Mitel Recalibrates Contact Center Strategy

Pivots toward providing options for standalone contact center upgrades and integrated UC-CC solutions.
Today Mitel announced an addition to its contact center portfolio described as, "entirely over-the-top with no software or equipment to deploy." MiCloud Engage Contact Center signals a strategic departure in the company's approach to the contact center market.
At the last industry analyst meeting in October 2016, Mitel CEO Rich McBee very explicitly told analysts that Mitel was interested in the "attach" contact center market -- i.e., attached to unified communications requirements. The stand-alone market--projects where only the contact center software was being replaced--was not something the company was interested in pursuing.
A lot can change in two years.
In a one-on-one briefing about today's announcements with Jon Brinton, senior vice president of customer experience solutions at Mitel, he redefined the "attach" market: "We really focus our investment dollars and are known for building collaborative contact centers that integrate contact center with our unified communications."
The term "collaborative contact center" is not new. It's been used for the past couple of years by analysts and vendors, most notably by RingCentral in its contact center announcement at Enterprise Connect in March. What is new is Mitel's recognition that there's value in an enterprise communications company having a contact-center-as-a-service (CCaaS) offer for both integrated and dedicated use cases. Brinton continued, "We are seeing more and more customers and more market demand for standalone contact center as a service. The benchmarks are Nice inContact, Five9, Genesys PureCloud, and others that are selling CCaaS without the integration."
But Brinton was quick to add that the addition of a CCaaS solution is not just based on a view of the competitive landscape. Mitel is finding more customers are investing in customer experience, Brinton said.
"It's just a fact of the market that in some cases companies are very happy with their PBX and unified communications applications," he said. "It works well enough and accomplishes the goals they have, but when it gets to customers, they are going to put more dollars there."
There is also a recognition by Mitel that the buying decisions for UC and contact center are "disintermediated," not as connected as they were in the past.
The above graphic reinforces Brinton's comments, highlighting that MiCloud Engage Contact Center is available with all of Mitel's unified communications (UC) solutions--premises and cloud--as well as to customers with competitor communications systems wanting to upgrade just the contact center.
The public cloud-delivered (AWS) MiCloud Engage Contact Center is being white-labeled from a prominent provider that has consistently appeared in the Magic Quadrant for Contact Center as a Service, North America. It works with any call control platform and integrates with several of the popular cloud CRM applications. Mitel has been selling the solution in the market for the past few months in a "soft launch," and reports that it has already closed several deals. MiCloud Engage Contact Center is available initially from the North American AWS zone but can support agents globally.
As we design the program for the contact center track at Enterprise Connect 2019, we will explore the issues of standalone versus integrated contact center solutions. The issue is certainly top of mind based on some recent Twitter posts by Cisco Collaboration CTO Jonathan Rosenberg and Five9 CEO Rowan Trollope.
Source: nojitter

Latest Jobs
-
- Identity Channel Partner Manager | London
- London
- N/A
-
Identity Channel Partner Manager | London Location: South East UK (commutable to London) We are working with a Cyber Security business who are looking for a Channel Partner Manager to drive and grow relationships across their identity ecosystem. Prior experience working within VARs, distributors, vendors or resellers in the identity space is essential. You must have experience working with technologies such as CyberArk, Sailpoint, Okta etc Responsibilities will include, but not be limited to: Build, maintain and develop strong relationships with channel partners. Work closely with partner sales teams to support growth drive sales opportunities. Identify and onboard new partners while strengthening existing partnerships. Act as the key point of contact for all channel-related activity. If you are an experienced channel professional, with experience in the Identity space and are ready for your next challenge, apply today.
-
- Service Architect- DACH regions
- Germany
- Upto €110,000 plus bonus and benefits
-
Lead Service Architect with the authority and experience to take control of complex, multi-million-euro outsourcing bids. This role is about leading the Service/ solutioning effort, bringing structure to chaos, and driving the entire bid team to deliver winning proposals. The company area a global managed services business working with enterprise and public sector clients, across Cloud, End-User Computing, Digital Workplace, Service Desk, and Network Infrastructure. What You’ll Do: Lead Service/ solution design from qualification to contract. Control bid teams — architects, pricing, delivery, and SMEs. Break down RFPs/RFIs into actionable, costed, client-ready solutions. Present internally and to clients at decision-maker level. Run solution workshops, own the architecture, and shape the financial model. You’ll Need: Experience working as a Service architect, Service Manager or Customer Success Manager R Gravitas to lead and drive teams through high-stakes bids. Deep knowledge of managed services delivery and commercial models. Strong technical grasp: Cloud, Security, EUC, Unified Comms, Service Desk, and more. Experience leading deals across onshore, offshore, and hybrid delivery models.
-
- Deal Architect- DACH region
- Germany
- Upto €110,000 plus bonus and benefits
-
Lead Deal Architect with the authority and experience to take control of complex, multi-million-euro outsourcing bids. This role is about leading the solutioning/ Service effort, bringing structure to chaos, and driving the entire bid team to deliver winning proposals. The company is a global managed services business providing solutions to enterprise and public sector clients, across Cloud, End-User Computing, Digital Workplace, Service Desk, and Network Infrastructure. What You’ll Do: Lead the deal from qualification to contract. Control bid teams — architects, pricing, delivery, and SMEs. Break down RFPs/RFIs into actionable, costed, client-ready solutions. Present internally and to clients at decision-maker level. Run solution workshops, own the architecture, and shape the financial model. Be responsible for the service Wrap and ensuring the Service meets clients requirements You’ll Need: A back ground with IT Services Experience in a similar type of role, for example: Deal, Service, or Solution Architect in ICT outsourcing. Gravitas to lead and drive teams through high-stakes bids. Deep knowledge of managed services delivery and commercial models. Strong technical knowledge: Cloud, Security, EUC, Unified Comms, Service Desk, and more. Experience leading deals across onshore, offshore, and hybrid delivery models.
-
- Pre Sales Lead- IT Services
- Germany
- Upto €100,000 plus benefits
-
As the Pre-Sales Lead (Sales Engineer/ Solution Architect) you will drive large-scale ICT managed services and outsourcing deals (from €0.5M to €20M+). You'll work directly with Business Development and clients to design high-impact solutions across Cloud (Azure, IaaS, SaaS, PaaS), EUC, Unified Comms, Security (SIEM, PAM), Networks, and Smart Workplaces. What You’ll Do: Lead the end-to-end pre-sales cycle — from RFI/RFP to contract. Design innovative, client-specific solutions with technical & commercial impact. Present at CxO level and steer proposal strategies & financial models. Collaborate closely with Portfolio, Service Desk, Field, and Digital Workplace teams. Support deal shaping with strong knowledge of ITIL, SIAM, Automation, and cost analysis. What You’ll Bring: Have strong experience in pre-sales or solution architecture. Experience with €M+ managed service deals. Deep technical expertise in modern ICT stack and enterprise IT services. Strong German (C1) and English communication skills. Certifications: ITIL v3/v4 required; SIAM, ISO20000 desirable.