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Now more than ever, businesses are moving towards agile workforces that aren’t tied to a location or device. Infrastructure and operations leaders are looking to create perimeterless workplaces that enhance operations while maintaining high security standards.

As we have seen over recent weeks, digital business requirements have accelerated the adoption of cloud services in order to support remote workers. Cisco’s video-conferencing Webex service registered a record 324 million attendees in March, with usage more than tripling in the APAC region. With workers switching from office PCs, to laptops in their home office, to smartphones or tablets in their living rooms, businesses need to ensure that they can do their job, no matter the device. This changing work style is described as a perimeterless workplace.

Mobile access to business tools require appropriate security precautions to ensure that access to information is controlled. With users transitioning between devices, networks, and applications, it can be difficult to maintain a seamless experience. By migrating to the cloud, organisations can enable these new ways of working without the need for local networks or VPNs and still maintain security standards. The adoption of cloud services allows users to be productive across a range of devices.

Removing perimeters with the cloud

Dubber cloud call recording and voice AI has been designed with remote work in mind from the very beginning. We connect to service providers directly through their networks: capturing calls directly from the source and securely storing them in the cloud, with no need for any on-premise equipment. With no up-front investment required, companies can access our call recording and voice AI services on an affordable monthly subscription. Businesses of all sizes can connect to our services through their telecommunications provider, with no minimums to prohibit smaller firms or self-employed workers. With global data centres, recorded calls are protected by the latest cloud security protocols while maintaining data sovereignty. Not only can calls be captured across fixed-lines and mobiles, with the appropriate permissions they can be securely accessed from any device or location.

Access and security permissions

In order to ensure information security, access management must be put in place for remote workers. Traditionally, access to data may have been restricted to internal networks within offices or corporate-owned devices. Within a perimeterless workplace, access is granted to specific users through authentication, authorisation, and single sign-on.

Within the Dubber platform, permissions settings and team structures are put in place to restrict access to recorded call content. Depending on the permissions status of the user, they may be able to listen to no call content, only their own calls, or the calls of their team. You can read more about our security practices on our security page.

Application integrations

Users working across devices and locations expect a seamless experience. They want to be able to use the same applications wherever they are working. This is why we made the Dubber portal available to use as a mobile app, desktop app, or through a web browser. Our open API also allows for integration with existing business tools, allowing recorded content to be accessible from applications that users already feel comfortable with. Integrations with CRM systems enable organisations to create detailed customer profiles with recorded calls and their transcripts stored alongside other information.

For more information on how our cloud services can be implemented across a remote workforce, talk to one of our team today.

Unifying your business communications is more important than ever before. With the COVID-19 pandemic disrupting working practices, and telecommunications services providers such as Telstra beginning to disconnect older technologies such as ISDN services in Australia, many businesses may be thinking about migrating to a scalable unified communications solution in order to remain connected.

It is expected that cloud communication solutions will replace services such as ISDN, offering significant savings and flexibility for businesses. Voice services will be easier to manage remotely, and the same communications can be deployed across multiple locations for greater integration and resilience. Connecting through the cloud, rather than physical phone lines, frees employees to work remotely. Cloud solutions also allow for omnichannel communications, which are particularly important for businesses as customers increasingly expect to be able to contact companies by a variety of methods.

What is ISDN and why is it being shut down?

The first telephone networks, built in the 19th century, were made of copper phone lines that sent voice data. This technology makes up the public switched telephone network (PSTN), which has been used ever since. The integrated services digital network (ISDN) uses these copper wires to digitally transmit voice and data.

In Australia, the National Broadband Network (nbn™) is superseding older technology such as ISDN. The nbn™ is a nationwide project funded by the Federal Government. The project aims to provide every home and business with fast and reliable internet with the intention that any new telephone networks will now be IP (internet protocol) based. While this means that traditional devices that do not support IP services will not be compatible, there are many benefits to embracing this new technology. Similar initiatives are taking place around the world.

Will my business need to change phone system, and what are the options?

Businesses with ISDN phone systems will need to make some changes, but these needn’t be drastic. In fact, the shutdown can be seen as an opportunity to upgrade organisational communications and save money at the same time. A transition to next-generation communications has the potential to increase flexibility as well as introduce greater functionality.

Many existing phone systems are compatible with SIP (session initiation protocol) solutions, which also allow organisations to add lines as required without the need for additional infrastructure. SIP channels, sometimes called SIP trunking, are easy to set up: the only requirement is a reliable internet connection with the bandwidth to support voice services, creating a virtual telephone line. A hosted IP phone system is a commitment-free alternative to an on-premise phone system. These solutions use an internet connection to provide the usual functionality of a phone system, without the maintenance charges associated with an on-premise system.

VoIP (voice over internet protocol) systems are hosted in the cloud, and are easy to install and maintain as they don’t require physical hardware. These systems use the internet to carry voice data, without on-premise equipment. VoIP doesn’t even require physical phones: softphones can transform a computer into a phone using software.

Future proof your business

While moving your communications to an entirely new solution may sound daunting, the benefits well outweigh any short term (and mild) inconvenience. Modern voice technology like SIP and VoIP can offer huge savings, as well as greater flexibility, scalability, portability, and security. Soft clients on devices enable workers to take all the capabilities of the office with them, wherever they go. Where traditional phone lines required installation in new locations, with IP-based services telephone lines can be easily added and removed, and can be of a higher quality. This future-proofs businesses for any growth, as handsets and portable devices can be connected instantly.

VoIP systems enable mobility through single number reach, allowing users to be reached on one number across multiple devices. VoIP can also incorporate a range of communication methods, such as video conferencing, email, and instant messaging into one solution. This consolidation of communication is referred to as unified communications (UC). Unified communications can bring cost savings and facilitate increased productivity, with users able to work from any location with an internet connection.

VoIP also provides greater potential for business continuity, as it’s not tied to any on-premise hardware. Calls can be diverted easily between locations in case sites are unreachable. UC that is completely hosted in the cloud is referred to as unified communications as a service (UCaaS). A whole range of communication and collaboration applications and services can be deployed through the cloud, and consolidating these services can often simplify billing into a fixed package; making costs more predictable.

To find out more about the kinds of services we offer that can be integrated into a UCaaS solution, get in touch with a member of our team today.

Dubber and Verizon align to add Call Recording and Artificial Intelligence (AI) Service into Verizon Virtual Communications Express (VCE)

How often do businesses ask their customers what they want? The people who use products and services are a valuable source of information for product development or business direction. Many businesses spend thousands of dollars on external market research, but what if companies already had these customer insights? Customers call a business for two main reasons: when they want answers, and when they are unhappy. These are rich sources of insights for companies looking for ways to improve their business. If organisations were to turn to their customer calls, they might uncover the secrets to success.

Increasing self-service

Customer phone calls are a great place to start when trying to understand what people want or need from a business. Aggregating the key themes from this call data allows businesses to cater to these needs through other communication channels. Data analysis of customer calls can identify common questions that can be answered on the company website or even programmed into chatbots, leaving more resources to deal with more complex queries. With huge amounts of voice data captured within phone calls, there is a rich mine of untapped insights that can inform FAQ pages and anticipate common queries through statistical analysis such as topic modelling.

Preventing complaints

Another area holding great potential for business improvement is customer complaint calls. If businesses understand why customers are calling they can prevent those issues. With Dubber AI, calls are rated by sentiment — giving a positive, negative, or neutral score for each section of the conversation and the entire call. Businesses can isolate negative calls to better understand the concerns or issues that customers may have with their products, services, or experience. Common problems can be identified and prioritised for improvement, preventing future complaints, leading to happier customers and reducing churn.

Dubber AI and Automated Alerts

Not only does Dubber AI help businesses learn from the historical data held within their calls and allow them to identify trends and common issues, with new automated alerts, designated users can receive custom notifications about their calls. Alerts can be created to notify users when calls with a certain sentiment rating have been made, allowing businesses to know as soon as a customer has had a bad experience so they can follow up immediately. Keyword alerts can also be customised to notify users when a specific word or phrase has been spoken on a call. Potential churn candidates can be identified when a competitor name is mentioned, and alerts can also be set up for specific callers so that VIP customers trigger a notification.

Want to learn more about how Dubber AI can identify business improvements? Talk to a member of our team.

Guest blog written by Mikka Hendra

The current global challenges put a spotlight on IT and IT services – like cloud, Unified Communications, Call Recording, anything and everything surrounding the dramatic movement of staff to home working environments.

While our team is so grateful to be healthy and still able to work, their new challenges have become convincing the kids not to use up the household WiFi downloads for TikTok and Tiger King and remembering they only dressed their upper half for Webex Calls!

Dubber continues to work around the clock to accelerate the global movement to #WorkingFromHome. However despite this global movement, our staff found themselves struggling with basic physical movement besides moving themselves to the fridge and back, while WFH.

The Management team saw an opportunity to optimise the way we worked in these new times and decided to create the Dubber Wellness Hub | Supporting physical distancing, social connection + positive WFH lifestyles.

The Hub was built and rolled out to our workforce as a social health and wellness Hub providing our team with a means for connection, mental health support and resources, general ISO tips, tricks and ideas during physical distancing for COVID-19.

This initiative saw the creation of the Dubber Wellness schedule which includes daily Webex chats by the “office e-water cooler”, online fortnightly health coach wellness coach tips with Jessica Duchesne, UberEats vouchers for a fortnightly team lunch via video, team meditation facilitated by “conscious comedian” Jeremy Carne and after checking on the corporate insurance policy, guided yoga and fitness classes by yours truly.

Along with wellness, we started a weekly themed ‘Bad Fashion Fridays’ competition, dressed in our fashion fails for the day’s video conference meetings. The team look forward to ending the week with some humour at their co-workers expense, before recapping on our Friday Happy Hour chat.

With a new focus on nurturing our teams mental and physical health from a distance, we feel our workforce is becoming closer and more productive than ever and encourage any workplaces still able to work, to rethink how your team connects during this time.

We are pleased to report significant growth for the first half of the 2020 financial year. Highlights include a revenue increase of 125% to $4.5 million, a 79% increase in end user subscribers to 122 549, a contracted annualised recurring revenue of $10.66 million, and 123 service provider agreements, of which 65 are now at the billing stage. During this period we also acquired our first Cisco Webex Calling customers and are on track to be listed on the Cisco price list this month, which will allow seamless order entry within the global Cisco partner channel.

Another highlight was signing an agreement with tier 1 US carrier Sprint Corporation. While we are still in the early stages of growth, securing tier 1 global carriers and our revenue demonstrates that our global strategy is delivering high-quality income streams.

A uniquely placed global operation
We have grown our business operations significantly in preparation for future market opportunities: recruiting team members across executive, sales, and product levels. Many of these new staff members worked closely with us in previous roles with major partners, including Cisco, BroadSoft, AT&T and Telstra, and bring with them significant industry experience. We are a global operation, well positioned to enable service providers to capitalise on the valuable asset of voice data. We believe that transcription, which forms that basis of voice AI and analysis, will become an expected standard feature. We are uniquely placed to deliver this capability to service providers.

Second half FY20 outlook
We expect strong growth in the second half of the 2020 financial year. We expect several verticals to reach the revenue generation stage. Now that our platform is embedded in the Cisco order entry system, we believe this will contribute significantly to our ongoing revenue. Last month we signed an agreement with Telstra, making Dubber available to Telstra customers in Australia. We expect this to underpin similar agreements with new carriers in 2020.

Advances in technology have facilitated a whole host of business developments, increasing efficiency and driving productivity across a variety of industries. But the benefits of such technological improvements are mostly confined to large enterprises who are able to invest in new solutions. Often small businesses face insurmountable barriers to adopting new technology, such as lack of resources, difficulty or reluctance to move away from legacy solutions, and worries about maintaining business continuity.

Future-proofing with the cloud

For service providers and value-added resellers (VARs), the small and medium business (SMB) market can be easy to neglect when faced with obstacles that prevent them from adopting new technology. However, the cloud is providing solutions that can help service providers and VARs to access this market and open up a whole new range of customers. The flexibility and accessibility of cloud solutions break down the obstacles that previously prevented small businesses from adopting new technology. Employees have grown accustomed to using the cloud in everyday life and they now expect to at work, so a move to the cloud is no longer such a daunting prospect.

Resources

Before the advent of the cloud, adopting new technology required not just a financial investment but allocation of other resources including time, trained staff, and physical space. Moving to a new solution meant investing in new hardware and software, along with installation. Deploying new technology often requires a lengthy installation process, along with specially trained staff, ongoing maintenance, and the physical space required to store any hardware such as servers.

Cloud software as a service (SaaS) solutions break down these barriers, allowing service providers and VARs to offer products and services on tailored monthly subscription plans that require no upfront investment from SMBs. Even traditional software companies like Microsoft now offer packages such as their Office product suite as SaaS. Where customers would once have bought a CD to install each new version on their computer, cloud versions can apply updates automatically and are transferable between devices. Cloud solutions require no hardware, meaning no need for specially trained staff, maintenance or storage space. Businesses can also start using the services immediately with no delays created by installation processes.

Legacy solutions

Although small businesses are known for their agility, when it comes to adopting new technology they may be unwilling to move to a different service if they have previously invested heavily in a legacy solution. Service providers and VARs could offer a compromise with a solution that enhances what they already have, without requiring a complete overhaul.

Business continuity

There are often worries about business continuity when considering adopting new technology. Cloud solutions often facilitate a smooth transition, with much shorter implementation periods and open APIs allowing integration with existing systems.

Dubber and the cloud

Dubber call recording and voice AI are great examples of how the cloud can help small businesses adopt new technology. Our services are all available on a monthly subscription, with no upfront investment, hardware, or trained staff required. We connect directly to the network to capture voice data, so businesses do not need to install any equipment on premise or worry about maintenance or storage space. We understand that businesses may not want to part with expensive legacy equipment and so we also work with businesses who want to keep their on-premise solutions, extracting the voice data for transcription and analytics. Our open API allows companies to integrate call data into their existing systems, ensuring business processes continue to run smoothly.

Telstra and Dubber Sign Agreement for cloud call recording and AI on Business Telephony and mobile services

Can you tell the difference between an Australian saying ‘a boat’, an American saying ‘a bat’, someone from the UK saying ‘a boot’ and a Canadian saying ‘about’? Google can.

Here at Dubber, we have a team dedicated to expanding our AI capabilities. We know that in today’s global economy, where businesses operate from locations around the world, English speakers don’t all speak like the Queen of England (no matter how many episodes of The Crown we watch). We want to ensure that our voice AI can support businesses in their global operations, with transcription that covers not just variants of English but other languages spoken by millions around the world.

That’s why we added Google’s Speech-to-Text machine learning product to our suite of transcription engines, so that we can deliver the best transcription capabilities across the broadest set of languages and accents.

Transcription with unparalleled accuracy

Adding Google’s transcription means we can now support a wider range of languages, including Dutch, French, Spanish, German, Mandarin, Portuguese, and six regional variants of English. This will allow us to serve more of the world with our cloud call recording and voice AI. Google Speech-to-Text applies powerful neural network models to transcribe audio from a variety of sources with high levels of accuracy. These deep-learning algorithms are under constant improvement, with ever-increasing accuracy.

Google Speech-to-Text is now available on Dubber as a premium AI engine. Want to learn more about how you can access the benefits of transcription powered by Google? Talk to our team today.