Frontline Group & Strolid: Redefining the Contact Center with vCons, Podcast

Telecom Reseller / Technology Reseller News

In this Technology Reseller News podcast, Doug Green interviews Jill Blankenship, CEO of Frontline Group, and Thomas McCarthy-Howe, CTO of Strolid, about their collaboration on vCons (Virtualized Conversations)—a new file format that could transform how conversations are captured, stored, and analyzed in the contact center. A vCon is a standardized file (currently under IETF review) that stores the full content of a conversation—recording, transcript, participants, and metadata. Unlike traditional call recordings or after-call notes, vCons provide secure, portable, and queryable data that can be easily integrated into AI systems. For Frontline Group, this means agents no longer need to spend time typing summaries after calls. “vCon captures every part of that conversation,” Blankenship explains. This allows agents to focus on empathy and listening, while supervisors and customers benefit from richer, more accurate insights. For Strolid, which manages high-volume conversations in the automotive sector, vCons provide new visibility into customer frustrations and operational challenges. McCarthy-Howe notes: “Because vCons capture everything, it’s easier to bring all the data together so the blindness gets cured.” The applications extend beyond sales and support. In critical services such as 2-1-1, where people call for help with food, housing, or emergencies, vCons can ensure every call is captured, flagged for urgent needs, and analyzed for emerging trends—all while prioritizing data privacy and portability. Blankenship emphasizes that AI should not replace people, but empower them: “We’re training our staff to be AI managers—coaching, tweaking, and escalating when needed. It’s the people behind the AI that bring the true value.” This partnership demonstrates how AI, human expertise, and open standards can combine to make conversations more accurate, secure, and impactful across industries. Learn more at frontline.group and strolid.com.