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At its Analyst Summit in Savannah, GA, Talkdesk highlighted its new platform—and the market category it hopes to define: Customer Experience Automation (CXA). As organizations look to automate the entire customer journey, not just customer service interactions, Talkdesk sees CXA as the platform to orchestrate and optimize CX end-to-end, both before and after live interactions. Talkdesk positions CXA both as a new market category and as its multi-agent automation platform, designed to automate and scale service, sales, and support processes across the full customer lifecycle. CXA: The Evolution of AI Noting that we’re in the era of orchestrated automated CX, CEO & Founder Tiago Paiva explained that Talkdesk is positioning CXA as the next evolution of enterprise AI, enabling multi-agent orchestration. He explained that while CCaaS remains valuable, CXA is increasingly what resonates with customers. CXA brings together intelligent, autonomous AI agents—each with a defined role and shared context—to solve complex CX challenges across front- and back-office operations. Although the platform is entirely new, it supports the AI applications already offered on Talkdesk’s CCaaS platform. Importantly, customers don’t buy the CXA platform directly; instead, they purchase applications such as Autopilot or Navigator that run on top of it. Talkdesk describes CXA as an automation platform built to learn, adapt, and improve through a continuous loop of discovery, build, orchestration, and measurement. The system draws on Talkdesk Data Cloud, Knowledge Creator, AI agents, and multi-agent orchestration to automate workflows through specialized agents coordinated by an orchestrator. CXA’s multi-agent orchestration is central to its value, using real-time data to power applications such as Navigator, Copilot, and QM Assist. It brings intelligent workflows to vertical industries, including healthcare, finance, retail, travel, and the public sector. As CTO Munil Shah explained, “We look at CXA as an automation platform—not just infusing the contact center with AI, but providing AI automation, integrations, triggers, workflows, and orchestration in one platform that’s purpose-built for CX and industry verticals.” CXA supports complex use cases that go beyond traditional CCaaS, such as automated scheduling, shopping cart recovery, hospital post-discharge workflows, outage management, and more. A major differentiator is CXA’s ability to run on top of Talkdesk CCaaS or as a standalone platform, working with third-party CCaaS, and even on-prem environments from Avaya, Cisco, and Genesys. A Deep Dive Into CXA To better understand CXA, I spoke with Pedro Andrade, VP of AI, who walked through how agentic AI powers the platform. He noted that these AI agents can reason, think, and act autonomously, and described the virtuous lifecycle at the heart of CXA: Discovery: Mining and understanding customer data; identifying what should be automated. Build: Using low-code/no-code tools to create workflows and test automations and agents. Orchestration: Deploying agents throughout the customer journey with multi-agent coordination. Measure: Evaluating automation performance and the impact of AI agents. This cycle repeats for every use case. Pedro also detailed how CXA applications attach AI agents to workflows so they can take action when needed. Industry Specialization Industry specialization remains one of Talkdesk’s strongest differentiators. The company focuses deeply on vertical and sub-vertical needs—such as healthcare payers and providers, credit unions, and casualty insurance—and delivers tight integrations with leading industry applications. I spoke with Rohit Madhavarapu, VP of Product Management for Industries, about Talkdesk’s approach, which centers on: Purpose-built vertical products Verticalized teams with real expertise Business process transformation aligned to industry needs Rohit emphasized that Talkdesk’s goal is to remove friction and create better experiences. Talkdesk also hires industry specialists (for example, Rohit came from Epic) to provide specific vertical expertise. He also explained how CXA enhances their industry strategy and helps customers apply automation effectively across their businesses. Go-To-Market Evolution As Talkdesk expands from CCaaS into CXA, the shift requires a different sales and GTM strategy. In my conversation with Jen McDonald, SVP of Americas, she explained how Talkdesk reshaped its sales team to ensure deep vertical and use case knowledge—especially as the company targets larger enterprises. Rather than selling features, the team now collaborates with customers to ideate on impactful workflows. She also highlighted the role of channel partners in identifying use cases and deploying multi-agent workflows in a matter of weeks. Key Messages From Talkdesk To discuss the key messages from the event, I spoke with CMO Neville Letzerich, who highlighted three key themes: CXA as both a new category and a core product Talkdesk’s industry specialization Enterprise scalability and reliability Neville emphasized that while Talkdesk is moving upmarket, CCaaS continues to play a foundational role by supporting human agents, while CXA powers the AI workforce. He also stressed that customers should begin with a few vertical use cases, realize value quickly, and expand from there.   Closing Thoughts Talkdesk clearly recognizes that CCaaS is becoming commoditized as Agentic AI takes over many functions traditionally handled by human agents. Rather than wait to be disrupted, the company is intentionally repositioning itself as a CX automation vendor. As Munil noted, “We saw AI as being transformative and wanted a separate product category that takes us beyond CCaaS.” Still, Talkdesk continues to invest in CCaaS—enhancing WFM, the agent desktop, routing, integrations, and more. The company made it clear that CCaaS is for human agents; CXA is for AI agents . Talkdesk’s deep industry focus strengthens its differentiation, influencing how it sells, who it targets, and how it delivers ROI. But the shift from CCaaS to CXA won’t be without challenges: repositioning takes time, some channel partners may resist change, and selling automation outcomes requires new motions and new buyers. Whether CXA becomes a widely recognized market category remains to be seen. Other companies—like Verint, Sierra, and NiCE—may join Talkdesk in defining the category, potentially leaving traditional CCaaS vendors behind if they don’t evolve. What stood out most at the summit was Talkdesk’s honesty about learning as they go. The CX AI landscape is still the Wild West—uncertain, fast-moving, and competitive. But based on what I saw and heard, Talkdesk is positioning itself to break free from its CCaaS roots and emerge as a major force in the new era of Customer Experience Automation.

Wildix held its first analyst summit in beautiful Venice—a fitting location, since the company was founded in Trentino, Italy, by brothers Steve and Dimitri Osler. While most unified communications vendors originated in the U.S. and later expanded to Europe, Wildix’s roots are firmly European, and now the company has set its sights on expanding across the U.S. market. The event’s theme—“Masks Come Off”—was appropriate. Wildix used the occasion to “unmask” itself, introducing the company to a broader audience, including analysts who may not have been familiar with it. Although many outside Europe may not know the Wildix name, the company has been in business for 20 years. Wildix focuses on unified communications for SMBs and midmarket organizations (50–5,000 employees) and sells exclusively through channel partners. As CMO Emiliano Tomasoni emphasized, Wildix isn’t trying to be everything to everyone. Instead, it has a clear focus on SMBs and specific verticals—such as retail and healthcare—where it can deliver measurable ROI. With 360 employees worldwide, Wildix isn’t aiming to be the biggest player or a niche boutique vendor—it’s focused on delivering value through communications that make a tangible difference. “ROI is the key when we speak to customers,” Tomasoni said. “ROI isn’t magic—it’s the common language among all departments: sales, IT, operations, marketing.” According to CEO Steve Osler, Wildix’s vision is to connect every aspect of communication into one seamless, intelligent experience—built for results, powered by trust, and designed for people. The company’s goal is to define the next chapter of communication with secure, reliable, and adaptive solutions that simply work. The company prides itself on being the only European UCaaS vendor combining AI-driven innovation with a 100% channel model, with ROI-first DNA. Wildix offers a unified solution providing global connectivity, telephony, UC, and “CC Lite” capabilities across voice, video, chat, SMS, fax, and Kite webchat—all optimized for remote and hybrid work. Embedded AI powers transcriptions, summaries, and virtual agents. Wildix supports private cloud, single-tenant, hybrid, and on-premises UC deployments—unlike most UCaaS and CCaaS vendors that offer only public multi-tenant cloud options. This flexibility gives customers greater control, security, and data privacy. The single-tenant architecture is also a big differentiator and provides significant benefits for companies looking for data sovereignty and security. Three Core Applications Wildix’s portfolio centers on three key applications: Collaboration 7 – The entry-level UCaaS application providing core capabilities such as calling, chat, and meetings for small teams. x-bees – Designed for sales and service teams, it includes CRM automation, AI assistance, integrated queues, dashboards, IVR, and omnichannel engagement across voice and digital channels (SMS, WhatsApp, live chat). Together, these deliver “contact center lite” functionality with AI woven throughout. x-hoppers – Targeted at retail and frontline environments, x-hoppers delivers AI-enabled headsets and push-to-talk capabilities for real-time team communications and guidance. These applications sit atop the Wildix Management System (WMS7), with an agentic AI layer integrated across all apps, as well as 500+ AI-enabled integrations. Wildix also manufactures its own plug-and-play hardware, including phones, DECT and Wi-Fi handsets, gateways, and push-to-talk headsets.   To learn more about Wildix’s applications, I spoke with Stewart Donner, Global Head of Engineering, who also discussed the key messages of the event.  Wilma - The Face of Wildix AI AI is embedded natively in the platform, with the “Wilma” agentic AI layer and AI assistant, available on all products. I spoke with co-founder and Chief Innovation Officer Dimitri Osler about Wildix’s AI strategy and approach. He explained that Wilma can draft emails, guide retail associates in real time, summarize meetings, transcribe meetings in real-time, etc. Wildix supports multiple LLMs, allowing customers to choose the model best suited to their needs. Dimitri also underscored the importance of localization and described how Wildix leverages AWS to provide consistent coverage worldwide.   Partner Model Wildix supports a 100% channel-driven model, selling exclusively through certified partners. These partners are a key differentiator, as they are trusted locally, able to deliver faster, and often outperform vendors that rely on direct sales. With over 1,000 partners globally, Wildix primarily works with MSPs, along with system integrators, VARs, telecom providers, and agencies. Partners maintain full control of the sales cycle—from billing to implementation—while Wildix provides support where technical expertise is needed. This close collaboration has resulted in an impressive 96% partner retention rate. To provide more insights about Wildix’s channel approach, I spoke with Jason Uslan, Chief Commercial Officer.   A standout example of Wildix’s partnership strategy is its work with RoboReception, a UK-based healthcare software provider offering an AI-powered call handling platform for dental practices. Aimed at reducing the number of missed patient calls and automating routine patient interactions, such as appointment bookings, cancellations, and FAQs, RoboReception improves dental practice efficiency and patient care. Dr. Grant McAree, Director of RoboReception, explained that early on in his dental practice, he realized that reception issues due to fragmented technology, staff shortages, and overburdened teams, created a healthcare bottleneck, noting that: One-third of new patient calls go unanswered 75% of voicemails are never returned 80% of patients who can’t reach someone don’t leave messages This leads to significant lost revenue opportunities. RoboReception solves this problem by using AI to answer calls and book appointments automatically—providing 24/7 service. It’s a true partnership: RoboReception designs the agentic workflows; Wildix channel partner Focus Group handles deployment and integration; and Wildix delivers secure, AI-powered communications with real-time data synchronization to ensure compliance. The results speak for themselves. Dr. McAree shared that the next step is to expand the platform beyond dental practices to general practitioners, legal services, and hospitality. I spoke with Dr. McAree about how RoboReception helps dental practices, and future plans for expansion.   Closing Thoughts Wildix’s first analyst event was a welcome opportunity to learn more about a company many of us weren’t as familiar with, and understand how it differentiates in the crowded unified communications market. Key differentiators include: SMB focus Architectural flexibility (cloud, hybrid, or on-prem) and a single-tenant cloud architecture for enhanced security, privacy, and data sovereignty Deep European DNA, addressing privacy, sovereignty, and language needs 100% channel sales model - no channel conflict Specialized horizontal applications for sales and front-line/retail workers, including software and hardware Hardware and software solutions, including AI, APIs, plug-and-play phones, DECT, WiFI handsets, gateways, and Push-to-Talk headsets Built-in “contact center lite” capabilities A people-first culture with a distributed workforce and work-life balance After speaking with several channel partners, it’s clear that Wildix is deeply committed to enabling their success—empowering partners to integrate with third-party applications and rapidly develop and deploy AI-enabled solutions and workflows to best support their customers. The company will have to overcome some hurdles in a crowded unified communications space that is dominated by big names such as Microsoft, Cisco, Zoom, and others. As Wildix accelerates its North American expansion, expect to see the company to gain visibility and traction. With its channel-centric strategy and SMB-first approach, Wildix may not remain a European secret for long.

On our latest BCStrategies podcast, we did a recap of the recent NiCE 2025 Analyst Summit, held in Vienna. This was NiCE's first analyst summit with their new leadership team, and there was a lot to take in on many fronts. Along with Nicolas de Kouchkovsky and Tom Brannen, Jon Arnold moderated the discussion, and we shared our top takeaways from the event.

B usiness C ommunications S trategies Expert analysis, insights, and opinions Search BC Strategies Welcome to Business Communications Strategies (BCS), your go-to source for expert insights and guidance for enterprise success in Communications and Collaboration. Popular Tags Artificial Intelligence (14) 14 posts CCaaS (4) 4 posts Future of Work (2) 2 posts UCaaS (2) 2 posts Generative AI (2) 2 posts 8x8 (2) 2 posts Follow Us Featured Article Enterprise Connect 2025 – A Farewell to the Gaylord Palms Blair Pleasant 6 days ago 13 min read Quick Picks Latest Events Upcoming Events AI Videos Featured Expert New Expert Latest Research Latest Podcasts Latest Events Upcoming Events AI Videos Featured Expert New Expert Latest Research Latest Podcasts Latest Events Upcoming Events AI Videos Featured Expert New Expert Latest Research Latest Podcasts Latest Events Upcoming Events AI Videos Featured Expert New Expert Latest Research Latest Podcasts Latest Events Upcoming Events AI Videos Featured Expert New Expert Latest Research Latest Podcasts Latest Podcasts Key takeaways from Enterprise Connect 2025 - Part 2 Mar 28 Takeaways from Enterprise Connect 2025 (part 1) Mar 27 Latest Posts 8x8 Analyst Summit Takeaways – Track Some Mud on the Carpet My favorite line from A Complete Unknown – “ Don’t be afraid to track some mud on the carpet ”. My favorite line – and pretty much... Jon Arnold 30 minutes ago Q&A with Pete Lavache, Avaya CMO and Blair Pleasant, COMMfusion president and principal analyst Expert Blair Pleasant asks questions of Avaya's CMO Pete Lavache Blair Pleasant 4 hours ago Chalice AI: The DeepSeek of Ad Tech In this exclusive interview, Adam Heimlich, Founder and CEO of Chalice AI, breaks down how his company is disrupting the ad tech space by... David Maldow 23 hours ago Unified Communications & Collaboration The Future of Eye Contact in Video Calls: Which of These 3 Methods Works Best? David Maldow 23 hours ago 1 min read Vedubox: The All-in-One LMS with Zoom-Powered Live Classes David Maldow 23 hours ago 1 min read Customer Experience 8x8 Analyst Summit Takeaways – Track Some Mud on the Carpet Jon Arnold 30 minutes ago 8 min read Q&A with Pete Lavache, Avaya CMO and Blair Pleasant, COMMfusion president and principal analyst Blair Pleasant 4 hours ago 6 min read Artificial Intelligence Chalice AI: The DeepSeek of Ad Tech David Maldow 23 hours ago 1 min read RingCentral Analyst Summit 2025 Blair Pleasant Mar 11 4 min read Infrastructure Das AI: The Good, Bad, and Weird from My Week in Berlin Tom Brannen Sep 12, 2024 4 min read The AI Chefs With Kevin Kieller and David Maldow The AI Chefs: AI Kitchen Tools and Inspiration Rodizio Feb 17 The AI Chefs: A Deep Dive into DeepSeek Jan 30 AI Show With Rob Scott and Kevin Kieller AI Show - The Fifth Industrial Revolution and Why AI is Reshaping Everything Nov 27, 2024 AI Show - Is Ambient AI Watching You? The Rise of 'Always-on' Technology Nov 15, 2024

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Latest Events BC Strategies Expert analysis, insights, and opinions Recent Events Inside Enterprise Connect 2025: Conversations, Insights, and Industry Trends A Farewell to the Gaylord Palms In this article, BCStrategy Expert Blair Pleasant covers key announcements and news, and offering valuable insights through informative vendor interviews she conducted at Enterprise Connect 2025. Read More A Congregation of Thoughts Read BCStrategy Expert Kevin Kieller's high-level impressions and takeways from Enterprise Connect 2025. Read More Key Takeaways - Part 1 Join BCStrategies Experts Kevin Kieller, David Danto, Thomas Brannen, Jon Arnold, Melissa Swartz, Robert Harris, and Steve Leaden as they share their key takeaways from Enterprise Connect 2025, highlighting the most surprising revelations, compelling insights, and overarching themes shaping the event. View Here Key Takeaways - Part 2 In this podcast, BCStrategies Experts Blair Pleasant , David Maldow , and Martha Buyer discuss their key takeaways and insights from Enterprise Connect 2025, offering thoughtful observations on the event's most impactful moments. View Here