In conversation with Channel Post MEA, Sam Tayan, Head of MENA at Zoom talks about the his journey with Zoom, and claims that communications is in the DNA of Zoom, which has allowed the company to evolve rapidly in a post-pandemic era to offer a feature rich comprehensive unified communications and collaboration platform
How has been your journey with Zoom in the region?
I’ve been with Zoom for almost four years now, and for sure, it’s been quite an incredible journey. We have developed much in the Middle East, and Zoom has extended far beyond just a video meetings platform. We are delighted and privileged to be able to serve this region.
How has Zoom evolved in a post-pandemic era?
Zoom has been around since 2011 and was primarily known for video meetings only, but in the last few years, it has evolved to become a comprehensive, unified communications platform to meet the increased demand for virtual communication and collaboration. Zoom’s rapid evolution reflects its adaptability to changing user needs and its commitment to enhancing the virtual meeting experience for a broader range of users.
Today, the platform has expanded to provide all the communication requirements from team chat to cloud telephony to video meetings to virtual events. Several new features have been added to the platform, including virtual backgrounds, breakout rooms, and enhanced security measures to address privacy concerns. Zoom has also introduced integrations with other software and hardware products to offer a better user experience, improve accessibility, and provide more support for educational institutions and businesses.
What are the new tools you have introduced that have been capturing the imagination of users?
We have introduced many tools recently, and among them is Smart Summary, so now, you can have a Zoom meeting, and in the end, you can have a small summary of the meeting. In the educational context, students can attend a lecture but don’t have to take notes because, in the end, they will have smart summaries. Zoom also offers the ability to catch up in case anyone is late to arrive for a meeting or lecture, so now, you can come in and catch up with what you’ve missed.
Like a smart summary tool, there are other tools for translations and transcriptions, among others. We have also enhanced team chat and the telephony product with many more capabilities. Recently, we have launched the Zoom Contact Center.
So what is the contact center supposed to do?
Zoom Contact Center, a cloud-based customer service platform to enhance the overall customer experience. The contact center enables businesses to set up and manage customer support operations through voice, video, and messaging channels. It provides tools for call routing, monitoring, analytics, and integrations with customer relationship management (CRM) systems. Zoom Contact Center allows organizations to offer a seamless, multichannel customer support experience, enhancing communication with customers and improving service efficiency.
How is Zoom different from the competition?
Compared to others in the market, we’re not burdened by legacy, and the centrepiece of what we do is communications. So, we are not a communications offshoot of something else. We are the communications, and that’s in our DNA.
Zoom differentiates itself from the competition through its user-friendly interface, cross-platform compatibility, extensive feature set, scalability, and intense focus on security. It caters to a wide range of users, from individuals to large enterprises, with tools like virtual backgrounds, breakout rooms, and integrations. The platform’s reliable performance and emphasis on user experience have made it a popular choice for remote work, education, and virtual communication. Zoom’s commitment to continuous improvement and innovation sets it apart.
How do you secure customer’s data on your platform?
We use end-to-end encryption that enables us to offer enhanced data privacy and protects data during transmission. Also, we store data in top-tier data centers governed by strict security protocols. To ensure the highest level of security, we comply with industry standards and regulations to protect data.
What is your channel strategy?
Zoom’s channel strategy centers around partnering with a wide range of technology and service providers to expand its reach and offer complementary solutions. The company collaborates with resellers, system integrators, and technology partners to market its platform to various industries and customer segments. Zoom’s extensive ecosystem of integrations, APIs, and partner programs helps it create a diverse set of solutions, making it a versatile and attractive choice for businesses looking to enhance their communication and collaboration capabilities.
What are the criteria for choosing these channel partners?
Our prime criteria are that channel partners should be from the unified communications ecosystem so that they have the knowledge and capabilities to serve the unified communications space. We would love to engage with any channel partners who wishes to partner with us.
So, what’s next for Zoom?
Recently, at Zoomtopia 2023, we have introduced several AI-powered communication and collaboration tools like Zoom Docs and Zoom AI Companion. In addition, Zoom also announced new enhancements to make it easier for people to develop and deploy seamless workflows through Zoom.
