"My mind is aglow with whirling, transient nodes of thought careening through a cosmic vapor of invention." - Hedley Lemarr in "Blazing Saddles"

Dialogic recently held our ONE event in San Diego which brought together a terrific mixture of our customers, industry experts, Dialogic Executives, Sales, Product and Marketing people.  The ensuing presentations and discussions were really quite inspiring as I was once again reminded why I really like these face-to-face events.   I believe that these types of discussions are the best place to create quantum jumps in innovation and understanding.

So what did I take away from the One Event?  While many of discussions and presentation were about video, I was engaged in further exploring what I feel is the next hot topic for the Enterprise: Communications Enabled Business Process (CEBP).  I really think that this is the next evolutionary step in addressing this market.

In the early days of my career in Voice Processing and CTI, guys like me were called Contractors.  The company that I worked for was full of generalists who knew how to program and configure IVR systems, ACD's, PBX's and a variety of telecommunications gear.  In most cases, customers sought us out, told us what they wanted and we built it to order.

A few years later, we evolved into Systems Integrators or Vertical Specialists, having gained experience with certain types of equipment and/or particular vertical markets.  This resulted in being better able to communicate with our clients and get projects completed more efficiently and effectively.  However, the real subject matter expertise still came from the client.

Now this new category is emerging in which requires contractors, systems integrators and vertical specialists to become Process Analysts and even further evolve our knowledge and understanding of how our clients do business.  We come to the table with a variety of communications resources at our disposal (Voice, Fax, Speech, Text Messaging, Video).  We must fully analyze and understand how each customer does business and then surgically apply these communication resources to the process so that our customers can save money, increase productivity or provide better customer service and support. 

In my next entry, I will have some examples of how a CEBP type analysis have uncovered opportunities that were previously hidden.

Another idea that I came up with at the ONE event is Blackberry Breathalyzer/Email Interlock that would reduce the chances of an alcohol impaired person from sending a regrettable email or SMS message.  But how/who inspired that idea may not be appropriate for a corporate blog.  Just ask me about it next time you see me in person.