Cavell Cloud Conversations

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In this episode, Patrick Watson interviews Matt Bryars, CEO and co-founder of Subphonic, about the evolving role of AI in conversational intelligence and voice AI. They explore the difference between AI first and AI native, practical applications in call recording, and how organizations can leverage AI to improve efficiency and compliance.

Key Topics

- Difference between AI first and AI native
- Practical applications of call recording in conversational intelligence
- How organizations can leverage AI for internal efficiency
- The role of AI in compliance and risk management
- Steps to transition to AI native processes
- Use cases in financial services and telecoms
- The importance of real-time and 24-7 AI agents
- Challenges and opportunities in adopting AI native solutions

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AI adoption is high—but turning that interest into revenue is still a challenge for many service providers.

In this conversation, Mark Bunnell shares why flexibility matters: AI pricing may mean tokens, monthly subscriptions, price per minute—or a mix of all three.And the opportunity goes beyond contact centers. 

Think cleaner data, smoother operations, and helping teams do more with less.Which pricing model do you think will take off first: tokens, monthly subscriptions, or usage-based?

#AIMonetization #CloudCommunications #ServiceProviders #CavellCloudConversations #NuWave

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How well do you really know the communications market?

In this episode of Cavell Cloud Conversations, Patrick Watson puts Finbarr Begley to the test with a quiz based on Cavell’s 2025 enterprise research, covering 2,000 communications decision makers across the UK, Ireland, North America, France, Germany and Australia.

The questions cover everything from telecoms buying criteria and AI priorities to contract lengths, remote working and customer satisfaction. Along the way, Patrick and Finbarr uncover some surprising differences between markets, including why the US has the highest proportion of businesses with contracts lasting three years or more, why UK businesses use more communications providers on average, and which country reports the highest satisfaction with its suppliers.

There are a few confident guesses, several wrong answers and plenty of debate along the way.

The conversation also highlights some of the wider trends emerging from Cavell’s enterprise research, including how businesses are approaching AI, how communications estates vary between markets, and how working patterns continue to shape business communications.

Key topics:

- Global telecoms and communications trends
- AI priorities and expected benefits
- Telecoms buying criteria
- Communications provider usage by country
- Contract lengths and renewal patterns
- Remote and hybrid working
- Customer satisfaction with communications providers
- Telephony integration with CRM, contact centre and collaboration platforms

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The communications industry is entering a period of major change. AI is reshaping business models, customer expectations are evolving, and providers are under increasing pressure to find new sources of growth.

In this episode of Cavell Cloud Conversations, Patrick Watson and Dom Black look ahead to the upcoming Cavell Summit in Boston, exploring the key themes shaping the communications market and what attendees can expect from the event.

You can apply for a ticket here: https://www.cavell.com/event/cavell-summit-north-america/

From AI-driven disruption and new revenue opportunities to the continued potential of core telephony, verticalisation and partnerships, Patrick and Dom discuss where they see the biggest opportunities emerging for providers, vendors and channel businesses.

They also explore why events like Cavell Summit remain valuable in a market where relationships matter. The right conversation can lead to a new partnership, a customer opportunity or even an acquisition.

Key Topics

- Why disruption is becoming the default in communications
- How AI is changing business models and creating new revenue opportunities
- Where growth opportunities remain in UCaaS and core telephony
- The increasing importance of verticalisation
- How partnerships can help providers expand their offerings
- The impact of market maturity and margin pressures
- Changing customer expectations around AI and outcomes
- Why networking remains critical to growth and strategic partnerships
- What to expect from Cavell Summit Boston

Key Takeaways

- Disruption is now the default. Communications providers can no longer rely on the models that drove growth in the past.
- AI is creating new commercial opportunities, but providers need to think beyond simply adding AI features to existing products.
- Core telephony still has significant value, particularly when providers look at how to capture more revenue from their existing customer bases.
- Verticalization is becoming increasingly important as providers look for ways to differentiate and expand into new markets.
- Partnerships and relationships matter. Industry events can create opportunities that go far beyond networking, including new commercial partnerships, customer relationships and M&A.

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Customer experience is changing. The focus is moving beyond simply having conversations with customers towards actually completing the task or resolving the issue.

In this episode of Cavell Cloud Conversations, Finbarr is joined by Chris Morrissey from Zoom to explore how AI is transforming contact centers, from virtual agents and workflow automation to agentic AI, orchestration and decision intelligence.

The conversation looks at why businesses need to move beyond AI hype and focus on measurable outcomes. Chris explains how AI can complete workflows during customer interactions, connect systems behind the scenes and help organisations deliver faster, more effective resolutions.

The discussion also explores how businesses should approach AI adoption. Rather than trying to transform everything at once, starting with focused use cases can help organisations demonstrate value, build internal confidence and create a foundation for wider adoption.

Key Takeaways

• AI can do more than have a conversation. The next stage of customer experience is about AI actually completing tasks and resolving customer needs during the interaction.
• Start small, prove the value and build from there. Successful AI adoption does not necessarily require a massive transformation programme. Focused use cases can demonstrate results and create confidence for further investment.
• Integration is becoming critical. AI can only deliver on its promise when it can access the systems, data and workflows needed to complete a customer's request.
• The technology stack is converging. The traditional boundaries between contact center, communications, automation and AI platforms are becoming increasingly blurred.
• The goal should be better outcomes, not simply lower costs. AI can create efficiencies, but the opportunity is to reinvest those savings into better customer experiences and continued innovation.

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Trust has become one of the biggest challenges facing contact centers. From spam calls and AI-generated interactions to evolving regulation and changing customer expectations, organisations are having to rethink how they deliver customer experience.

In this episode of Cavell Cloud Conversations, Finbarr Begley is joined by Ben Booth, CEO at MaxContact and Barry Tuffs, Chief Strategy Officer at ChorusCX to discuss how AI is reshaping customer service, why trust matters more than ever, and what businesses need to do to balance innovation with transparency and compliance.

The conversation explores consumer attitudes towards AI, the role of regulation, the importance of measuring customer outcomes, and why successful AI adoption is about improving processes rather than simply deploying new technology.

Whether you're a contact center leader, CX professional, technology provider or channel partner, this episode offers practical insights into the future of AI-powered customer experience.

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Unlock the future of business communications with the AI revolution that's transforming every contact center. In this episode, Jim McGarry and Ross Jack reveal how agentic AI—the next frontier in automation—is reshaping customer service and partner opportunities alike. If you're in the channel or running a contact center, missing this wave means falling behind as AI shifts from buzzword to essential tool.

Discover how Dialpad is leading the charge with a fully integrated platform that combines UCaaS, contact center tech, and real-time AI decision-making. Jim and Ross unpack why the "agentic era" isn't just about smarter bots—it's about AI that acts, decides, and enhances human performance. You'll learn why the shift to AI-driven workflows can increase margins, streamline operations, and elevate client satisfaction—all without replacing humans but empowering them.

We break down:

- How the evolution from legacy PBX to cloud platforms is driven by customer demand for seamless, AI-powered experiences
- The difference between standalone AI solutions and fully embedded platforms, and why integration is critical for success
- Practical steps for channel partners to start small, build expertise, and monetize AI capabilities effectively
- Why the "agentic" AI isn't a threat but a new standard—creating ongoing service opportunities and deeper client relationships

Failing to embrace agentic AI now could leave your business vulnerable as competitors lead the charge. The opportunities to transform client conversations, optimize workflows, and build a future-proofed service line are within reach—if you act today. This episode is essential listening if you’re ready to harness AI's full potential and stay ahead in a rapidly evolving industry.

Plus, Jim and Ross share how Dialpad’s new reseller program empowers partners to develop and monetize AI-driven solutions, turning innovation into profit. Whether you're an established partner or just starting out, the time to get on board with agentic AI is now—don't let this train leave the station without you.

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AI is rapidly reshaping customer experience, contact centers, and the way businesses engage with customers. In this episode of Cavell Cloud Conversations, we sit down with experts from Five9 to explore how organisations are moving beyond AI pilots and towards measurable business outcomes.

Featuring:

- Ty Stephens, Director, Channel Sales, Five9

- Steve Blood, VP for Market Intelligence & Evangelism, Five9

- Finbarr Begley, Senior CX Analyst, Cavell

- Patrick Watson, Director of Research, Cavell

From AI-powered customer insights and automation to trust, data quality, and the evolving role of channel partners, we discuss the opportunities and challenges facing the industry as AI adoption accelerates.

Whether you're a service provider, channel partner, contact center leader, or simply interested in the future of customer experience, this conversation provides practical insights into how AI is transforming both customer and employee experiences.

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Voice has always been the most natural way for humans to communicate. As AI becomes more embedded into business technology, that natural interface is becoming increasingly important — not just for human-to-human conversations, but for the way people interact with machines, applications and automated services.

In this episode of Cavell Cloud Conversations, Patrick Watson is joined by Michal Podoski, VP of Product Management at Dstny, to explore how voice is evolving beyond basic calling and becoming a strategic platform for service providers.

The discussion looks at the challenges communication providers face when bringing next-generation voice services to market, including integration complexity, speed of delivery and the need to package capabilities in a way that customers can understand and buy. Patrick and Michal also discuss how voice can help service providers move from treating AI as a feature to building services that can be monetised, bundled and scaled.

The episode also considers where voice is heading next, including the role of mobile, the growing convergence of AI and automation, and how providers can prepare for a future where voice becomes one of the primary interfaces between people, machines and business systems.

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In this episode of the Cloud Conversations Podcast, host Tom Wright is joined by Patrick Watson to unpack the key insights from Cavell Summit Asia‑Pacific, recently held in Sydney. Bringing together service providers, vendors and industry leaders from across the region, the Summit explored how APAC markets are evolving across UCaaS, CCaaS, AI, customer experience and partner models.

Patrick shares his perspective on the overarching themes from the event, highlighting how APAC providers are thinking differently from their European and North American counterparts. The discussion looks at where AI is moving beyond hype into practical deployment, what Cavell’s latest research reveals about enterprise priorities in Australia and New Zealand, and how market dynamics differ across Southeast Asia.

The episode also draws on Cavell’s ongoing APAC research, offering listeners a data‑led view of market maturity, buyer behaviour and growth opportunities across the region. Patrick explains how providers can use Cavell’s insights to shape strategy, refine go‑to‑market approaches and prioritise investment as cloud communications demand continues to evolve across Asia‑Pacific.

Next up: Cavell Summit Europe on 25th March! Want to come along? Click here.

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