TL;DR: Microsoft, Zoom and 8×8 each shipped new AI voice features within a fortnight this summer: Teams Call Queue transcription, Zoom’s live voice translation and 8×8’s platform-wide AI routing. Comparing AI voice features in Teams, Zoom and 8×8 shows three different costs to unlock them, a Teams Premium licence, Zoom’s AI credit-based add-on, and no new cost at all from 8×8. Before commissioning a new platform for AI voice capability, IT leaders should check what …
Meeting room refreshes usually stall for one reason: too many features, too many vendors, and no clear way to compare them. This month, AudioCodes, Clevertouch, and Yealink each published guidance built around the same idea: buyers should stop chasing specifications and start reducing the number of decisions in front of them. For professional services firms that paused a meeting room technology refresh under exactly that weight of choice, the consensus from three separate vendors is …
For most businesses, AI spend used to be theoretical. Pilot projects, proof-of-concept budgets, a line in the innovation roadmap. By 2026 that has changed. AI features are live inside the tools staff use every day — phone systems, contact centre platforms, meeting software — and the costs have moved from experimental to operational. The bills are arriving, and a lot of IT Directors are finding they weren’t budgeted for what AI actually costs at scale. …
Some technology problems are easy to name and hard to fix. For LCF Law, the meeting room problem was both. Boot delays, unreliable audio, and Windows update interruptions were disrupting calls daily across four offices. One boardroom had defeated every attempt to fix it for four years. The solution, when it came, took six weeks to roll out across the whole estate. The Setup That Was Always Going to Cause Problems Each of LCF Law’s …
Regulated professional services firms have spent years building information governance frameworks capable of withstanding regulatory scrutiny. Most have done the work: data classification, access controls, third-party due diligence. What many have not done is account for the AI tools their staff are already using without IT’s knowledge or approval. Shadow AI is not a future risk. It is present in most firms right now, and in professional services, the consequences of getting it wrong are …
Most firms in professional services have already moved their voice calls to the cloud. Teams, hosted telephony, SIP trunking. The handsets still work, the calls still connect, and the IT team has quietly ticked the box. Job done. Except it isn’t. Not quite. The Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) is being retired across the UK in January 2027. That deadline is close enough now that it should be a board-level operational priority rather than a …
The SonicWall 2026 Cyber Protect Report represents a fundamental shift in cybersecurity reporting. Rather than focusing solely on the volume of threats, it pivots towards ‘protection outcomes’, identifying why certain organisations remain resilient while others fall victim to breaches. For IT Directors, CIOs, and COOs in the legal and professional services sectors, the report’s central thesis is sobering: most breaches are not the result of exotic, highly sophisticated attacks, but rather predictable and preventable operational …
For the past several years, ‘5G’ has been a ubiquitous term in the UK corporate landscape. However, for many IT Directors and Chief Technology Officers, the reality has often failed to live up to the initial hype surrounding 5G Standalone. The reason for this disconnect lies in the underlying architecture of the UK’s early 5G rollouts. Until recently, most 5G services were delivered via ‘Non-Standalone’ (NSA) networks. While these offered a marginal increase in download …
We’ve all been there. You’re in back-to-back sessions, the coffee is wearing thin, and by 4pm, those “game-changing” decisions from the 9am strategy call are already starting to feel a bit hazy. This isn’t just a personal headache – it’s a business risk. Your meetings are where your firm’s most valuable intellectual property is born. But how much of it is actually being captured, secured, and put to work? Protecting The Collective Memory For the …
TLDR; For IT leadership within the legal, finance, and professional services sectors, the traditional “moat-and-castle” security model is no longer fit for purpose. Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) provides a modern, identity-centric framework that secures remote work, ensures regulatory compliance, and eliminates the risks inherent in legacy VPN architectures. Implementing zero trust network access is crucial for today’s security landscape. The Erosion of the Corporate Perimeter For decades, cybersecurity was built on a simple premise: …
Recently, we had the privilege of sponsoring and attending the Developing Health & Independence Client Achievement Awards – an afternoon that was both humbling and deeply inspiring. The event shone a light on the remarkable achievements of individuals who have faced immense challenges, overcome them, and who are now helping others on their journey to recovery. Each story shared was a moving reminder of courage, hope, and the power of community. DHI’s founder, Rosie Phillips, …
We’re proud to share some big news regarding the Zoom Up Partner program. Marlin Communications has been named one of the first Zoom Channel Partners to join the new Zoom Up Services Program, achieving Partner Delivered Deployment Certification for Zoom Customer Experience (ZCX). This milestone recognises our deep technical capability, trusted partnership with Zoom, and proven record of delivering transformational customer experience solutions across sectors such as legal, finance, and professional services. With over 70 …
The customer experience technology landscape is witnessing a seismic shift. Zoom has completely reimagined its contact centre platform, transforming Zoom Contact Centre (ZCX) into an AI-first powerhouse that places autonomous intelligence at the very foundation of customer service delivery. Central to this transformation is the revolutionary Zoom Virtual Agent 2.0, equipped with agentic AI capabilities that can independently handle complex customer interactions across both voice and chat channels without requiring human intervention. For UK professional …
PKF Littlejohn is a leading accountancy and tax advisory firm with headquarters in Canary Wharf, London and additional offices in Manchester, Leeds and Brussels. With 750 staff, the firm has experienced significant growth, nearly doubling in size over the past few years. The Challenge: End Of Lifecycle Meeting Room Technology PKF Littlejohn faced a critical challenge: their existing video conferencing and meeting room technology was nearing the end of its lifecycle. The firm wanted to …
The workplace has transformed dramatically in recent years. With 80% of employees now operating in hybrid environments, organisations face unparalleled ’employee experience’ (EX) challenges keeping their teams engaged, connected, and aligned with company culture. This shift has given rise to what many call an “experience gap”—a disconnect where traditional communication methods no longer suffice to foster meaningful engagement or a sense of belonging. The Challenge: Engagement Hits Historic Lows Recent research paints a sobering picture. …
The UK legal sector is undergoing a profound transformation, driven by the adoption of advanced technologies like contact centre. This shift is fuelled by the need to enhance efficiency, meet rising client expectations, and maintain competitiveness in a global market. Government initiatives like LawtechUK, which recently received an additional £4 million in funding, are accelerating this digital transformation by promoting innovative solutions such as machine learning and data analytics tools. These technologies are not only …
Many Contact Centres struggle with basic call features and limited channels. Microsoft Teams has the power to transform this, yet it often falls short of the advanced capabilities needed. Could Audiocodes Voca be the all-in-one Contact Centre solution that bridges this gap? In this post, we’ll see if Voca meets the high standards of compliance, security, and AI that enterprises require. Our exploration starts with how this third-party solution integrates voice, email, and webchat for a …
We are thrilled to announce the appointment of Elliot Mace as Head of Sales at Marlin Communications. Elliot is very well-known in the industry. He brings with him extensive expertise in business communications technology as well as a proven track record in sales leadership, driving sales growth, building high-performing teams and fostering strong client relationships. His strategic approach and deep understanding of customer needs have consistently delivered outstanding results. Dedicated To Customer Success Beyond his …
The Challenge: Navigating the Hybrid Work Landscape Seddons GSC recently moved into new offices, adopting a hybrid working model to offer their staff flexibility and improve productivity. However, their outdated telephony systems became a significant hurdle. The team also faced challenges in managing meeting outputs effectively, including transcription and sharing of key discussions. The firm needed a solution that would integrate with their existing workflows while meeting the expectations of a growing, dynamic workforce “Hybrid …
We are proud to announce that Marlin Communications is now one of the few UK partners to secure all three Zoom Up Partner Program competencies with Zoom. As a result, we have solidified our reputation as an expert advisor in delivering Zoom Phone and Zoom’s Customer Experience solutions to its clients. Marlin Communications has proven to be a key partner for Zoom by attaining three Zoom Up Partner Program competencies and sharing a common ethos …
