COVER STORY see how we can use it to increase our own productivity and, through that, to really understand how we can help partners monetise AI in the future.” Growth areas Chimoindes highlights AI as one of three trends that offer new possibilities and opportunities for partners, along with Return to Office and the convergence of video conferencing, telephony, CCaaS and UCaaS technologies. “For me, there are two aspects to AI. One is how AI is enhancing products and features from vendors, for example the work HP Poly is doing with its camera technology and audio technology to deliver a fantastic user experience. One of the real tasks of video conferencing is to make sure that remote participants feel as engaged in a meeting as the people actually the room. Poly DirectorAI from HP Poly really allows that to happen by intelligently looking at people around a meeting room table and framing them in different ways to ensure meeting equity, for example showing all participants side by side or just focusing in on the speaker to provide a more engaging experience. The whole point about video technology is the user shouldn’t notice it’s there so that they can focus fully on the meeting content. The fact that this technology works seamlessly is fantastic. “The other part is how we use AI in our own workflows to increase productivity and, moving forward, how we can monetize that in the channel. In one project, our pre-sales team has built AI chatbots to provide answers to technical questions about the specification of an MTR solution or a Zoom platform, only elevating calls to a staff member if additional information is needed.” He adds that in the next three months Nuvias UC will be launching a number of AI-focused services that will enable partners to generate revenue and profit from AI. Converged communications Where the distributor is already helping resellers capitalise on opportunities is For CEO Joel Chimoindes, they are also testament to Nuvias UC’s capabilities as a specialist distributor with a deep understanding of the converged communications market supported by in-depth technical expertise that he says adds real value to the company’s vendor and channel relationships. “Today, 24% of our employees are in technical roles and, after taking the decision last year to aggregate our technical team across the whole of Europe, we now deliver services across the entire continent, not just in countries where we’ve got a presence. Those services range from pre-sales, consultancy and implementation to post-sales support and managed services,” he explains. “Examples include migration services, moving from old telephony to platforms like Zoom and Teams, or the design and installation of video solutions with partners such as HP Poly. We also run a number of 24/7 managed services on behalf of resellers, monitoring their customers’ collaboration devices and making sure they are all working correctly.” Nuvias UC’s investment in technical expertise means that while it is still taking on new vendors – expect new announcements shortly – its preference is to work with a relatively small number of non-competing brands (with as little overlap as possible). “Looking at our long-standing relationship with HP Poly, but also our relationship with Zoom, the commitment and investment that this approach entails really allows us to extend those vendors’ capabilities,” explains Chimoindes. “And it’s the same for resellers; they can come to our sales guys, our pre-sales teams, our technical teams and because they have in-depth knowledge of the solutions we can advise very clearly on the right solutions for the right roles and what services are needed around that as well. “The other thing I would say is that we deploy things in our own environment, which gives us experience of new technologies and insight into how partners can generate revenue from them. As an example, right now we are deploying AI to Last month, Nuvias UC became the first distributor in Europe to achieve a Deployment Certification for Zoom Customer Experience after enrolling on the recently launched Zoom Up Services Program. The new competency enables the specialist distributor for converged communications to deploy Zoom Contact Center, Zoom Virtual Agent, Quality Management and Workforce Management solutions on behalf of partners and builds on its existing accreditations and competencies for Zoom Workplace and Zoom Phone attained through the Zoom Up Partner Program. These accreditations reinforce Nuvias UC’s position as a strategic enabler of Zoom solutions and services, from licensing to deployment and ongoing management, and empowers channel partners to expand into new markets with the support of a trusted and fully accredited Zoom solutions provider. Joel Chimoindes 18 01732 759725 Specialist delivery How is Nuvias UC helping resellers and MSPs exploit opportunities in converged communications and in what ways is it a specialist distributor? Technology Reseller finds out more from CEO Joel Chimoindes
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