Catching Up with David Smith

Summary

On this episode of Catching Up with, The Collab Collective's Craig Durr talks with David Smith, Founder and Principal Analyst of InFlow Analysis, at Zoomtopia 2024. They dive into the highlights of Zoomtopia, reflecting on the major "strikes" Zoom bowled this year—from AI innovations to vertical solutions and partner ecosystem integrations.

Their Discussion Covers:

• AI Advancements: Craig Durr and David Smith discuss Zoom AI Companion's growth, highlighting its impact on workflows and its continued availability at no additional cost.
• Vertical Strategy: David emphasizes how Zoom’s platform tailors to industries like education and healthcare, aligning with specific workforce needs.
• Workflow Enhancements: Craig highlights the integration of tools like ServiceNow and Salesforce, while David underscores the value of customizable workflows.
• Partner Ecosystem: Both Craig and David explore how Zoom is expanding its SDKs, APIs, and ISV relationships to create a robust ecosystem for workplace collaboration.

Transcript

Craig Durr: Everyone, this is Craig Durr, Chief Analyst and Founder of The Collab Collective. We're still here in Zoomtopia, and I've got my friend David Smith.

David Smith: Hey!

Craig Durr: Principal Analyst with InFlow Analysis. We're at a post event, obviously. It's a social event. Little bowling, right?

David Smith: Little bowling, man.

Craig Durr: We thought of making this into a fun analyst to analyst conversation. We're going to talk about, in the spirit of bowling, what strikes Zoom bowled in this event.

David Smith: I like that.

Craig Durr: What were some of those top wins they had?

David Smith: I think that today, it’s showing the full platform–the union of EX and CX with Workvivo and Zoom Contact Center, right?

Craig Durr: Let's call it their win, their strike here. They really hammered home their AI skill this time. So last year, you and I were here when they first introduced AI Companion, right? And there's a lot of people saying, “I don't understand.” “It's gonna be free.” “How are you gonna make this into a valuable system?” I think with 2.0, they showed not only can they continue to improve it, but still continue to keep it free, right?

David Smith: That's right.

Craig Durr: Some of the ways they've integrated this down and brought it more front and center in the workflow, I think is really important.

David Smith: This gets no additional cost for AI Companion.

Craig Durr: Alright, you're up next. What’s yours? What did they do well?

David Smith: I think today, it’s getting the vertical story.

Craig Durr: That’s a great one. The vertical story is very impressive.

David Smith: So we have education, healthcare, right? I think Zoom has three riders–how do they mesh to a particular workforce and verticals? That's the key.

Craig Durr: I think they hit really well. I really liked–enjoyed their context in your story. I don't know, so we had the demo that we sat in on before the event. They didn't talk about it much at the keynote, right? But they really had this great AI story, and they're going against the likes of dedicated players, you know? Nice, Five9, what have you. And I think they could go toe-for-toe against some of these vendors. What do you think?

David Smith: I think so. I agree.

Craig Durr: Yeah. I mean, some of the key things I saw was the workflow–the way I was pulling in information and the integrations through the ecosystem.

David Smith: And then the workflows with Companion. Customize your workflows.

Craig Durr: Alright, and the presentation of our last and final Zoom strike, tell me something that you like that they did really well today.

David Smith: I love that they're building out their partner ecosystem with the integrations.

Craig Durr: That’s right! We’ve talked a little bit about this before. Tell me what you liked about it.

David Smith: So I love that they integrated with all the different business application vendors, so there’s Microsoft, Google–all the workplace vendors. They're tying it to all those platforms.

Craig Durr: Yeah. Of course, they had Salesforce, but they also had ServiceNow. So a combination of those SDKs and the APIs, and they're doing this across their ISV ecosystem. But what was nice is they also have the workflow they have now, which is automatic triggers. And they incorporate that workflow with some of these ISP partners.

David Smith: Indeed, yeah. And at one point, especially on the CRM front, does Zoom do this themselves?

Craig Durr: Stay tuned for that.

David Smith: We'll see.

Craig Durr: Let's call it a wrap here. Alright. David, I think this has been a great adventure. And I think they did a good job. They bowled some strikes this time, right?

David Smith: Yeah, they got some strikes in.

Craig Durr: Alright. Everyone, this is Craig Durr with The Collab Collective, and…

David Smith: Dave Mario Smith–InFlow Analysis.

Craig Durr: Thank you so much. We'll bring you more from Zoomtopia. Take care.