Artificial Intelligence

Introducing New AI-powered Suppliers for CX and MDR

September 21, 2023

If you missed this week’s “New Supplier Spotlight” Tuesday Call featuring Trevor Imani from Linc and Sean McHugh from Ontinue, not to worry. We’ve included some highlights from our newest CX and MDR suppliers below and encourage you to listen to the full recording here. 

What is Linc?

Linc is a next-gen CX virtual assistant platform purpose-built for enterprise retail customers across multiple industries. They support brand-name retailers in clothing, skincare, wellness, auto, and more. Linc’s AI powers an infinitely scalable digital workforce for real conversations that solve real customer problems.  

Linc integrates with back-end solutions like SalesForce and Zendesk, plus major UCaaS and CCaaS providers.  

How is Linc different than other chatbot providers?

Linc’s CX automation platform uses patented AI and a no-code automation builder tool that allow customers to build the exact experience for their specific needs and go live faster than any competitor on the market (approx. 4-6 weeks).  

Linc can learn directly from standard retail feeds, powerful on platform retail service engines, and patented conversational AI to go beyond scripted flows.

“Our ultimate value is that we drive revenue. Not only due to cost savings of lightening much of the live agent’s call burden regarding issues or status of orders, but we also go deep with AI to elevate interactions like customized product recommendations and automatically adding items to the cart,” said Trevor Imani, Head of Global Sales for Linc. Additionally, unlike many other chatbot tools, Linc leverages ChatGPT in a controlled environment, so engagements are genuine to the retailer’s brand and support even better CSAT. “We’re not just going rogue on the internet to answer questions. We leverage the customer knowledge base and then apply ChatGPT plus other LLMs strategically.” 

Who is the ideal customer for Linc?

While Linc supports virtually any type of retail customer, customers with the following criteria will get the most value out of the platform:  

  • High volume of e-commerce transactions​ 
  • High volume of customer service inquiries (phone, email, text, chat)​ 
  • Revenue size $30M or above​ 
  • Large catalog is a plus​ 
  • Big pain in order support issues (order status, returns, delivery issues) is a plus​ 

 What is Ontinue?

Ontinue is an AI-powered managed detection and response (MDR) service that enables smarter, faster decision-making for enterprise companies. Ontinue is a top Microsoft MSSP (managed security service provider), which means they can help customers implement and maximize their Microsoft security and collaboration tools.  

“If someone is looking for a SOCaaS [security operations center as-a-service] with a platform built on Microsoft security tools, we can handle any enterprise. We provide dedicated resources as an extension of your customers’ teams, with an automatic investment in Microsoft instead of trying to source it in-house,” said Sam McHugh, MDR Sales Specialist for Ontinue.  

What is the benefit of an MSSP versus managing security in-house?  

“Security is more complex than ever and therefore not a do-it-yourself business anymore. Enterprises need an advanced and specialized security partner,” said McHugh. “As a security service provider with extended AI detection and response – or MXSP – we’re not just blocking and tackling. We are using automation to address and prioritize alerts at scale and to analyze threat patterns so we can make recommendations for prevention. All of this helps the customer continuously stay on top of things and improve processes.” 

How is Ontinue different than other MSSPs? 

Ontinue can perform extended threat detection and response within the customer’s own environment. “We are not putting data into a black box; we are working within the customer’s pane of glass and retaining their data. This enables them to see exactly how and where we are demonstrating continuous value,” said McHugh. 

What’s the best way to introduce Ontinue to customers?

McHugh recommends utilizing Ontinue to help you recognize key challenges with your security customers. Security challenges run far and wide, from keeping up with alerts to staff burden and retention. Ontinue enjoys being a collaborative partner in helping advisors unlock security conversations at any point in the sales cycle. 

What is their pricing model?

Companies with 1,000 – 20,000 users will get the most value from Ontinue. Pricing typically ranges from $10K to 100K/month recurring. 

Stay updated on cloud trends and more! Explore Telarus University’s education opportunities, including upcoming events with Telarus’ Advanced Solutions experts.  

View the full recording of the September 19th Tuesday Call.   

If you’ve never attended a Telarus Tuesday Partner Call, it’s a great way to stay informed about changes in the Channel and get updates on new advancements, news, and announcements from Telarus Suppliers. And with a new format and content, now is the perfect time to come on board.