AI at a Turning Point: How 2025 Changed the Future of Communications
Key Developments in 2025
The immense power and accessibility of Gen AI has been the standout feature of 2025. While large enterprises are spearheading adoption, many in the channel have struggled to deliver tangible ROI for their smaller customers due to limited resources, lack of in-house expertise and the perception that AI technologies are too complex and costly.
Even so, this has been the year that AI has finally embedded itself into everyday life. It has become truly accessible, with AI now a norm in web browsers and business applications. As advancements drive increasing performance, speed and accuracy, AI is giving the channel new ways to differentiate services, increase ARPU and improve customer retention.
How Businesses and Organisations Are Using AI — and the Results They Are Achieving
Customer expectations of what software should be able to do are shifting. Tollring has developed AI labs to drive the application of AI in communications analytics. Organisations can now use AI to uncover patterns in customer interactions, operations and workflows that were previously invisible or too time-consuming to find.
Teams no longer need to manually review call recordings; instead they can analyse sentiment, extract conversation insights and even ask questions in plain English—such as “Why are our first-call resolution rates dropping this month?”—and receive meaningful answers.
By applying AI-driven analytics to thousands of weekly conversations, companies can identify where agents consistently struggle or excel, and where discussions are repetitive, strained or unresolved. This can lead to improvements in processes, policies or coaching plans. For example, AI can detect where back-office delays cause repeat calls, reveal root causes and help streamline workflows so customers no longer need to chase updates.
AI can also reduce average call-handling times by identifying frequently asked questions and supporting the creation of more effective FAQs or support materials. It can highlight emerging sales opportunities by analysing customer sentiment and identifying unmet needs across segments.
Many organisations remain unaware that they are sitting on a mine of untapped intelligence within conversations, meetings and chats. AI is making this knowledge more accessible than ever before.
AI Technologies Currently Available in the Channel
Market-ready, out-of-the-box AI-powered communications analytics solutions are now available for businesses of all sizes — with the SMB sector offering huge opportunity. Like large enterprises, smaller and medium organisations sit on a goldmine of untapped conversational data containing insights that can drive better decision-making.
The most successful AI-enhanced analytics solutions for the mid-market require minimal user effort, are fast to configure and deliver clear, tangible ROI.
The Key Challenges in Deploying, Using and Maintaining AI
AI only delivers value when it powers a practical application, provides accuracy and is secure. The first challenge is selecting a technology partner whose solution integrates smoothly and performs reliably. While many conversation intelligence tools now exceed human accuracy, others still struggle with accents, jargon or poor audio quality — making careful evaluation essential.
Security and data governance are also critical to protect sensitive interactions and ensure compliance. Only with assured accuracy and security can AI become a trusted part of daily operations.
Another challenge is the industry shift toward self-service and digital purchasing. As customer expectations change, providers need agile technology partners capable of delivering flexible models such as online marketplaces and automated provisioning that introduce new capabilities without disrupting workflows.
Providers must evolve from delivering technology to delivering business outcomes. This requires a consultative approach that helps customers interpret insights, refine strategies, maintain compliance and respond to trends. It also allows channel partners to tailor solutions to industry verticals — including implementing industry-specific keywords for topic analysis.
Future Applications and Opportunities for AI
Significant transformation lies ahead. Future analytics will shift from static dashboards to AI-powered experiences that surface personalised, actionable insights tailored to each user. Capabilities such as natural language query, agentic AI and adaptive intelligence will anticipate users’ needs based on their role, industry and behaviour — automatically surfacing what matters most, when it matters most.
AI will also break down language barriers with real-time translation, enabling seamless multilingual conversations with near-perfect accuracy. This will unlock new global opportunities and strengthen international customer interactions.
As the incumbents delivering UCaaS platforms, channel providers have a unique opportunity to integrate AI-enhanced communications analytics and recording capabilities that unlock this intelligence. Crucially, these solutions will be accessible to all customers — without additional resources, specialist knowledge or extensive training.
