28 01732 759725 CLOUD TELEPHONY ...continued we gain about the needs of different customers and partners. This helps us identify and create building blocks we might have missed and make them available as an out-of-thebox solution.” He adds that these building blocks make it easier to move beyond knowledge retrieval to process automation. “Knowledge retrieval has a lot of benefits, but having ways, in the background, to connect to CRM systems and to ticket systems so that a process is digitalised and automated adds even more value,” he said. “With QL-IT (an NFON Gold partner and IT managed services provider), we have created a single number for inbound calls and a smart AI voicebot that identifies the caller’s need and either forwards the call, creates a ticket in the ticketing system used by QL-IT or, if something’s very urgent, sends an email to key people in the company so that they can deal with it directly. Instead of having just a cloud telephony system, you can add voicebots to integrate it into that wider infrastructure.” In addition to its voicebots and chatbots, botario provides a Live Chat feature, similar to the one NFON already provides in its contact centre solution CC Hub. This links to a company’s CRM system, enabling a user to switch from a bot to a live agent and then back again as part of the same workflow – a capability that Hendriks says is vital for end user acceptance of AI bots. “In January, I did a talk at a university in Dortmund and as part of my research I came across a study showing that people feel pretty comfortable with AI chat and voicebots as long as, first, you make it clear that they are interacting with AI and not a human being, and, second, that you always give them the option to switch to a real person.” It is safe to assume that NFON will make sure it does this. If it doesn’t, you can always give them feedback via Nia. Battery backup for digital lines Vodafone to provide landline-dependent customers with free broadband backup device that maintains connectivity during a power cut Vodafone, BT, KCOM and Zen Internet are addressing one of the drawbacks of moving all customers from the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) to digital lines with the launch of a small Broadband Battery Backup device that will keep users connected to WiFi for up to 7 hours in the event of a power cut. One reason for the 13-month postponement of the PSTN switch-off to January 31, 2027 is to give the industry more time to ensure landline-dependent users are not cut off from essential resources in an emergency. This includes 1.8 million users of telecare for remote support and vulnerable customers who are dependent on a phone line to contact emergency services. While PSTN lines remain operational without mains power, modern all-digital alternatives offer no such safeguard. The Broadband Battery Backup device developed by Vodafone and Wire Technologies, a UK-based manufacturer of data transmission products and components for data centres and other critical IT networks, overcomes this problem by automatically switching from mains to battery power during a mains power outage. A 2023 report by UKPower found that almost 66% of Brits have experienced a power outage in their local area, with 23% saying such events occur on an almost annual basis. Compact UPS Vodafone says the uninterruptible power supply (UPS) for compatible routers, modems, Optical Network Terminals (ONT) and VoIP systems is smaller and easier to install than traditional battery backup for WiFi devices, which can be bulky, loud and complex to set up. By offering up to 4 to 7 hours of backup connectivity, dependent on router, it exceeds Ofcom regulations requiring telcos to offer a solution to keep landlinedependent customers connected to essential services for up to one hour during a power cut. It also supports the Government’s PSTN non‑voluntary migration checklist jointly agreed with leading telcos in November last year. A unique emergency mode, which automatically reserves 25% of the battery’s runtime, is useful for those who experience a power cut unknowingly overnight and require reliable connectivity first thing in the morning. Rob Winterschladen, Consumer Director of Vodafone UK, said: “At Vodafone, we are committed to ensuring our customers stay connected no matter the circumstance. Our innovative Broadband Battery Backup device for WiFi, offering an industry-leading 4 to 7 hours of connectivity, is testament to that promise.” Vodafone, which serves more than 18 million mobile and fixed-line customers in the UK, is providing the devices free of charge to new and existing landlinedependent customers. Others who might want to stay connected can purchase it for £150 from https://getgofone.co.uk/. Vodafone will also be white labelling the devices and offering them wholesale to other telcos, including BT, KCOM and Zen Internet. David Barber, Strategy Director at Zen Internet, said: “How digital voice products will continue to work during a power outage has been a real concern for many. It is so pleasing to see that positive steps have been taken [by the industry] to work together to protect the vulnerable. This new device is a vast improvement on anything that was available in the market to further support vulnerable consumers through the withdrawal of the traditional landline.” www.vodafone.co.uk
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