About this video

• Video Title: BIG UC Update: Mitel's strategic focus on hybrid communications with CMO Eric Hanson
• Channel: UC Today News
• Speakers: Rob Scott, Eric Hanson
• Duration: 00:30:53

Overview

This video features an interview with Eric Hanson, Chief Marketing Officer at Mitel, where he discusses the company's strategic direction, evolving customer strategies, and their approach to hybrid work and customer engagement. Hanson shares insights into his background, what energizes him as a CMO, Mitel's market position, go-to-market strategy, key products like Mitel CX and Workflow Studio, and future opportunities in communications, particularly for frontline workers and through AI integration.

Key takeaways

• Mitel's Strategic Focus: Mitel is focusing on hybrid communications, aiming to help organizations integrate these strategies to deliver tangible business value.
• Eric Hanson's Background: Hanson brings a unique perspective to his CMO role, with experience spanning enterprise sales, product management, product marketing, and as a former customer.
• Customer-Centric Approach: Mitel prioritizes understanding and solving real business problems for customers, rather than just pushing technology. The company emphasizes "the truth is in the field."
• Hybrid Deployment Flexibility: Mitel offers solutions that can be deployed in various ways, including public cloud, private cloud, and even on-premises, to meet diverse customer requirements.
• Key Products and Innovations: Mitel CX, a contact center solution, and Workflow Studio, designed for business workflows and communication integration, are highlighted as significant innovations.
• Focus on Frontline Workers: There's a significant opportunity to better serve frontline workers with tailored solutions that integrate communications and business technologies.
• Role of AI: AI is viewed as an enabling technology that can enhance business workflows and customer experiences when used effectively.
• Partner Ecosystem: Mitel relies heavily on its partner community and in-house services organization to support customers throughout their journey.
• Ideal Customer Profile: Mitel serves demanding industries such as healthcare, public sector, banking, and retail, where flexibility, control, security, and resiliency are paramount.
• Future Outlook: Mitel is in a strong position following a restructuring, with a clean balance sheet and opportunities to innovate in hybrid work, frontline worker solutions, and AI-driven workflows.

Eric Hanson views AI as an important enabling technology in the UC space that unlocks significant benefits when used correctly. He believes that AI will drive a lot of innovation, particularly in business workflows, and will be crucial for empowering frontline workers by integrating communications and adjacent business technologies into their specific roles. He also notes that as a marketer, AI can be a valuable tool for content creation, automating mundane tasks, and personalizing messages for specific audiences.