The 15 platforms below are scored on omnichannel depth, true multilingual across voice and text, AI guardrails, knowledge base quality, WFM and analytics, GDPR and data residency, and total cost. Unified CX OS options bundle native telephony, AI automation, and WFM into a single subscription, while enterprise suites and modular frameworks trade simplicity for customization. Use this guide to match capabilities to your scale and compliance needs.
From Channels to a Continuous Thread
Picking omnichannel contact center software isn’t about how many boxes a vendor can tick. It’s about whether the platform treats customer conversations as a single continuous thread or as a pile of disconnected messages glued together behind the scenes.
Right now, omnichannel gets used for everything from souped-up phone systems with an email tab to genuinely modern platforms that coordinate voice, chat, SMS, social, and web messaging through smart routing that understands who the customer is and what they’re trying to do.
The 15 contact center platforms below cut through that noise. They show which tools actually unify customer interactions and which ones just rebrand old silos with a trendy label.
Why Teams Look for Omnichannel Contact Centre Software in 2026
Contact center operations hit breaking points when infrastructure can’t keep pace with how customers engage. That moment arrives differently for every team. Sometimes it’s customers frustrated by having to repeat information when switching from chat to phone, and other times it’s contact center agents toggling between five systems to piece together customer history while someone waits on hold.
Common triggers pushing teams toward omnichannel contact center software:
Telephony add-on chaos: Your call center runs on duct-taped tools: one system for calls, another for chat, another for email, another for SMS. Agents waste time copying data, and every channel creates a separate ticket with no shared context. You need a single platform that unifies voice and digital under one roof.
Siloed digital creates friction: Customers bounce between chat, SMS, and phone, but your platform makes them start over every time. Channels exist, but there’s no shared interface or journey view. You end up measuring by channel instead of understanding the full customer experience.
Limited AI beyond menu trees: Your IVR routes calls, and that’s about it. Customers still wait for answers already in your knowledge base, and agents get no real-time help. You need virtual agents, AI reply suggestions, and live coaching, not just smarter call routing.
Manual quality assurance at scale: Supervisors review random calls weeks later, making feedback slow and forgettable. You lack real-time insight into performance or coaching needs. You need automated QA, speech analytics, and real-time dashboards to track quality.
Weak forecasting creates staffing chaos: Schedules rely on last month’s volumes, causing overstaffing one week and burnout the next. You can’t predict demand across channels or properly balance coverage. You need workforce tools that forecast demand, optimize schedules, and track adherence in real time.
Decision factors evaluating contact centre software:
Voice and digital channel coverage: Support PSTN/SIP calling, global numbers, recording, callbacks, and voice quality monitoring. Natively handle chat, email, SMS/WhatsApp, and social messaging with all transcripts stored in one unified record.
AI for agents and supervisors: Go beyond transcription with auto call summaries, KB-grounded reply suggestions, real-time coaching, sentiment detection, and automated tagging for searchable insights.
Routing sophistication: Look past basic ACD. You need flexible IVR, skills- and intent-based routing, priority queuing, and workflow automation across channels without heavy coding.
Knowledge management maturity: Use a central knowledge base for agents and self-service, with versioning, approvals, feedback loops, and RAG grounding to prevent made-up answers.
Workforce management depth: Forecast across channels, optimize schedules, track real-time adherence and occupancy, and use QA scorecards and analytics by channel, queue, and brand.
Security and compliance rigor: Require SSO/MFA, role-based access, audit logs, encryption, PCI-DSS with pause, PII redaction, data residency controls, retention policies, and HIPAA support where needed.
KPIs proving contact centre management software delivers:
Average Speed to Answer (ASA) and Service Level
First Call Resolution (FCR)
Average Handle Time (AHT)
Containment and Deflection Rates
Abandonment Rate
Transfer Rate
Occupancy
Schedule Adherence
CSAT and NPS scores
Sentiment trends
Mean Opinion Score (MOS) for voice quality
Track these customer support metrics before and after implementing new contact center software. Platforms claiming omnichannel superiority should prove it through measurable improvements in how customers interact with your team and how efficiently agents resolve customer issues.
Multi-brand and BPO operations: If you’re running contact center operations for multiple brands or clients, verify native multi-tenant routing, per-brand reporting with data isolation, and separate analytics to prevent cross-contamination.
15 Omnichannel Contact Centre Software Options for 2026
Below are the current contact centre software platforms evaluated by contact center operations teams globally. Pricing and features derive from vendor websites and public documentation as of January 2026.
Where pricing transparency is lacking, we note “Contact sales” or “Varies by plan.”
1. BlueTweak — Editor’s Choice
BlueTweak is a mid-market CCaaS platform that unifies telephony, chat, email, and social messaging with AI automation, workforce management, and quality assurance. It’s built for 20–100-agent operations and BPOs, with KB-grounded AI that maintains context across the customer journey and keeps responses anchored to approved content.
Best for: Teams that want true omnichannel customer support, KB-grounded AI, and integrated WFM, without stitching together multiple vendors.
Key features:
Native telephony infrastructure (call center, IVR, multilingual AI voicebot, call recording, transcription, translation)
Genesys Cloud CX provides a cloud-native contact center platform with voice, digital channels, and AI capabilities. Long-standing presence in enterprise contact center software with extensive feature depth across customer engagement scenarios.
Best for: Large enterprises with complex routing requirements and significant integration needs across CRM systems and business applications.
Key features:
Voice channel with call routing, IVR, and call recording
Digital channels (chat, email, SMS, social media messaging)
NICE CXone offers a cloud contact center platform emphasizing workforce optimization, quality management, and analytics. Strong pedigree in enterprise call center software with a focus on operational efficiency and agent performance.
Best for: Large contact centers prioritizing workforce optimization and comprehensive analytics capabilities.
Key features:
Omnichannel routing across voice and digital channels
Workflow orchestration
Workforce engagement management (WEM)
Quality assurance automation
Performance analytics
Voice of Customer (VoC) tools
AI-powered automation
Speech and text analytics
Agent desktop with unified interface
Pricing:
CXone Mpower Omnichannel: $110/agent/month
CXone Mpower Essential: $135/agent/month
CXone Mpower Core: $169/agent/month
CXone Mpower Complete: $209/agent/month
Pros:
Industry-leading WEM and quality management
Sophisticated analytics and reporting
Strong compliance and recording capabilities
Proven enterprise scalability
Comprehensive VoC integration
Cons:
Premium pricing across all tiers
A complex feature set requires extensive training
Implementation requires significant time investment
The best features are only available in the expensive top-tier
Can feel overwhelming for smaller operations
4. Five9
Five9 delivers cloud contact center software with voice, digital channels, and AI-powered routing. Focus on intelligent automation and predictive engagement for improving customer satisfaction.
Best for: Mid to large contact centers emphasizing AI-driven routing and blended inbound/outbound operations.
Key features:
Voice and digital channels (chat, email, messaging)
AI-powered routing and automation
Predictive dialers for outbound
Workforce management tools
Quality management capabilities
Analytics and reporting
CRM integrations
IVR with natural language understanding
Pricing:
Digital: $119/user/month
Core: $159/user/month
Plus / Pro / Enterprise: Custom pricing
Pros:
Strong AI routing capabilities
Good blend of inbound and outbound features
Solid CRM integrations
Reliable platform performance
Predictive engagement tools
Cons:
Minimum seat requirements exclude smaller teams
Custom pricing for advanced features
WFM and QM only in upper tiers
Implementation complexity for full feature adoption
Higher per-seat costs than some competitors
5. Talkdesk
Talkdesk provides a cloud contact center platform with voice, digital channels, and AI automation. Emphasizes rapid deployment and modern user experience for contact center agents.
Best for: Contact centers wanting faster implementation timelines with a modern agent desktop experience.
Key features:
Voice and digital omnichannel support
AI-powered routing and automation
Virtual agents and self-service tools
Workforce management
Quality management
Real-time and historical analytics
CRM integrations
AppConnect marketplace
Pricing:
CX Cloud Digital Essentials: $85/user/month
CX Cloud Voice Essentials: $105/user/month
CX Cloud Elite: ~$165/user/month
Pros:
Faster implementation than legacy platforms
Modern, intuitive agent interface
Flexible pricing tiers
Good AI automation capabilities
Strong marketplace ecosystem
Cons:
Full feature set only in the Elite tier
WFM and advanced AI require the highest pricing
Smaller brand than Genesys or NICE
Limited public pricing transparency
Some integrations require marketplace apps
6. Cisco Webex Contact Center
Cisco Webex Contact Center offers a cloud contact center solution with omnichannel routing, journey analytics, and integration with Cisco’s collaboration tools. Leverages Cisco’s telephony heritage.
Best for: Organizations already invested in Cisco infrastructure or requiring tight Webex integration.
Key features:
Native omnichannel routing
Agent desktop
Journey analytics
Bot builder
CRM integrations
Reporting and analytics
Digital engagement capabilities
Workforce optimization (add-on)
Webex Calling integration (add-on)
Pricing:
Core platform: Contact sales
Workforce Optimization: Starting at $40/user/month
Webex Calling Integration: Starting at $8/user/month
Digital Engagement: Usage-based pricing
Pros:
Strong Cisco ecosystem integration
Reliable telephony infrastructure
Good journey analytics
Flexible bot builder
Enterprise security standards
Cons:
Pricing lacks transparency
Add-ons required for WFO and calling
Best for existing Cisco customers
Complex licensing model
Usage-based digital pricing is unpredictable
7. RingCentral Contact Center
RingCentral Contact Center layers contact center capabilities on top of the RingEX unified communications platform. Combines UCaaS foundation with contact center features.
Best for: Organizations wanting unified communications and a contact center from a single vendor.
Key features:
Omnichannel routing
AI-powered automation
Workforce management
Quality assurance
Analytics and reporting
Integration with RingEX UCaaS
CRM connectors
Agent desktop
Pricing:
RingEX Core (UCaaS): ~$30/user/month (annual)
RingEX Advanced: ~$35/user/month (annual)
RingEX Ultra: ~$45/user/month (annual)
RingCX Contact Center: Custom pricing
Pros:
Unified UCaaS and contact center approach
Good for businesses wanting a single vendor
Decent AI capabilities
Comprehensive feature set
Strong reliability
Cons:
Contact center pricing is not transparent
Requires UCaaS subscription baseline
Features split across multiple SKUs
Implementation complexity
Custom pricing for the contact center layer
8. 8×8 Contact Center
8×8 Contact Center delivers bundled unified communications and contact center solutions. Long history in cloud communications with an integrated approach.
Best for: Organizations seeking a bundled UC and contact center solution from a single vendor.
Key features:
Omnichannel routing across voice and digital channels
AI-powered automation
Quality management
Analytics and reporting
Integration with 8×8 UCaaS
CRM connectors
Global telephony coverage
Pricing:
X2 / X4 (UCaaS): Contact sales
X6 Contact Center: Contact sales
X7 Contact Center: Contact sales
X8 Contact Center: Contact sales
Pros:
Bundled UC and contact center
Global telephony reach
Integrated approach reduces vendor complexity
Decent feature breadth
Unified billing
Cons:
Zero pricing transparency
All tiers require sales engagement
Feature differentiation unclear
Bundling may force unnecessary UC licenses
Implementation timelines vary widely
9. Zoom Contact Center
Zoom Contact Center extends Zoom’s video collaboration platform into the contact center domain. Newer entrant leveraging Zoom’s brand recognition.
Best for: Organizations heavily invested in the Zoom ecosystem wanting an integrated contact center.
Key features:
Inbound and outbound omnichannel
IVR and routing
Voice of Customer tools
Call transcription
Social media channels
Cobrowse for visual assistance
AI Expert Assist
Workforce engagement management
Integration with Zoom Phone
Pricing:
Contact Center Essentials: $69/user/month (annual)
Contact Center Premium: $99/user/month (annual)
Contact Center Elite: $149/user/month (annual)
Note: Requires Zoom Phone or Zoom Workplace subscription; PSTN metered
Pros:
Competitive pricing for features offered
Leverages familiar Zoom interface
Good transcription capabilities
Integrated with the Zoom ecosystem
Relatively fast deployment
Cons:
Requires a separate Zoom subscription
PSTN charges add unpredictability
Newer platform with a limited track record
WEM is only in the Elite tier
Smaller ecosystem than established players
10. Zendesk (with Talk + digital)
Zendesk extends its helpdesk ticketing platform into the contact center with the Talk voice add-on and omnichannel suite. Strong in digital channels, voice through partnerships.
Best for: Organizations already using Zendesk for help desk and wanting to add contact center capabilities.
Key features:
Omnichannel ticketing across channels
Help center and knowledge base
AI agents for automation
Voice via Zendesk Talk
Basic analytics and reporting
Advanced routing in upper tiers
Multi-brand support
CRM integrations
Pricing:
Zendesk Suite Team: $55/agent/month (annual)
Zendesk Suite Professional: $115/agent/month
Zendesk Suite Enterprise: $169/agent/month
Note: Talk, Contact Center, and WFM add-ons increase costs
Pros:
Strong digital channel foundation
Good for helpdesk evolution to contact center
Extensive integration marketplace
Familiar interface for existing users
Multi-brand capabilities
Cons:
Voice is partner-based, not native
Contact center features require add-ons
WFM sold separately
Costs accumulate with essential features
Better as a helpdesk than a contact center
11. Freshdesk Omni (Freshworks)
Freshdesk Omni extends Freshworks’ helpdesk platform with omnichannel ticketing across voice and digital. Emphasizes affordability and ease of use.
Best for: Small to mid-sized teams looking for affordable omnichannel ticketing with a straightforward setup.
Freddy AI Agent: First 500 sessions included, then $49 per 100 sessions
Pros:
Affordable entry and mid-tier pricing
Good for helpdesk to omnichannel evolution
Decent AI capabilities with Freddy
Straightforward implementation
Clean interface
Cons:
Voice capabilities limited
Skills-based routing is only available in Enterprise
Better for support tickets than the contact center
Reporting less robust than specialized platforms
WFM capabilities limited
12. Dialpad AI Contact Center
Dialpad AI Contact Center emphasizes AI throughout the platform with voice intelligence, real-time transcription, and AI-powered assistance for agents.
Best for: Contact centers that emphasize an AI-first approach and have strong voice intelligence requirements.
Key features:
Inbound and outbound routing
IVR and call flows
Real-time transcription
AI-powered coaching
Analytics and reporting
CRM integrations
Workforce engagement management
Quality assurance tools
Pricing:
Standard UC: $15/user/month
Pro UC: $25/user/month
Dialpad Support (Contact Center): ~$80-$150/user/month
Pros:
Strong AI and voice intelligence
Real-time transcription included
Good AI coaching capabilities
Modern interface
Competitive pricing for AI features
Cons:
UC subscription required as baseline
Usage-based pricing for minutes
Smaller brand than established players
WEM features less comprehensive
Limited public pricing details
13. Twilio Flex
Twilio Flex provides a programmable contact center platform built on Twilio’s communications APIs. A developer-first approach allows extensive customization.
Best for: Organizations with development resources wanting a highly customized contact center built on a flexible foundation.
Key features:
Programmable routing and workflows
Omnichannel support
Agent desktop customization
Integration with Twilio communications services
APIs for custom development
Analytics and reporting
CRM and business system integrations
Agent Copilot AI (add-on)
Pricing:
Per-hour pricing: $1.00 per active user hour
Per-user pricing: $150 per named user/month
Free trial: 5,000 free active user hours
Agent Copilot (voice): $0.035 per minute
Agent Copilot (digital): $0.005 per message
Pros:
Highly customizable and programmable
Flexible pricing models (hourly or monthly)
Strong developer ecosystem
Deep integration capabilities
Pay-as-you-go option for variable usage
Cons:
Requires significant development expertise
Costs are unpredictable with a usage-based model
All communications APIs are billed separately
Limited out-of-box features
Not suitable for non-technical organizations
14. Vonage Contact Center
Vonage Contact Center extends Vonage’s business communications platform with contact center capabilities. Combines UCaaS foundation with contact center features.
Best for: Organizations seeking bundled communications and contact center from an established provider.
Key features:
Omnichannel routing
Quality assurance
Workforce management
Analytics and reporting
CRM integrations
IVR and call flows
Recording and compliance
Agent desktop
Pricing:
Mobile: ~$19.99/user/month
Premium: ~$29.99/user/month
Advanced: ~$39.99/user/month
Vonage Contact Center (VCC): Custom pricing
Pros:
Bundled UC and contact center approach
Established communications provider
Good telephony infrastructure
Decent feature breadth
Unified billing potential
Cons:
Contact center pricing is not transparent
Requires sales engagement
Features are split across multiple tiers
Implementation complexity varies
Better known for UCaaS than contact center
15. Dixa
Dixa delivers a conversational customer service platform with omnichannel support, emphasizing conversation quality across customer interactions.
Best for: Contact centers emphasizing a conversation-driven approach across multiple communication channels.
Key features:
Omnichannel (voice, chat, social)
Smart routing and automation
Knowledge base integration
Quality monitoring
Analytics and reporting
Third-party integrations
AI capabilities (add-ons)
Pricing:
Growth: $89/agent/month (annual, 7-seat minimum)
Ultimate: $139/agent/month (annual)
Prime: $179/agent/month (annual)
Mim AI Agent: $0.40 per conversation
AI Copilot: $39/agent/month
Quality Assurance: $29/agent/month
Pros:
Conversation-centric design philosophy
True omnichannel with native voice
Modern agent interface
Good analytics capabilities
Flexible AI add-ons
Cons:
Higher pricing than some alternatives
7-seat minimum requirement
AI features require add-ons
Smaller brand recognition
Limited ecosystem compared to legacy platforms
What to Look For in Omnichannel Contact Centre Software in 2026
Voice and digital channel coverage: Evaluate PSTN/SIP support, global number provisioning, call recording quality, voicemail-to-ticket workflows, callback scheduling, voice quality monitoring (MOS), and QoS/SBC options for reliability. Digital channels should include native chat, email, SMS/WhatsApp, and social media channels with seamless bot-to-agent and voice-to-agent handoffs.
AI for agents and supervisors: Basic transcription barely scratches the surface. Look for automated call summaries reducing after-call work, knowledge base-grounded suggested replies helping agents respond accurately, real-time coaching detecting long silences and suggesting next best actions, sentiment analysis flagging frustrated customers before issues escalate, and automatic classification tagging conversations for searchable insights.
Routing sophistication and workflow automation: Interactive voice response should be table stakes. Evaluate skills-based routing matching customer inquiries to agent expertise, intent-based routing understanding customer needs from their opening question, priority queue management balancing SLA requirements across multiple channels, and no/low-code workflow builders letting business users automate actions across channels without developer dependency.
Knowledge management depth: Self-service options fail when knowledge isn’t centralized, governed, and accessible. Look for a single knowledge base serving both agent desktop suggestions and customer self-service portals, with versioning and approval workflows to maintain accuracy, feedback loops to identify knowledge gaps from failed interactions, and RAG grounding to prevent AI from hallucinating answers.
Workforce management and quality assurance: Forecasting tools should account for multiple communication channels and historical patterns, scheduling optimization should balance agent availability with customer preferences across time zones, and real-time adherence monitoring should identify when coverage gaps emerge.
Security, compliance, and governance: SSO/MFA should be standard, not add-ons. Role-based access control should let you define permissions granularly. Comprehensive audit logs should track all system changes. Encryption at rest and in transit should protect customer data. Data residency options should meet regional requirements. Retention policies should automate compliance. HIPAA/BAA support should be available for healthcare contexts.
Integration ecosystem and APIs: Deep integrations with CRM systems, ticketing and helpdesk platforms, ecommerce systems, BI and data warehouse tools, and RPA/iPaaS platforms extending automation. Open APIs and webhooks enabling custom integrations beyond marketplace offerings. Marketplace maturity indicating established ecosystem. Verify integration reliability through customer references, not just integration counts.
Transparent pricing and realistic TCO: Understand whether pricing is per-seat or usage-based (minutes, SMS, monthly active users, automation runs). Identify which features require add-ons and factor those into comparisons. Account for implementation and support tier costs. Avoid platforms paywalling essential voice or AI functionality behind enterprise tiers when those capabilities matter for your use case from day one.
How We Evaluated These Contact Center Platforms
We reviewed public vendor websites, pricing pages, official documentation, help centers, trust pages, and marketplace listings. Features were verified against vendor sites and cross-referenced with published customer logos and case studies, where available on vendor properties.
Pricing reflects publicly listed rates as of January 2026. “Contact sales” indicates custom pricing requiring vendor engagement.
Pros and cons derive from documented capabilities, verified user feedback patterns, and evidence from public sources. This evaluation relies on publicly available information, which is subject to change; always verify directly with vendors and request trials before committing.
Must-Have Capability Checklist for Contact Center Software
Voice plus digital channels with clean handoffs: Native telephony (PSTN/SIP), chat, email, SMS, WhatsApp, social media channels; smooth bot-to-agent and voice-to-agent transitions with full context, transcripts, and customer history flowing into a unified interface.
AI throughout the stack: Transcription, automated summaries, knowledge base-grounded suggested replies, real-time coaching, sentiment analysis, automatic classification, and post-call QA automation.
Intelligent routing and automation: IVR, skills-based routing, intent detection, priority balancing, and no/low-code workflow builders automating actions across channels.
Comprehensive analytics, WFM, and QA: Forecasting accounting for various communication channels, schedule optimization, adherence, and occupancy tracking, QA scorecards with calibration, and SLA dashboards breaking down performance by channel, queue, and brand.
Centralized knowledge management: Single knowledge base with governance (versioning, approvals), serving both agent assistance and customer self-service portals, with RAG grounding anchoring responses to the knowledge base.
Security and compliance fundamentals: SSO/MFA, RBAC, audit logs, encryption, PCI-DSS with PCI-pause, PII redaction, data residency options, retention automation, and HIPAA/BAA where applicable.
Integration depth and openness: Deep CRM, ticketing, commerce, and BI integrations; telephony integrations; webhooks; open APIs; and a mature marketplace indicating ecosystem health.
Honest pricing without paywalls: Core voice and AI capabilities included in reasonable tiers, not locked behind enterprise pricing; transparent seat vs. usage models; clear add-on costs for WFM, QA, and advanced AI.
BlueTweak meets all criteria with transparent €65/agent/month pricing and all features available without gating.
Scoring Rubric
Evaluate each contact centre software platform on:
Fit for 20-100 agents: Scales economically without excessive complexity or forced enterprise contracts
Voice/omnichannel depth: Native telephony quality plus digital channels with seamless handoffs preserving context
AI coverage: Agent assistance (suggested replies, summaries) plus KB-grounding responses to the knowledge base
Routing and automation: IVR, skills/intent matching, workflow builders enabling business user control
Verify security, compliance, and audit capabilities matching your requirements. Validate integration depth with your CRM systems, ticketing platforms, and BI tools. Then, reality-check pricing and total operating costs, including usage charges and add-ons for features like workforce management and AI capabilities essential to your operation.
Keep customer support metrics visible throughout the evaluation. Demand vendors demonstrate how their contact centre knowledge management software measurably improves these KPIs rather than just listing features. Platforms promising transformation should prove it with customer references showing documented improvements in operational efficiency and customer satisfaction.
When to shortlist BlueTweak: You want true omnichannel capabilities (voice, chat, email, SMS, social media messaging) with AI in omnichannel customer support that grounds answers in your knowledge base, intelligently routes based on customer intent, and includes built-in workforce management, all in one platform. Request a demo to see how BlueTweak manages omnichannel customer support.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is omnichannel contact centre software?
Omnichannel contact centre software unifies voice and digital channels into a single platform, enabling contact center agents to see a complete customer history regardless of channel. Unlike multichannel contact centre software, true omnichannel platforms maintain context when customers engage across multiple communication channels, allowing agents to continue conversations seamlessly rather than starting over.
What’s the difference between call center software and contact center software?
The best call center software focuses primarily on phone calls, with basic phone system features such as automatic call distribution and IVR. A contact center platform encompasses voice and digital channels (chat, email, SMS, social media) with unified routing, analytics, and an agent desktop that consolidates customer interactions regardless of how customers engage.
What security and compliance features are essential?
Contact centre software handling customer data requires: 1. SSO/MFA authentication 2. Role-based access control limiting permissions 3. Comprehensive audit logs tracking changes 4. Encryption protects data at rest and in transit 5. PCI-DSS compliance with PCI-pause capabilities, securing payment conversations 6. PII redaction in call recordings and transcripts 7. Data residency options meeting regional requirements 8. Automated retention policies 9. HIPAA/BAA support for healthcare contexts BlueTweak includes role-based access controls, audit logging, encryption, PII redaction, and data residency options, with ISO certification in progress.
As Head of Digital Transformation, Radu looks over multiple departments across the company, providing visibility over what happens in product, and what are the needs of customers. With more than 8 years in the Technology era, and part of BlueTweak since the beginning, Radu shifted from a developer (addressing end-customer needs) to a more business oriented role, to have an influence and touch base with people who use the actual technology.