Strat Xtra Technology Podcast

Branded caller ID eliminates phone tag, boosts contact center ROI

In this episode of Strat Xtra, Stratosphere Senior Vice President of Advisory Services Kendra Karczewski sits down the Matt Haan, vice president of channel and partnerships for Hiya, to discuss branded caller ID. Be sure to tune in to learn about the benefits of identifying outbound calls, top industries and use cases for the solution, and how Hiya in particular helps their clients maximize their contact center ROI.

How to future-proof your business and enhance CX with Vonage

In this episode of Strat Xtra, Stratosphere Senior Vice President of Advisory Services Zach Hester talks cloud communications with Vonage Senior Account Executive Matt Dorsett. Tune in to learn about what makes Vonage stand out compared to other suppliers, the provider’s goals and plans for the rest of 2023, the potential impact of generative AI in the contact center space, and more.

Insights from AVANT's Senior Director of Security

In this episode of Strat Xtra, Stratosphere Networks Senior Vice President of Advisory Services Zach Hester connects with Stephen Semmelroth, senior director of security for AVANT Communications, about AVANT’s recent 6-12 report on the NIST Cybersecurity Framework. Tune in to learn why AVANT decided to recommend the NIST framework and zero trust has emerged as the go-to approach for companies combating evolving threats.

GoTo Offers the Essentials: Unified Communications and Remote IT Support

In this episode of Strat Xtra, Stratosphere Senior Vice President of Advisory Services Joe Williams sits down with GoTo Partner Enablement Manager James Bates to discuss what inspired the supplier to rebrand, how the GoTo Essentials bundle offers the best of both worlds, what’s in store for 2023, and more.

Delivering managed IT services the Splice way

In this episode of Strat Xtra, Stratosphere Senior Vice President of Advisory Services Zach Hester sits down with Andy Coan, co-founder, president, and CEO of Splice Communications. Be sure to tune in to hear about Splice’s journey from telecom reseller to managed service provider, what it means to serve clients and vendors the Splice way, cybersecurity, predictions for 2023, and more.

How Dialpad addresses employee engagement, retention and satisfaction

In this episode of Strat X-tra, Stratosphere enterprise technology advisor Kendra Karczewski discusses employee engagement with Dan Ring, regional channel manager for the Midwest with Dialpad. Tune in to hear about how contact center software features like automation, transcription, and AI-powered real-time assist cards can enhance agent coaching and subsequently improve retention rates.

Why a Wholesale Food Distributor Decided to Outsource IT to Stratosphere

In this episode of Strat Xtra, Stratosphere senior technology advisor Joe Williams talks to Bob Bergadon, controller at Nealey Foods, about what made the wholesale food distributor opt for fully outsourced IT after years of ad-hoc support from Stratosphere. Joe and Bob discuss Nealey Foods’ IT support journey, that “ah ha” moment when outsourcing made sense, and how working with Stratosphere has impacted the business. Be sure to tune in to hear the whole story!

Direct Sales vs Trusted Advisor

Direct sales are dying as people prefer to work with unbiased trusted advisors. In this episode, Stratosphere CEO Steve Melchiorre discusses the advantages of working with trusted advisors, notable trends in the IT and telecom spaces, what makes Stratosphere’s advisory services stand out, the future of trusted advisor services, and more.

Dental Marketing Agency Finds Ideal UCaaS Solution Through Stratosphere

In this episode of Strat Xtra, Stratosphere senior technology advisor Zach Hester chats with Dan Palka, senior developer for Clue Dental Marketing, about how Stratosphere's team rapidly identified a Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) solution that met Clue Dental's communication needs. The marketing agency went from having separate phone plans for each employee to an easy-to-administer, professional and cost-effective system with RingCentral. Be sure to tune in for the full story!

The Advantages of Outsourcing IT to a Managed Service Provider

In this episode of Strat Xtra, Stratosphere enterprise technology advisor Kendra Karczewski sits down with Stratosphere CEO Steve Melchiorre to discuss the many advantages of outsourcing some or all of your IT functions to a managed service provider (MSP). Steve offers insights into how MSPs can help businesses grappling with challenges such as evolving security threats, the rapid pace of change in the world of technology, and staffing issues (e.g., the Great Resignation and the rising cost of hiring and maintaining an in-house IT team).

Post Covid-19 Security Initiatives

In today's work-from-anywhere era, you need a secure remote work strategy to safeguard your data and infrastructure. In this episode, we talk to Stratosphere Networks President and CIO Kevin Rubin about why zero-trust network architecture has emerged as the go-to solution for companies looking to accommodate a distributed workforce.

What makes 8x8 an 800-pound gorilla in the cloud communications space

In this episode of Strat Xtra, Stratosphere senior technology advisor Joe Williams discusses Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS), Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS) and Experience Communications as a Service (XCaaS) with Alex Brickman, a channel account manager for 8x8. Listen in on their conversation to learn how 8x8 stands out and supports hybrid workforces with a single platform for all end users' communication needs.

RingCentral CX Expert Comments on Cloud Contact Center Trends

In this episode of Strat Xtra, Stratosphere enterprise technology advisor Kendra Karczewski connects with Holly Zinn, director of CX channel sales for RingCentral, to discuss the world of Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS). Tune in for insights into the benefits of having a single vendor for all your contact center solutions, how the right platform can lead to a higher first contact resolution rate, what's next for CCaaS technology, and more.

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