Channel Futures' Top UC/Contact Center Leaders for 2024

2024 has been a whirlwind of unified communications, collaboration and contact center news. For one, Channel Futures expects Industry consolidation to persist as it shows no signs of slowing down.

There have also been various tweaks to the unified communications, collaboration and contact center-centric channel, with executives bouncing around like popcorn in a hot skillet, with that, too, anticipated to continue as channel programs grow and seek fresh talent they hope will assist in taking their programs to the next level.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has too, presented various challenges and partner opportunities the channel has tried to wrap its heads around it for the past two years, while other difficulties find their way into the channel environment as well. Yet still, the prospects of what AI can do appear mostly bright for those who leverage the technology within their channel organizations, hoping to become experts with the expectation of bettering customer and internal processes via the novel technology.

AI has conversely played a hefty role in what much of the channel buzz has been about, continuing its penetration into the heart of nearly every offering in the UC/CC industry. One constant amid all the transformation and challenges facing various channel organizations has been exemplary channel administration, ranging from those who span the gamut of channel leaders, to regional channel directors and those in other roles, fighting to improve their programs.

Related:Channel Futures' Top Cloud Leaders of 2024

Having gotten his start in the channel nearly 30 years ago, Mitel's Steve Loebrich shed some light on those potential challenges.

"The channel continues to evolve with partners having never had more options regarding communications and collaboration solutions, not to mention the variety of deployment options such as on-premises, cloud or hybrid. The challenge for the channel lies in communicating the added value they bring to the table over a mere unified-comunications-as-a-service (UCaaS) solution and getting out of the trap of competing on price," Loebrich shared.

Today we are recognizing all that hard work, highlighting 20 leaders in the UC/CC space who have been deemed exceptional leaders, working for some of the world's top UC/CC firms and those seeking to overcome various challenges. Without further ado, here they are: Channel Futures' top 20 UC/contact center leaders for 2024, in alphabetical order, which you can check out in the above slideshow.