NFON unveiled its new corporate strategy, NFON NEXT 2027, at a press event held at its headquarters in Munich this week.
Speaking at the event, NFON’s chief executive officer, Patrik Heider, said that the company’s focus is now on seamless integration of its AI functions into its smart cloud communication platform.
Heider also shared NFON’s international expansion plans, including, most notably, the establishment of a new hub in the Republic of Kosovo in April 2025.
Heider was joined by Markus Krammer, executive vice president, go-to-market and new business AI at NFON, and Jana Richter, executive vice president, AI and innovation, at NFON, who presented the NFON Intelligent Assistant, the company’s latest AI tool.
“We are rethinking business communication, inspiring and connecting people to grow together sustainability – this is our guiding principle,” said Heider. “With NFON NEXT 2027, we will take business communications into a new dimension and are focusing on two crucial levers: firstly we are optimising our core business in order to further boost efficiency and profitability, actively driving innovations with artificial intelligence that unlock new market potential and strategically expand our portfolio.
“This is how we are fulfilling our mission to ensure sustainable and profitable growth – both faster and stronger than the competition.”
Richter outlined the company’s main AI developments. She said that among the most significant achievements were the acquisition of AI specialist Botario in August 2024 and the expansion of the company’s AI and Innovation Organisation, which includes its AI expertise centre.
Richter said, “The transfer of the AI and Innovation Organisation enables us to take our technological development to the next level – and herald a new era at NFON.”
Richter added that NFON has developed a sustainable innovation cycle that combines everything from initial idea and concept through to data science and engineering, as well as implementation and practical applications.
“This holistic integration ensures that innovation does not just remain theoretical, but flows directly into customers’ day-to-day work as tangible progress,” said Richter. “We are continuously expanding our teams in the AI and Innovation Organisation – and turning ideas into real solutions. We are creating a powerful innovation portfolio that offers significant added value.”
Richter said that the gradual integration of AI into NFON’s existing products and the development of flexible solutions were key to enhancing customer satisfaction and strengthening the company’s long-term market position. By using NFON Intelligent Assistant, which was first rolled out to the company’s employees, she said that organisations can now connect more intelligently, communicate more efficiently and grow more sustainably.
Richter added that AI-based functions in business telephony, NFON Intelligent Assistant and customer engagement enabled companies to optimise their processes, enhance personalisation and will ensure maximum flexibility, while, due to their scalability, the solutions can adapt dynamically to requirements and continuously evolve according to market developments.
“We are not only developing leading-edge technology, we are also giving our customers the confidence to trust in solutions that will accompany them securely and successfully into the digital future,” said Richter. “Innovation, reliability and responsibility are the values that we pursue and that flow into our AI-based communication solutions – as ‘made in Germany’ stands for more than just quality.”
Richter said that NFON Intelligent Assistant was first introduced on the company’s website to provide visitors with a quick and accurate response to queries they may have, 24/7. It’s also available on NFON’s partner portal, she said.
In addition, Richter said that NFON will launch its AI-based voicemail transcription service in March 2025, giving a live demonstration at the event. The new function is delivered by email and enables companies to quickly and efficiently transcribe voicemails without having to listen to a voicemail. Further innovations planned for this year include call transcription and call summarisation, said Richter.
Richter said that NFON has also been continuously expanding its CC Hub with AI functions since the start of 2024, with a focus on smart automation, higher productivity for agents and optimised processes. Current innovations, she said, include the standardised user interface for chatbot and voicebot, as well as AI-based statistics. For 2025, she said that further innovations being worked on, including automated analysis of e-mail attachments, smart routing for more efficient customer communication, the integration of large language models into bot workflows and a modernisation of its look and feel.
Heider said that NFON is continuing on its growth path and its opening of the new Kosovo location marked a strategically important step that will make its sustainably more competitive. The company plans to recruit 30 employees in the Pristina office by the end of 2025, including in R&D, finance and HR, he said.
“With our new hub in Pristina, we are sending a strong signal for the future of NFON,” said Andreas Wesselmann, chief technology officer of NFON. “The region not only offers a growing pool of highly qualified IT and software development talent, it is also developing into a major technology hub with a strong ecosystem.
“This offers NFON the opportunity to recruit additional highly qualified specialists who will make a significant contribution to the further development of innovative solutions with their expertise and creativity.”