Interview transcript: BroadSoft Connections 2017
Why mobile-first business calling?
Michael Krigsman: I’m Michael Krigsman, an industry analyst and host of CxOTalk. We’re here at BroadSoft Connections 2017, and I’m speaking with Ben Rife, CEO of Bullfrog. How are you doing, Ben?
Ben Rife: Bullfrog is the next-generation business phone system and the fastest-growing privately held telecom company in America. We’re leading and disrupting the industry with a mobile-first, mobile-only solution.
Michael Krigsman: What does it mean to lead with a mobile phone solution?
Ben Rife: For the last five years, we’ve been talking about the death of the desk phone. We tell businesses they may no longer need to rely on a phone fixed to a desk. Most people already have a cell phone, and that phone can become their business phone.
Ben Rife: It’s about using the tools people already have: a Mac, PC, tablet, iPad, iPhone, or Android device. We can make those devices work for business.
How are business communication habits changing?
Michael Krigsman: Your solutions reflect changing customer expectations. What are you seeing?
Ben Rife: Let me ask you, Michael: do you have a desk phone at home?
Michael Krigsman: I do, though I never use it. We have an analog phone at home.
Ben Rife: You’re a rare man. What about at work? Do you have a desk phone there?
Michael Krigsman: I do.
Ben Rife: How often do you take business calls on your cell phone instead?
Michael Krigsman: The cell phone is it.
Ben Rife: That’s how business is being done today. Communication happens anywhere, anytime, and on any device. It includes text messages, video calls, file sharing, and team collaboration.
Ben Rife: Our industry is going through one of its biggest changes. Right now, we’re seeing the “death of the desk phone.”
What does this shift mean for telecom providers?
Michael Krigsman: What does this change mean for carriers, service providers, and product developers?
Ben Rife: We’re seeing hardware vendors lose market share. Their numbers are declining month after month and quarter after quarter.
Ben Rife: Service providers, vendors, and distributors need to build and improve solutions with a mobile-first strategy. They need to think about how people communicate using the devices they already have.
Ben Rife: Android phones, iPhones, Macs, PCs, tablets, and iPads are becoming the next-generation business phone system.
What are business phone buyers asking for?
Michael Krigsman: What are customers asking for? What challenges do they face when making this change?
Ben Rife: In our last ten deals, we placed no handsets. They all used unified communications softphones.
Ben Rife: From a logistics standpoint, that can mean a faster launch, lower total cost of ownership, and less capital risk. Some larger clients are even asking for no phones at all.
Ben Rife: One of our large contact centers, MISS DIG in Michigan, came to us and said, “We don’t want any phones in our organization.” I’ve been talking about this for five years, and now it’s here.
Ben Rife: Organizations may need time to adjust. Users need to learn how to work without a desk phone, or move from desk phones to a unified communications solution.
Where could business communications go next?
Michael Krigsman: Where do you see this going over the next few years?
Ben Rife: In three to five years, I think we’ll see the analog phone network wind down. We’ll also see more integration with social tools and video.
Ben Rife: Video will play a major role in communication. Team collaboration will grow, too. I could even imagine the death of email.
Ben Rife: Some social technologies and team collaboration tools are already changing how we communicate and how much we rely on email.
Michael Krigsman: Ben Rife, thank you so much.
Ben Rife: Thank you.
