Comcast Business - Innovation of the Year

Company: Comcast Business, Philadelphia, PA
Entry Submitted By: Finn Partners
Company Description: Comcast Business offers Ethernet, Internet, WiFi, Voice, TV and Managed Enterprise Solutions to help organizations of all sizes transform their business. Powered by an advanced network, and backed by 24/7 customer support, Comcast Business is one of the largest contributors to the growth of Comcast Cable. Comcast Business is the nation’s largest cable provider to small and mid-size businesses.
Nomination Category: Company / Organization Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Innovation of the Year - Business Products Industries

Nomination Title: Comcast Business VoiceEdge

Comcast Business’ award-winning voice-over-IP (VoIP) offering, Comcast Business VoiceEdge, is a cloud-based, hosted voice and unified communications (UC) solution. Comcast Business VoiceEdge eliminates the need for expensive on-site private branch exchange (PBX) equipment while providing a high-quality, cost-effective scalable solution that increases employee productivity and communications.

Comcast Business VoiceEdge delivers a full suite of UC features and high definition (HD) voice quality, with the option of being supported by the largest private VoIP network in the country or using your own connectivity. The solution streamlines the management of communications services across multiple locations, helping today's multi-site organizations and mobile workforces communicate more efficiently.

The Comcast Business App puts a user's business phone system in the palm of their hands to manage voice communications from any device, desktop, laptop, tablet or smartphone. Users can seamlessly operate an audio conference, including sharing the link, starting the meeting, and managing the participants. Additionally, users can move an active phone call from their desk phone to mobile phone, check their business voicemail, access their company directory, and make outbound calls showing their business number.

Comcast Business VoiceEdge has been recognized by IDC in its 2021 Marketscape Worldwide UCaaS Service Providers Assessment as an SMB Leader and Enterprise Major Player. Previously, VoiceEdge has been recognized as a Gold winner for the American Business Awards’ Collaboration /Telecommunications Service categories in 2019 and 2020, and a Silver and Bronze winner for Innovation of the Year and Telecommunications Products in 2020. In 2019, VoiceEdge was also awarded the TMCNet UC Product of the Year Award, Gold American Business Award for Telecommunications Services, and a finalist for Light Reading’s Leading Light Most Innovative Business Cloud Service.

Since 2019, Comcast Business has added enhancements to the Business VoiceEdge solution, which include:
-Updated Desktop App provides access to unified communications features like softphone, readable voicemail, and screen sharing
-Bring Your Own Connectivity where customers can bring their own network connectivity
-Virtual Customer Training includes public and private sessions, and on-demand training available 24/7
-Updated Admin Portal where customers can design simple call flows and perform user management
-VoiceEdge Conferencing simplifies how conference calls are initiated, joined and managed with just one click.
-New Equipment includes new desktop and conference phones. Customers are able to purchase a softphone only seat, eliminating the need for physical phone equipment
-Access via “My Account” Mobile App allows administrators and end-users to establish enterprise or location features like Auto Attendant, Hunt Groups and Call Queues, as well as manage personal settings like Call Anywhere, Call Forwarding, and Do Not Disturb based on role

As businesses look to support the expanding remote and mobile workforce, Comcast Business VoiceEdge allows users to seamlessly operate their business phone system from anywhere, at any time.

Comcast Business also continuously adds new partner applications and features to make operations even easier -- including click-to-call convenience from the Google Chrome™ browser, which allows users to launch calls conveniently from their Chrome browser. Users can also launch Business VoiceEdge functionality through simple commands like “Alexa, launch my audio conference” on Comcast Business VoiceEdge. Additionally, Alexa commands function with the Comcast Business skill using Alexa enabled devices.

The latest IDC MarketScape report states, “By adding VoiceEdge Select to the Comcast UCaaS portfolio in 2018, Comcast Business has established itself as a one-stop shop for SMB communications and collaboration needs.”

A few customer testimonials include:
- “We sought to improve our ability to function as a borderless office allowing us to be more accessible to others. By working with Comcast Business, we’ve been able to create and train our employees on a next-generation phone system that has helped us reimagine the way we serve our customers.” - IT Manager of Financial Services
- “Business is a bit different right now. We’ve had to rely on managing day-to-day operations from home. Our Comcast Business phone service has been instrumental during this time, allowing us to keep in touch with our customers seamlessly through the VoiceEdge app..."- Marina Manager

The attachments and supporting materials include relevant and recent case studies to demonstrate how Comcast Business VoiceEdge is transforming businesses large and small, sales materials and the website to provide a summary of the solution’s features, and a list of all the new features that were made available in 2020.