, which the company says "provides transcription, summarization and sentiment analysis for voice records." All of this can aid businesses in tracking calls, measuring customer satisfaction and leveraging said data to refine business strategies accordingly.

One of Sangoma's flagship software systems, Sangoma Meet, now also extends to live transcription and meeting summaries, while Sangoma CX further incorporates AI via chatbots and virtual assistants powered by GoogleFlow for automation purposes, along with AI assistants that aim to improve agent responses.

Reducing the Channel's Overall Burden

According to Agrawal, what Sangoma has done with the launch of its own set of generative AI tools has given its channel partners a leg up, especially when you factor in automation. The unified communications (UC) analyst does, though, caution that partners should "carefully consider several factors, as seamless integration with existing systems is crucial for smooth implementation while customizability of the AI solutions is essential to meet diverse client needs."

As such, Agrawal advocates for adequate training and support from Sangoma, noting they remain "vital for partners to sell and support these solutions effectively, along with a clear understanding of the pricing structure, which also serves as a necessity for developing profitable UC offerings."