If you think Zoom is a video conferencing company you’re wrong. That was Zoom eight years ago.
This year’s Zoomtopia event was a departure from the norm for me, not only because I attended as a Zoom Partner rather than an employee, but also because it lacked the usual flurry of major announcements I had come to expect.
Traditionally, Zoom would unveil groundbreaking features or innovations that would shape the future of their platform for months to come. However, this year was different. The headline innovation was ZoomDocs, an AI-powered document creation tool that will reside within the Zoom ecosystem. The other major news was their AI Companion which had already been released to the public weeks before.
Rather than major expansions, the lion’s share of Zoom’s formidable engineering efforts seem dedicated to greatly bolstering their already robust suite of applications within their existing platform, and I think that’s very smart.
During my tenure at Zoom, I was often dismayed to hear it said at our monthly All Hands Meetings that we didn’t need to work on marketing awareness (I guess I wasn’t the only one who thought this). They explained that thanks to the pandemic, everyone was already aware of who Zoom was. I quietly disagreed. Everybody knew who Zoom was 8 years previous, the market’s perception needed to be updated.
Thanks to the pandemic, the masses had finally discovered why the world’s leading companies shifted away from Google, Microsoft, Webex and GoTo Meeting several years before. Zoom had built the world’s most reliable, most feature rich video conferencing platform on the planet bar none. And yes, there was certainly plenty of awareness about that.
However, after a decade, Zoom had transcended the boundaries of mere video conferencing. In my view, what it lacked most was widespread awareness of this fact. I would spend my days making calls, only to hear, “Thanks, but we use Teams” from people who assumed they knew who Zoom was but were not willing to take the time to update their understanding. And I don’t blame them, there’s a reason cold calling is not considered a top of funnel marketing tactic –it’s not terribly effective in that regard.
While the situation has improved, there is still a substantial lack of awareness about who Zoom truly is and how they can truly benefit a company –irrespective of a company’s primary collaboration suite, be it MS Teams or Google Workspace.
This year’s Zoomtopia began with a memorable entrance by Zoom’s CEO, Eric Yuan, sprinting across the stage, yelling “ZOOOOOOOM” in one direction and then back again yelling “ZOOOOOOOM” in the other. As eccentric as it may have seemed, he was making a statement—a crucial one that still needs to be said louder for the people in the back. Zoom has transformed; it’s not the same company you encountered three years ago while in lockdown, only to be replaced at your workplace by Microsoft Teams or Google Meet. Zoom today is a vastly different entity, and the CEO was leading the charge in conveying this message.
Each “O” in “ZOOOOOOM” represents an application within Zoom’s comprehensive communication platform.
- One “O” for Zoom Phone—the most feature-rich and dependable cloud phone system worldwide.
- One “O” for Zoom Contact Centre—an omni-channel contact center solution that has added over 600 features since its inception just ~18 months ago.
- One “O” for Zoom Revenue Accelerator (formerly known as ZoomIQ), an AI tool that analyzes your calls and offers insights to coach your reps, find better candidates, and enhance your messaging.
- One “O” for Team Chat—Yes, Zoom has a chat tool. Surprisingly, many people remain unaware of this. That’s not your fault.
- One “O” for Zoom Events—a complete events platform encompassing ticketing, messaging, webinars, lobby, and expo booths, facilitating hybrid in-person events.
- One “O” for Virtual Agent—an AI-powered chatbot that goes beyond simple chatbots to provide genuine value.
- One “O” for Workspace Reservations—Empowering employees to book spaces, resources, and even parking spots.
- One “O” for AI Companion—an AI technology infused throughout the platform, assisting you before, during, and after meetings.
- One “O” for Workvivo—one of the leading employee experience platforms on the market.
- One “O” for Zoom Rooms—the most dependable room system on the most reliable communication network.
- One “O” for Whiteboard—Why pay for another whiteboard tool when Zoom already includes one?
- One “O” for Digital Signage—Did you know Zoom includes unlimited digital signage with a single Zoom Room license?
- One “O” for Webinar –the leading webinar product in the market
- And still more…
While it might have been disappointing not to witness the excitement of a new innovation launch, I’m delighted to see Zoom shifting its focus from expansion towards building and perfecting each of these applications within their existing platform. Given my familiarity with Zoom, I believe it’s just a matter of time until they lead the market in most of these domains. Many of the components are already in place; now, they need to perfect them and continue to raise awareness so that people truly understand Zoom for what it is today.
————————
At Everything Communications we help companies to identify and solve the biggest gaps, frictions, and challenges in their communication technology to help them better engage their employees and customers. Contact us for a free audit or to discuss how we can help you.
