Corporate voice and telephony services have transformed from traditional public-switched telephone networks (PSTNs) and private branch exchanges (PBXs) to voice over IP (VoIP) and IP PBXs, often combined with digital fax, videoconferencing, instant messaging and mobile communications. That means VoIP and telephony certifications now focus on digital communications, along with a good mix of IP networking protocols and methods to support such traffic and to maintain service quality.

In this article, we feature five solid VoIP and telephony certifications from Avaya, Certification Partners, Cisco, Digium (Asterisk) and Microsoft. Unified communications cover a lot of voice and telephony ground, and it adds video and other solutions to the lineup as well.

Salary is a significant consideration when deciding whether to pursue a VoIP and telephony certification. SimplyHired lists $106,149 as the average salary for a VoIP engineer, although Glassdoor‘s average for a VoIP engineer is noticeably lower at $83,772. Still, a salary just under $85,000 is a worthwhile goal in the industry, with a good growth path into more senior positions readily attainable.

To help determine our top five VoIP and telephony certifications, we performed an informal job board survey. That data indicates the number of job posts in which our featured certifications were mentioned on one specific day. The data should give you an idea of the relative popularity of each certification. [Interested in Business Phone Systems? Check out our top picks.]

Job Board Search Results (in alphabetical order, by certification)

ACIS: Avaya Certified Implementation Specialist

Avaya is one of the leading solution providers of business communications and collaboration systems. As a spinoff of Lucent Technologies, itself an offspring of Bell Labs, Avaya’s roots are firmly planted in telephony. Certification solution tracks are currently offered in two concentrations: sales and sdesign, and services.

The Avaya Certified Implementation Specialist (ACIS) certification falls into the Services track and recognizes an individual’s ability to install, deploy, test and troubleshoot Avaya products at a beginning to intermediate skill level. Several credentials are available for the ACIS certification:

• Avaya IP Office Contact Center
• Avaya CallPilot
• Avaya Communication Server 1000 for Avaya Aura
• Avaya Aura Contact Center
• Avaya Aura Contact Center CCT and Multimedia
• Avaya Aura Call Center Elite – New

Candidates interested in the Sales and Design solution track should check out the Avaya Certified Design Specialist (ACDS), Avaya Professional Design Specialist (APDS) and the Avaya Professional Sales Specialist (APSS) certifications.

Note: Some Avaya credentials are available only to Avaya partners and associates, while others are open to all takers. See the Avaya Professional Credential Program Overview for details. Individuals not affiliated with a specific organization can create a “non-relationship” account on the Avaya Learning site to purchase a certification exam.

For most topics, Avaya recommends candidates have two years of experience in relevant technologies plus one more year implementing the core product. Each ACIS certification remains valid for two years.

ACIS facts and figures

CCNP Collaboration: Cisco Certified Network Professional Collaboration

Cisco remains one of the world’s dominant IP telephony players. Its Collaboration certifications are available at associate, professional and expert levels, where our top-five pick is the mid-level Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP).

The Collaboration certification portfolio is geared toward network professionals and network engineers who work with voice and video, particularly Cisco Collaboration solutions. Targeted skills include configuring and implementing Cisco Collaboration solutions, planning and designing video network collaborations, and maintaining implemented solutions.

Candidates are required to pass four exams to earn the CCNP Collaboration credential. Training is optional but recommended. Candidates can expect to pay about $3,800 for live classroom or virtual courses.

Recertification is required every three years for CCNPs. To maintain this credential, holders must pass any current 642-XXX or 300-XXX professional-level exam, any CCIE written exam, any CCDE written or practical exam, or the Cisco Certified Architect (CCAr) interview and board review.

CCNP collaboration facts and figures

CTP: Certification Partners Convergence Technologies Professional

The vendor-neutral CTP certification was developed by Certification Partners and the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA). It’s also endorsed by industry leaders such as Cisco, Avaya, Mitel, Toshiba and Vertical. Many of these leaders either accept the CTP as a stepping stone or prerequisite to their credential programs or recommend the CTP for training and preparation. Certification Partners maintains a complete list of endorsements from telecommunication leaders.

The CTP requires the successful completion of one exam that focuses on methods, concepts and best practices in the following areas:

• Data and internet protocol (IP) networking for convergent networks
• Voice and telephony services, functions, and technologies
• Convergence technologies

Certification Partners also offers the Convergent Network Technologies (CCNT) certification, which aims at professionals who sell and support convergence services, as well as the CIW certifications in networking and security, web technologies and design and development. Candidates interested in working in the field of convergence who do not yet possess the requisite experience are advised to first obtain the CCNT credential and then gain the required experience.

Certification Partners does not require recertification to maintain the CTP.

CTP facts and figures

dCAP: Digium Certified Asterisk Professional

Since its humble beginnings as an open source project in 1999, Asterisk has grown exponentially and become a well-recognized and respected framework for communication and conference servers, VoIP gateways and IP PBX systems. Asterisk can be found in more than 170 countries, powering more than 2 million servers worldwide. Per Digium (which maintains Asterisk in conjunction with the Asterisk community), Asterisk runs in most of the Fortune 1000 companies.

With such widespread popularity, it’s only natural that professionals with Asterisk skills are in demand. To meet industry needs, Digium offers several training courses (Asterisk Essentials, Fast Start and Advanced), as well as the Digium Certified Asterisk Professional (dCAP) and Digium Certified Asterisk Administrator (dCAA) certifications.

The dCAP targets experienced Asterisk professionals. Candidates are expected to possess real-world experience (typically a minimum of three to 24 months), in-depth knowledge of Linux (basic administration, manipulating files and modifying configuration files) and Asterisk experience (installation, Asterisk dial plan format and syntax, use of basic CLI commands and registration of VoIP devices). Other recommended skills include basic programming and scripting languages (Perl, Bash, C and/or C++, for example) and an understanding of VoIP protocols.

Candidates must pass a two-part exam, which consists of a written exam and a practical lab exam (in which you configure a PBX), to earn the credential. While there are no prerequisites, the Asterisk Advanced training course is highly recommended before attempting the exam.

Although the Digium website doesn’t specify recertification requirements, dCAP certification is granted for a “specific released, stable version of Asterisk.”

dCAP Facts and Figures

MCSE (Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert): Productivity

Microsoft rolled out several new MCSE certifications in 2016, including the MCSE: Productivity. Although this certification is geared toward enterprise-grade hybrid and cloud solutions for Microsoft Office, it allows candidates to specialize in any of several Microsoft technologies, including Skype for Business.

To obtain the MCSE: Productivity credential, candidates must first obtain the Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate (MCSA): Office 365, MCSA: Windows Server 2012 or MCSA Windows Server 2016 certification. Then, they must pass an elective exam from an approved list. Currently, there are eight different exams to choose from. In addition, Microsoft recommends at least three years of experience.

The MCSE: Productivity credential doesn’t expire. However, credential holders are encouraged to re-earn the certification each year by passing another elective exam. Doing so indicates your desire to stay current on technologies and broaden your skillset, and you’ll post another entry to your certification transcript.

MSCE Productivity facts and figures

Beyond the top five: More VoIP and telephony certifications

The SIP School, a part of Vocale Ltd. in the U.K., offers a range of affordable, vendor-neutral VoIP and SIP certifications, including the SIP School VVoIP Professional (SSVVP). The SSVVP was on our top five list for the last few years but was replaced by the MCSE: Productivity in 2018, owing mainly to interest from employers.

The ZyXEL Certified Network Professional – VoIP (ZCNP VoIP) is another good certification, which is vendor-specific and therefore geared toward networking professionals who support ZyXEL products.

3CX offers a certification program for professionals who deploy, manage and support 3CX IP PBX systems. The 3CX credentials are offered in three tiers: basic, intermediate and advanced.

Lots of community colleges and universities offer network VoIP and telephony courses or certificate programs as well, such as Florida Community College, College of DuPage and Riverland Community College.

Partnership to provide unparalleled, frictionless customer experience to MEA customers

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, October 11, 2022--(BUSINESS WIRE)--GITEX Global--Uniphore, the leader in Conversational AI and Automation, today at GITEX Global 2022, announced a strategic partnership with Avaya (NYSE: AVYA), a global leader in solutions to enhance and simplify communications and collaboration, to bring its integrated Conversational AI and communications platform to customers across the Middle East and African (MEA) region.

Uniphore’s Conversational AI and Automation products will add deep functionality to the Avaya OneCloud™ CCaaS platform. Avaya OneCloud CCaaS makes it easy to connect chat, video, voice, and messaging to deliver enhanced experiences for customers and employees at every touchpoint.

With Uniphore, Avaya OneCloud CCaaS users will be able to track, measure, and Excellerate their contact center journey with increased self-serve capabilities, frictionless agent experience, and needle-moving insights. Avaya’s customers will have access to Uniphore’s conversational AI and automation solutions and will be well-placed to digitally onboard customers, including from social media platforms driven by AI-powered solutions.

Uniphore's comprehensive X platform is an integrated conversational AI and automation platform that combines natural language processing (NLP), robotic process automation (RPA), automatic speech recognition (ASR), including the Arabic language, emotion AI, and knowledge AI that enterprises need in today’s tech-savvy consumer era. These technology components translate into specific customer offerings in chatbots, voice bots, conversational analytics for quality automation, real-time customer analysis, and agent guidance.

"In today’s uncertain world, consumers want brands to address their needs quickly and efficiently; this makes the customer experience more important than ever," said Kennedy Pereira, VP, CCaaS Ecosystem, Global Alliances and Partnerships at Uniphore. "We are excited to partner with Avaya to enhance CX, better understand customer insights to achieve superior business outcomes, Excellerate employee performances, and lower customer costs."

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The integrated platform will also enhance employee productivity and efficiency by guiding agents in real-time with in-call alerts, next best action and reduce their after-call work by automating call summarization. This allows agents more time to focus on creating emotional connections with customers, delivering exceptional CX, and reducing operating costs by improving time to resolution and first call resolutions (FCR).

"With Avaya OneCloud CCaaS, we make it easy to connect customers, agents and back-office staff with the insights they need to deliver great experiences. And by adding the power of Uniphore’s AI and automation tools to the platform, we’re able to magnify the effects of these capabilities. We’re excited about the solutions that our joint customers will be able to create with our technologies," said Ahmad Dorra, Customer Experience Solutions Sales Leader – Middle East, Africa & Turkey, Avaya.

Visit the Avaya stand at GITEX Global at booth Z3-B35 and booth Z1-C10, Zabeel Hall, Dubai World Trade Centre between October 12 and 14, 2022 to learn how Avaya and Uniphore work together to create seamless CX. Uniphore will have its conversational AI and automation platform woven into the Avaya demonstrations on display, showcasing solutions that unlock the value of every conversation.

About Uniphore

Uniphore is the global leader in Conversational Automation. Every day, billions of conversations take place across industries — customer service, sales, HR, education and more. Whether they are human to human, human to machine or machine to machine, conversations are at the heart of everything we do, and the new currency of the enterprise.

At Uniphore, we believe companies that best understand and take action on those conversations will win. We have built the most comprehensive and powerful conversational automation platform that combines conversational AI, workflow automation and RPA (Robotic Process Automation) with a business user friendly UX in a single integrated platform to transform and democratize customer experiences across industries.

Follow our blog and connect with us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

About Avaya

Businesses are built by the experiences they provide, and everyday millions of those experiences are delivered by Avaya Holdings Corp. (NYSE: AVYA). Avaya is shaping what's next for the future of work, with innovation and partnerships that deliver game-changing business benefits. Our cloud communications solutions and multi-cloud application ecosystem power personalized, intelligent, and effortless customer and employee experiences to help achieve strategic ambitions and desired outcomes. Together, we are committed to help grow your business by delivering Experiences that Matter. Learn more at http://www.avaya.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221010005684/en/

Contacts

Cynanda Noronha
Cynanda@uniphore.com

Tom Paye
tpaye@avaya.com

Avaya, a provider of cloud communication and workstream collaboration solutions, has signed an agreement with Startek, a customer experience (CX) solutions provider.

As part of the MoU, Startek will explore hosting a range of Avaya OneCloud portfolio solutions. This will be with the intent of making them available to businesses in a compelling package that includes contact centre agents and institutional expertise in customer experience.

A subscription-based pricing model will be used to provide access to the solution, which will allow organisations to purchase the capacity, services, and people they need as and when they need them, without having to pay large upfront costs for such services.

The agreement will aim to create a packaged solution of both technology and services that can be extended to Startek customers globally, with the technology built on the Avaya OneCloud experience platform.

“Startek enables brands across the globe to build long-term customer relationships through the delivery of human-centric experiences,” said Abhinandan Jain, chief digital officer, Startek. “In today’s economic climate, small and medium-sized businesses want to avoid large upfront costs and make the best use of their internal resources by outsourcing non-core activities. By partnering with Avaya, we create the opportunity for emerging enterprises to benefit from market-leading CX delivered through a bundled data, people and technology solution – all at a fixed monthly cost.”

“We’re coming together to address a market need – namely, to make it easy for businesses to consume a technology platform, along with market-leading people and processes. Working together, we’re able to extend the benefits of the reliability and expertise that industry leaders such as Avaya and Startek bring to the market,” said Nidal Abou-Ltaif, president, Avaya International.

Read: Gitex Global: Vodafone, Ericsson facilitate data-driven decisions with AI-based solutions in Oman

Florius, a leading, Netherlands-based mortgage lender, has used Avaya technology to significantly enhance the customer experience while simultaneously enabling its contact centre agents to adapt to a hybrid work environment.

The Automated Quality Management capabilities of Avaya OneCloud, integrated with Florius business applications, has empowered remote employees with digital tools to raise the quality of all customer interactions through advanced, real-time speech analytics, said a statement. 

“The customer journey is very important to us,” said Seif Alhamrany, head of the Advisory Team at Florius. “We are committed to a fast turnaround for mortgage applications, so we need to put the customer in the center, have fast access to as much information as possible, and automate processes as much as possible.”

Changed workloads during the pandemic forced Florius to quickly adapt to a hybrid work scenario. By the same token, direct insight into the changed contact behaviour of customers became essential during this time of uncertainty. “We need to adapt very fast to provide our customers with the best service and also to provide our employees with the best solutions” said Deliane Schimmel, Managing Director, Advisory & Service, Florius.

Using Avaya solution, Florius was able to remotely introduce AI-powerd speech analytics and quality management tools, which monitored 100% of customer calls and then provided guidance on the next best answer. This gave agents direct insight into Topics that would usually require training, while also enabling them to work according to more flexible schedules from home. 

“A good example of this came when there was amended legislation concerning delayed mortgage payments. Employees did not have to be trained on this first, because they were provided with the correct knowledge in real-time - during conversations where payment and COVID were discussed. As a result, the agent was able to give the right answer quickly, because they immediately had the right information and could share it with the customer,” explained Alhamrany. 

Avaya and NTT, the Avaya partner that integrated the solution, worked closely with Florius to integrate the Avaya solutions with the company’s CRM system, a step that broadened the view of the customer journey and provided new insights for agents.

“Florius has always built its reputation on the experiences it provides to its customers, and this use of advanced technologies to draw intelligence from voice conversations is just the latest in a long line of innovations. We’re proud to be supporting Florius as it continues to push the boundaries of great customer experience,” said Nidal Abou-Ltaif, President, Avaya International. -TradeArabia News Service

New York, New York--(Newsfile Corp. - October 6, 2022) - Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP, a leading national securities law firm, is investigating potential claims against Avaya Holdings Corp. ("Avaya" or the "Company") (NYSE: AVYA).

If you suffered losses exceeding $50,000 investing in Avaya stock or options and would like to discuss your legal rights, call Faruqi & Faruqi partner Josh Wilson directly at 877-247-4292 or 212-983-9330 (Ext. 1310). You may also click here for additional information: www.faruqilaw.com/AVYA.

The company's OneCloud ecosystem and its solutions empower organisations to deliver futuristic experiences – all the way to the Metaverse and beyond

Avaya is reimagining digital communications with innovations that define the future-of-work and customer experiences – and nowhere is that clearer than on its stand at GITEX Global this year.

The company’s Avaya OneCloud ecosystem and its solutions empower organisations to deliver futuristic experiences to customers and employees alike.

As an example, at GITEX Global this week, the company is showcasing how organisations can extend their contact centres into the Metaverse, leveraging advanced innovations without impacting their existing contact centre investments.

It demonstrates a use case for opening a business in the UAE within the Metaverse, and receiving seamless customer support from a contact centre agent at every step of the journey.

Savio Tovar Dias, Senior Director, Sales Engineering, Avaya International, said this is an example of “innovation without disruption”, a key theme for Avaya at this year’s GITEX Global, taking place between October 10 and 14, 2022.

“Customers and employees want access to the people and tools they need – regardless of the touchpoint they’re using. This means that, even in the metaverse, you have to be prepared to serve your customers well. With our OneCloud experience platform, we can deliver the innovations that enable this. But we can also deliver in such a way that is not disruptive to the existing technology that organisations may already have,” said Dias.

Avaya is uniquely well placed to take large organisations into the future, thanks to its impressive customer base.

“For instance, the largest banks in the UAE work with us. And the vast majority of the local hotel industry works with Avaya in some shape and form. It’s our business to deliver effortless experiences, and we’re trusted by some of the largest brands in the world,” he added.

Avaya’s presence at GITEX Global comes in partnership with Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise, Uniphore, Verint Systems, GS Lab, Imperium, Konnect Insights, LumenVox, Nectar, Sestek and TOPAZ. Visit Avaya at its stand in Zabeel Hall, at Dubai World Trade Centre between October 10 and 14, 2022.

During GITEX Global this week, Avaya (NYSE: AVYA), a global leader in solutions to enhance and simplify communications and collaboration, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Startek (NYSE: SRT), a global customer experience (CX) solutions provider, that will see the two companies partner to make it easier for global businesses to meet the ever-evolving needs of their customers.

As part of the MOU, Startek will explore hosting a range of Avaya OneCloud portfolio solutions with the intent of making them available to businesses in a compelling package that includes contact centre agents and institutional expertise in customer experience. This one-stop solution will be made available through a subscription-based pricing model, enabling organisations to purchase the capacity, services and people they require, as and when needed, without large upfront costs.

The agreement will aim to create a packaged solution of both technology and services that can be extended to Startek customers globally, with the technology built on the Avaya OneCloud experience platform.