The Rise of Mobility: empowering mobile collaboration from anywhere (Part 2)

In my earlier post, I introduced Webex Go with AT&T. It’s our new, groundbreaking joint solution that gives a mobile phone the same Webex collaboration features and useability of other Cisco collaboration devices – like your desk phone. It provides greater inclusion when working remotely because it normalizes the collaboration experience with users throughout the company. There’s no need to unlock your phone and open the Webex app anymore to receive a call. You simply place and receive phone calls through the device’s native dialer and can join meetings easily. Cisco and AT&T are together setting a new standard for business mobile communications and collaboration.

Despite reports that companies are requiring their teams to return to the office, a growing number offer permanent hybrid and remote working arrangements. This could mean fewer office days, more flexibility on days in the office, and better support for full-time remote workers. In fact, PWC’s 2022 Global Workforce Study found that 62% of employees prefer a mix of in-office and remote work arrangements.

There’s no way to mandate around the new normal: hybrid work. To avoid alienating employees and keeping them fully engaged, companies need to invest in the right communication tools. Metrigy’s 2023-24 Workplace Collaboration Study found that over 44% of calls have shifted from desktop to mobile devices. It’s clear that businesses need to find a better way to support mobility. This may come with some initial investment. But there are ways to reduce communications costs for many enterprises, including: effective fixed-mobile integration to reduce data roaming, maintenance of fewer devices, consolidated security, and reduction of multiple PSTN lines per employee – all of which streamline an enterprise’s communications practices.

And mobile devices in the workplace continue to proliferate. According to a recent study by the Cavell Group, smartphone penetration in the U.S. market is estimated to be over 85%. With this level of penetration, it’s easy to see that mobile devices are increasingly being used as the primary business device, a trend that is expected to become a standard.

A mobile number and device have become an integral part of an employee’s business identity, on par with their email address. But the model for mobile device use has typically involved an employee using their personal number and device. This has presented a number of issues for employers: proliferation of devices to manage, greater potential security threats, and potential customer experience issues. For the employee, this means having multiple numbers to juggle, one of which is their personal line. Without the ability to easily separate personal and business calls, the employee loses both privacy and productivity. So, it makes sense that a mobile-centric solution would include a device-native collaboration application.

Webex Go with AT&T solves these issues and presents a compelling set of benefits:

• Greater employee engagement via expanded Webex capabilities on mobile devices
• Improved communications management with your mobile device part of the Webex ecosystem
• Greater communications velocity with superior ease-of-use and native dialer access
• Superior communications quality secured and delivered across AT&T’s 5G network with the highest quality audio connections
• Improved employee experience via a single business number across all Webex communications that simplifies both inbound and outbound calling

I met recently with Doug Jones, AVP Product Management Collaboration at AT&T, to get his take on how a user will experience Webex Go with AT&T.

DP: Doug, it’s always great to meet with you. I’ll start by asking you the same question I asked Mike Troiano, but from a slightly different angle. What about our joint solution excites you most in terms of the user experience?

Doug: We’ve offered several collaboration solutions with partners for years. Webex Go with AT&T excites me most. We can now offer a fully native business phone number tied to a world-class collaboration solution. We feel that there is a big opportunity for both our existing and new customers to take advantage of the next wave in collaboration using our 5G network with crystal-clear voice quality and robust cybersecurity protections. It gives users an experience that doesn’t require a lot of effort to configure by the user or the IT manager.

DP: You and I have always agreed that if something isn’t easy to use, success will be elusive, at best. What about our joint solution, in your view, will excite users most?

Doug: In addition to what I just mentioned, users will be able to easily partition their personal calls more easily from work-related calls. And when the user makes a call, the recipient sees a consistent caller ID.

DP: Putting on your sales hat, what would you say to a customer that says, “Why Webex Go with AT&T, when my team already has mobile devices?”

Doug: Great question. First, why would a company risk security issues with an employee’s personal number? Second, consider the IT administrator as a user – potentially far fewer devices per user to manage and pay for. And imagine how happy it will make the procurement and finance teams with the potential to reduce costs.

DP: In our respective roles, we are also heavy mobile users. How has using Webex Go with AT&T made a difference for you, personally?

Doug: With travel, hybrid work from home, office and moving about AT&T HQ, I’m saving time and energy when starting, scheduling or joining a meeting. And it’s effortless to use.

DP: I’m sure your team and customers are happy about that. And as your partner, so am I. Great to catch up with you as always. Thanks.

Doug: Thanks DP.

*Webex Go with AT&T is now available to order. Sign up here.

*Webex Go with AT&T is referenced as “AT&T Cloud Voice for Webex Go” by AT&T

More from Webex Calling:

• Webex Calling with FedRAMP authorization is available for government collaboration
• Webex Calling reaches 13 million users and announces new innovations at WebexOne 2023
• Cloud Connect for Webex Calling delivers flexible PSTN options for customers in the Americas