Insights

Key Takeaways from the 2018 Toll-Free User Summit

Oct 23, 2018

The 2018 Toll-Free User Summit (TFUS18) offered attendees the opportunity to join Toll-Free industry leaders and peers on a journey down The Path to Powerful Conversations. Not only did this journey provide attendees the chance to make new connections, gain new insights and make and explore new opportunities, it also paved the way for more meaningful customer conversations and experiences.

From Blake Morgan’s keynote on customer experience and the contact center to exciting, emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet Protocol (IP) and blockchain to our first ever signature conversation session with the FCC, TFUS18 offered an amazing range of thought leadership and knowledge exchange. With so many exciting topics covered, we summed up some of the key takeaways from the Summit:

The Future is NOW

New technologies are constantly hitting the marketplace and are increasingly changing the way in which we get things done. In the Toll-Free Industry, exciting technologies such as AI and IP are poised to optimize how we communicate with our customers. Technology like Google’s Dialogflow, an AI-powered conversational interface, has a demonstrated understanding of language and speech and the potential to simplify and optimize customer communication at the contact center. Similarly, IP is revolutionizing the industry by reducing overhead in a cost-efficient manner. It’s also shown that it can be more than simply a cost benefit – it provides a technological benefit, a fraud prevention benefit and more.

Change is HAPPENING

Exciting, vibrant ideas, specifically as it relates to Toll-Free, are all-around us and  at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Chief among the changes are the addition of an auction and secondary market into Toll-Free Number allocation. The change was prompted in part by the need to acknowledge the value of in-demand Toll-Free Numbers and ensure they are registered to organizations that will further build their value. In addition to changes at the FCC and the Toll-Free secondary market, speakers and panelists at TFUS18 also discussed in great depth changes that are happening in the contact center. From AI to improved data analytics and customer contextualizing, the contact center is transitioning from a simple call center to the nucleus of your customer and brand experience.

We are a THRIVING Community

Toll-Free Numbers are much more than simply digits we dial to reach a person or business – they are the foundation of genuine and meaningful connections. Not only were these connections made obvious by several presenters within the sessions and panels, but even more so through different events throughout the Summit including the Welcome Reception, the Evening GLOW Event and the Knowledge Bar & Expo Session. The Toll-Free Industry is truly made up of passionate professionals committed to connecting people to people and fostering the authentic experience that the modern consumer craves. As the most attended Summit to date, it’s clear that Toll-Free Numbers and the industry as a whole are strategically positioned for continued tremendous growth and opportunity.