Total Expert, a leading provider of customer engagement software for financial services, has announced its 2025 Winter Platform Release, introducing Rate Enrichment Data as a new enhancement to its Customer Intelligence solution. This feature provides mortgage lenders with expanded interest rate-driven capabilities, enabling them to create personalized recommendations based on their customers’ current mortgage rates.

Enhancing Customer Intelligence with Rate Data

With the integration of Rate Enrichment Data, lenders can now access critical mortgage rate information directly within customer contact records. This feature allows users to:

• Filter database contacts based on rate-based criteria
• Identify refinance opportunities and prioritize leads efficiently
• Provide customized quotes from a single, centralized dashboard

The new enhancement is designed to improve loan officers' efficiency in identifying and pursuing customers who could benefit from refinancing or other mortgage-related opportunities.

“As a lender, having accurate and actionable rate information available on every customer in my database is incredibly important to building meaningful relationships,” said Joe Welu, Founder and CEO of Total Expert. “To educate, engage, and advise customers, loan officers need effective resources to show up in the moments that matter. By infusing mortgage rate data directly into contact records, we’re able to provide lenders with relevant, impactful information they need to understand their customer’s needs and financial journey.”

Features in the Winter 2025 Release

In addition to Rate Enrichment Data, the Winter Platform Release includes several new tools designed to empower loan officers, including:

• Setting alert thresholds by loan type (FHA, VA, Jumbo, etc.)
• Calculating monthly savings for customers over 3, 5, and 10-year periods
• Running real-time Product Pricing Engine (PPE) requests to generate estimates for customers
• Adding dynamic personalization in emails by integrating Rate Enrichment fields into Email Builder

“As we continue to enhance our platform, our focus remains on providing solutions that drive measurable business outcomes for our customers,” Welu added. “We’re delivering even more powerful tools to help loan officers grow and retain their book of business by creating engaged customers.”

Additional Platform Enhancements

Beyond Customer Intelligence improvements, Total Expert’s Winter 2025 update also includes:

• Engage SMS automated responses for inbound phone calls and opt-in messages
• Streamlined contact list navigation for easier database management
• New on-demand, self-service contact reports for admins
• Refined Salesforce integration performance for better system connectivity
• A new integration between MAXA Design Suite and Optimal Blue

With these expanded capabilities, Total Expert continues to enhance its AI-driven platform, enabling lenders to improve engagement, increase efficiency, and drive business growth in 2025.

InMoment, a leader in Experience Improvement (XI) solutions, has been named to the Constellation ShortList for Conversational Intelligence for Customer Service for Q1 2025. This recognition highlights the company’s AI-powered Conversational Intelligence solution, which transforms unstructured contact center data—including calls, chats, and emails—into actionable customer experience insights.

InMoment’s AI-Powered Conversational Intelligence Solution

Selected from 23 evaluated solutions across 14 different criteria, InMoment was one of only eight vendors named to the Constellation ShortList. The company’s AI-driven solution leverages machine learning, natural language processing (NLP), and generative AI (GenAI) to analyze conversational data, identifying sentiment, effort, intent, and emotion beyond traditional post-interaction surveys.

By implementing AI-powered text analytics, automated call summaries, and agent scorecards, businesses using InMoment’s Conversational Intelligence solution can:

• Improve first-call resolution and call quality
• Enhance agent performance
• Reduce average handle time and post-call workload
• Lower operational costs

Additionally, the solution integrates omnichannel customer feedback, giving businesses a holistic view of customer interactions across multiple touchpoints. Fortune 500 companies using InMoment’s solution have already seen measurable improvements in call resolution rates and customer satisfaction.

Industry Recognition and Expert Insights

John Lewis, CEO of InMoment, expressed his excitement about the recognition:

“We’re honored to be recognized on the Constellation ShortList for Conversational Intelligence for Customer Service. At InMoment, we believe that every customer interaction holds valuable insights, and our AI-driven solution is designed to help businesses unlock those insights at scale. By leveraging advanced AI, machine learning, and NLP, we empower organizations to transform raw customer conversations and unstructured data into meaningful actions that drive improved experiences and business outcomes.”

R “Ray” Wang, CEO and founder at Constellation Research, emphasized the importance of AI-driven transformation:

“The push for business transformation via digital and AI has never been greater. In the Age of AI, organizations seek to achieve exponential efficiency with their technology investments. The ShortList provides a jump start in their transformation journey.”

Liz Miller, VP & Principal Analyst at Constellation Research, highlighted the growing role of conversational intelligence in customer experience:

“As conversations between companies and customers continue to be critical for customer experience improvement, the ability to effectively analyze those conversations across channels will continue to be a competitive advantage.”

Constellation ShortList Selection Process

Constellation Research evaluates vendors based on client inquiries, partner conversations, customer references, vendor selection projects, market share, and internal research. The Constellation ShortList is updated at least once per year to reflect the latest market trends and industry advancements.

Five9, a leader in Intelligent CX Platforms powered by AI, has announced its global availability on Google Cloud Marketplace, including the release of Five9 AI Agents for Google Cloud. This move enables businesses worldwide to quickly deploy Five9 solutions through Google Cloud Marketplace, streamlining procurement, billing, and AI-driven CX deployment for joint customers.

Enhancing AI-Driven Customer Experience

The new version of Five9 AI Agents, designed for Google Cloud Marketplace, brings intuitive and personalized customer interactions across both voice and digital channels. Five9’s AI-powered solutions leverage Google Cloud technology, allowing businesses to:

• Seamlessly integrate Five9 with existing Google Cloud workloads
• Improve agent productivity and efficiency
• Reduce customer wait times and resolution times
• Manage procurements centrally while utilizing Google Cloud credits

By being available on Google Cloud Marketplace, Five9 allows businesses to future-proof their technology stack, enhancing customer loyalty, scalability, and innovation.

Industry Leaders Weigh In

Jake Butterbaugh, SVP Global Partner Organization at Five9, highlighted the importance of this expansion:

“We are excited to deepen our partnership with Google Cloud, making Five9 AI-powered CX solutions easily accessible to businesses operating from anywhere in the world via Google Cloud Marketplace. We are focused on helping customers seamlessly integrate Five9 with their existing Google Cloud workloads to unlock even greater value and efficiency. This is a significant step forward in enabling customer success while future-proofing their technology stack for long-term scalability and innovation.”

Dai Vu, Managing Director, Marketplace & ISV GTM Programs at Google Cloud, emphasized the impact of this integration:

“Bringing Five9 AI Agents to Google Cloud Marketplace will help customers quickly deploy, manage, and grow the solution on Google Cloud’s trusted, global infrastructure. Five9 can now securely scale and support customers on their digital transformation journeys.”

Seamless AI-Powered CX Deployment

With global availability through Google Cloud Marketplace, businesses now have a centralized location to procure, manage, and deploy Five9’s AI-driven customer experience solutions. This collaboration marks a significant milestone in advancing AI-powered CX transformation at scale.

New Jersey-based branding agency KickCharge Creative has announced its acquisition of Levergy®, a leading digital marketing agency specializing in home services. This strategic move integrates Levergy’s full suite of digital marketing services with KickCharge’s branding expertise, making KickCharge a comprehensive, all-in-one marketing solution for home service businesses.

For 30 years, KickCharge has built trusted home service brands. With this acquisition, the company expands its role from brand creation to long-term digital strategy execution. The new offerings include branded websites, SEO, pay-per-click advertising, social media, email marketing, and online review strategy—all designed to strengthen brand identity while optimizing digital presence.

A Unified Vision for Home Service Marketing

KickCharge CEO Dan Antonelli expressed enthusiasm about the acquisition, stating:
"Words cannot express how happy we are about this acquisition and what it means for our clients. I’ve known Ryan from Levergy for many years, and I’ve always seen a parallel in how we treat our clients and our mutual desire to revolutionize the home service industry. With this acquisition, we are able to help our clients build brand-centric websites, ace their SEO strategy, increase their ROI through pay-per-click advertising and truly dominate the digital space. All of the digital marketing services that we couldn’t provide in the past because they fell outside of our expertise, we are now offering in full—and we’re offering them at the highest caliber. Ryan will be joining us as our Chief Marketing Officer. He will continue to lead up the initiatives that he and his team bring to the table, and we couldn’t be more excited to welcome Levergy to the KickCharge family."

Terri Lynne Briggs, Chief Operating & Experience Officer at KickCharge, emphasized the shared commitment to home service businesses:
"There is such alignment between both of our company’s values and efforts to not only provide more for our clients, but encourage them to expect more from us. We have always been champions of the home service industry and small businesses in general. This acquisition marks a major milestone in our mission to continually break new ground and redefine what home service businesses deserve and should expect from their marketing partners."

A New Era of Digital Growth for Home Service Brands

With this acquisition, KickCharge expands its services to include:

• Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
• Web Design & Development
• Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Advertising
• Social Media Management
• Email Marketing
• Online Review Strategy

Ryan Redding, CEO of Levergy, shared his excitement about the future:
"This is an incredibly exciting moment for our team. From the very beginning, we’ve believed that home service companies deserve more from their digital marketing partner. More focus. More commitment. More authenticity. We’re thrilled to be teaming up with KickCharge and welcoming a new chapter that will benefit everyone, especially our clients. We’ve connected their legendary home service branding with our premier home service digital marketing services to amplify our impact and bring an unprecedented level of value to the trades. We’re ready to come together under KickCharge and create something incredible, the magnitude of which has never been seen before."

Global digital business services leader Teleperformance (TP) has announced a strategic partnership with Sanas, a pioneer in Real-Time Speech Understanding technology. As part of this collaboration, TP has acquired an equity stake in Sanas through its Series B funding round and will become the exclusive reseller of Sanas' technology to some of the world's largest companies across various industries.

This partnership aligns with TP's broader AI growth strategy, which focuses on integrating advanced AI technologies to deliver more efficient, empathetic, and seamless customer experiences. TP will also collaborate with Sanas to enhance its speech understanding model, optimizing it for all Sanas clients.

AI-Driven Innovation for Enhanced Customer Connections

Thomas Mackenbrock, TP Group Deputy Chief Executive Officer, highlighted the significance of this partnership, stating:
"Our new strategic partnership with Sanas is part of our AI growth strategy that will allow us to develop and implement advanced AI tools to reinvent customer experience by bringing high-touch, high-tech solutions to clients that are simpler, faster, more empathetic and safer. We are committed to advancing our AI capabilities to drive value through cutting-edge innovation to deepen human connections, and this partnership with Sanas supports that roadmap."

Breaking Communication Barriers with Real-Time Speech AI

TP Experts serve customers in 170 countries across 300 languages and dialects, combining human empathy with AI-driven technology to improve customer experiences. With Sanas' Real-Time Speech Understanding platform, TP Experts can soften accents to better align with spoken English, breaking down communication barriers and enhancing trust and empathy at scale.

Initial client programs utilizing Sanas technology have reported higher customer satisfaction, increased first-call resolution, reduced average handling time, and improved sales conversion rates.

Sharath Keshava Narayana, President and Co-Founder of Sanas, emphasized the importance of human connections in customer service, stating:
"We believe that care is inherently human-to-human. Our partnership with TP is a testament to Sanas' mission of empowering human connections. By combining TP's expertise with our Speech AI platform, we are strengthening the relationship between customers and agents - while scaling it at an unprecedented level."

Through this collaboration, TP will further enhance Sanas’ AI capabilities by training the platform to adapt speech understanding for TP Experts in India, the Philippines, Latin America, Africa, and Asia.

Kamales Lardi, a leading digital transformation expert and CEO of Lardi & Partner Consulting, recently appeared as a guest on That’s Right with guest host Chris Voss. The episode aired on ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX network affiliates across the U.S., where Kamales shared her expertise on driving business transformation through technology, human-centric leadership, and neuroscience-backed strategies.

Chris Voss commended Kamales' insights, stating:
"Kamales Lardi brings a unique and powerful perspective to the conversation. Her deep understanding of digital transformation, coupled with her ability to weave the human element into the technology equation, creates a level of insight that’s truly rare."

Humanizing Digital Transformation

During the episode, Kamales emphasized that successful digital transformation goes beyond technology adoption—it requires a shift in organizational culture. She highlighted the importance of fostering a people-first approach, ensuring that both employees and customers benefit from technological advancements.

A Recognized Thought Leader in Digital Transformation

Kamales’ expertise in the field has earned her numerous accolades, including:

• Top 10 Global Thought Leaders in Digital Transformation – Thinkers360
• ‘Voice of a New Era of Leaders’ – Female Factor Leadership: Redefined (August 2024)
• International 40 Over 40 – The World's Most Inspiring Women – Capgemini Invent & Female One Zero (2022)

Goodwill Industries of Dallas has announced the appointment of Alexandra Mazzi as its new Vice President of Marketing. A seasoned marketing executive, Mazzi brings extensive expertise and innovative strategies to help drive the organization's mission and support its continued growth.

With a strong entrepreneurial background, Mazzi has worked with both startups and established enterprises, consistently delivering sustainable success. Her diverse experience in collaborating with forward-thinking organizations makes her a valuable asset to Goodwill Dallas.

Leadership Vision and Organizational Impact

Tim Heis, CEO & President of Goodwill Industries of Dallas, expressed excitement about Mazzi’s appointment, stating:
"We are thrilled to welcome Alexandra to our team at Goodwill Dallas. Her passion for driving positive change, combined with her proven ability to create effective marketing strategies, makes her the perfect fit for our organization. We are confident that her leadership will significantly enhance our outreach and community engagement efforts."

Mazzi’s Role in Driving Growth and Engagement

As Vice President of Marketing, Mazzi will lead all marketing initiatives, developing and executing creative campaigns that promote Goodwill Dallas' mission and strengthen relationships within the local community. Her focus will be on implementing strategies that resonate with the community, fostering empowerment, and supporting sustainable development.

A Future of Growth and Positive Change

Goodwill Industries of Dallas remains committed to enhancing lives through job training, employment services, and community outreach. With Mazzi’s leadership, the organization is positioned for continued growth and impact, reinforcing its mission to create opportunities for individuals and families in need.

Orchest, a leading brand in connectivity and automation, has announced its membership with TM Forum, the global alliance of telco and tech companies, to drive the adoption of automation worldwide. Effective January 2025, Orchest became a service provider member of the TM Forum ecosystem.

As part of this collaboration, Orchest will integrate TM Forum’s OpenAPIs into its automated platform and implement zero-wait concepts from the TM Forum's Autonomous Operations Framework. This will enable companies to achieve full automation using the Orchest Automation platform while leveraging standardized APIs from MEF and TM Forum.

Orchest Expands Global Presence

In Q4 2024, Orchest successfully automated network infrastructure in Indonesia for last-mile quoting, marking its first major success outside Latin America. This achievement was powered by Orchest’s address validation algorithm, reinforcing its ability to drive automation beyond regional boundaries.

Leadership Insights on TM Forum Membership

Jeremy Villalobos, CEO of Orchest, emphasized the significance of this milestone, stating:
"Joining TM Forum is an important milestone for Orchest as we continue our automation journey, where standardization is crucial. The TM Forum ecosystem complements our vision and objectives, and we look forward to contributing and supporting the ecosystem to help more companies achieve exceptional levels of efficiency."

George Glass, CTO of TM Forum, welcomed Orchest’s participation, highlighting its alignment with the Forum’s mission:
"We are delighted to welcome Orchest to TM Forum at a pivotal moment for the telecom industry. As automation becomes a cornerstone of transformation, Orchest’s expertise aligns with our mission to drive open, interoperable, and AI-powered networks. Their commitment to integrating Open APIs and advancing autonomous operations will help accelerate industry-wide efficiency and innovation, supporting our collective goal of a more agile, customer-centric digital ecosystem that unlocks growth in both value and purpose."

Transforming Telecom Through Automation

With a mission to revolutionize the telecom industry, Orchest Automation offers a customer-centric platform to address industry challenges such as lengthy response times in commercial interactions and outdated, manual processes that hinder customer experiences.

Orchest’s solutions include:

• Network Quoting Tool
• Installation Tracker
• Service Inventory
• Business Intelligence
• Tech Support Management
• E-Commerce Capabilities
• Network Geo-Visualization
• API Enablement & Management
• ERP and CRM Deployment
• Billing & Invoicing Control

By integrating with TM Forum’s OpenAPIs and Autonomous Operations Framework, Orchest aims to accelerate automation adoption globally, supporting telecom providers in delivering faster, smarter, and more efficient digital experiences.