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AWS is coming for the call center

Welcome to Protocol | Enterprise, your comprehensive roundup of everything you need to know about the week in cloud and enterprise software. This Monday: AWS answers the call, tech workers head back to the office and, JEDI or not, the Army's moving to the cloud.
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AWS is quickly becoming a juggernaut in the rush among enterprises to digitize the call center.
After being disappointed by the options available in the marketplace, the company decided to build its own software. That would eventually become Connect, which launched publicly in 2017.
Now, it's one of the fastest-growing services in AWS history, according to Vice President Larry Augustin.
Those numbers still put Connect behind rivals. Five9, 8x8 and Genesys have more mature offerings, while Connect is still at an early stage. But it's easy to see how the company could quickly close that gap.
Amazon is expanding fast here, but there's room for others. Industry leaders don't expect to compete too directly with AWS.
AWS faces some hurdles. Many large organizations, for example, have invested significantly in their existing call center software over the years to customize it for their specific business needs.
Business is booming all around. Many contact-center software companies have equally robust offerings. They just need to move more customers to the cloud.
Amazon has the tendency to cause mass hysteria when it enters a new market. Some of it is warranted, some of it isn't. (See health care or video games.)
Over the long term, client relationships will prove crucial. Genesys and Five9 have much longer-standing relationships with customers. And it's an area that organizations are hesitant to overhaul given the vital role the call center plays in connecting with customers. But the attention AWS is putting on growing Connect should worry rivals.
— Joe Williams
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What was your first tech job?
Fresh off graduating from UC Santa Barbara, I started my first tech job at Netscape. I helped lead product marketing initiatives for Netscape's ecommerce products and also its efforts on the enterprise side. I'm grateful that I was able to be a part of that experience and see what early innovation actually looked like.
What's the best piece of advice you could give to someone starting their first tech job?
I think it's important to be conscientious about not following the path of success all the time. This is important because people may not always be aware of the mistakes that they or others have made along the way. If you're able to truly examine yourself at your own speed, you can see the areas where you can learn, adapt and grow. Additionally, it's important to learn from others' mistakes so find some trusted supporters to help you.
Pick one piece of software you can't live without.
Prior to COVID, I'm sure I would have stated one of the professional networking or personal social networking apps, but now it has to easily be one of the many apps I use for various meat, seafood and other ingredients to help fulfill my culinary needs. I often use Crowd Cow, Water2Table and others to ensure I can help local businesses as well as procure the highest quality of ingredients.
What was the first computer that made you realize the power of computing and connectivity?
Ever since I was able to put together our first computer from a kit and could use basic word programs and experience primitive computer games on floppy disks, I was intrigued by how it worked and the possibilities going forward. However, I think it wasn't until the release and our ownership of the Macintosh computer in middle school that it became really obvious.
Will the pandemic usher in a new era of remote working, or will we all come back together when it is safe to do so?
I think it's very clear that a new era of remote working is already here. I know some folks are anxious to get back to the office — I am one of those — but for others this will be the new reality, so I think it's important to respect the comfort level of your employees and work to create a distributed collaborative environment that supports them no matter where they're working. Additionally, I think this will dramatically change the traditional way that technology products and services are marketed and sold … in fact, it has already.
Thanks for reading — see you Thursday.
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