On a recent episode of Accelerate Your Business Growth, host Diane Helbig welcomed Artie Chang, CEO of PanTerra Networks, for a conversation about how businesses—especially small and mid-sized organizations—can overcome communication challenges, adopt AI responsibly, and strengthen customer engagement.
Closing the Engagement Gap (2:52–4:52)
Artie began by pointing out a persistent challenge:
“One of the biggest challenges today for small companies—and really companies in general—is productively engaging with people. That means their customers, their employees, and their partners.”
He explained that relying on a single or limited set of channels, like email, leaves businesses less effective. Instead, multi-channel solutions allow each channel to be used where it works best—text for urgent matters, email for content-rich communication, video for more collaborative exchanges.
“One of the biggest challenges today for small companies—and really companies in general—is productively engaging with people. That means their customers, their employees, and their partners.”
He explained that relying on a single or limited set of channels, like email, leaves businesses less effective. Instead, multi-channel solutions allow each channel to be used where it works best—text for urgent matters, email for content-rich communication, video for more collaborative exchanges.
The Crawl-Walk-Run Approach to AI (5:07–8:47)
When asked about AI in customer service, Artie emphasized the risks of rushing:
“Hallucinations or errors in AI can really damage a company’s reputation if even one or two incidents get spread on social media. So we recommend starting with narrow approaches—like an AI receptionist or an AI support agent—where responses are predefined.”
He described PanTerra’s Luna AI receptionist, which can interpret context, respond instantly, handle unlimited calls, be customized for location or schedules, and escalate to a human operator if negative sentiment is detected.
“Hallucinations or errors in AI can really damage a company’s reputation if even one or two incidents get spread on social media. So we recommend starting with narrow approaches—like an AI receptionist or an AI support agent—where responses are predefined.”
He described PanTerra’s Luna AI receptionist, which can interpret context, respond instantly, handle unlimited calls, be customized for location or schedules, and escalate to a human operator if negative sentiment is detected.
From Customer Service to Customer Engagement (11:02–12:25)
Artie highlighted an important distinction:
“Customer service is reactive—you wait for a customer to contact you with a problem and then respond. Customer engagement is proactive—you’re reaching out to customers and prospects to understand their challenges before they even ask.”
By shifting from reactive service to proactive engagement, businesses can create stronger relationships and anticipate customer needs before issues arise.
“Customer service is reactive—you wait for a customer to contact you with a problem and then respond. Customer engagement is proactive—you’re reaching out to customers and prospects to understand their challenges before they even ask.”
By shifting from reactive service to proactive engagement, businesses can create stronger relationships and anticipate customer needs before issues arise.
Security, Compliance, and the All-in-One Model (12:25–13:54)
Artie also touched on the importance of secure, compliant communication systems. He mentioned standards such as HIPAA, GDPR, and PCI, and stressed that businesses should ensure end-to-end encryption.
He then explained how Streams AI functions as a multi-channel, all-in-one platform:
He then explained how Streams AI functions as a multi-channel, all-in-one platform:
- PBX and intelligent call routing through Luna AI
- Real-time messaging and team rooms
- Video conferencing with AI-powered summarization and captioning
- SMS integration
- Contact center capabilities
- Integration with third-party CRMs like Salesforce or Oracle through APIs, with a sandbox for custom applications
Growth Mindset Over Company Size (17:30–19:49)
When Diane asked if PanTerra’s solutions were best suited to businesses of a certain size, Artie responded:
“Our metric isn’t size—it’s growth mindset. Whether small or large, if a business wants to grow and succeed, our solution can fit.”
“Our metric isn’t size—it’s growth mindset. Whether small or large, if a business wants to grow and succeed, our solution can fit.”
He encouraged business leaders to take stock of which communication channels are working, where gaps exist, and to find a vendor who listens and tailors solutions—rather than offering one-size-fits-all answers.
A Human-Centered Approach to Business Communication
Artie Chang’s conversation with Diane Helbig underscored the essentials for modern organizations: multi-channel communication, responsible AI adoption, proactive engagement, and built-in compliance. His perspective reflects a practical, step-by-step approach to scaling communication systems while ensuring they remain secure, flexible, and people-focused.
To explore the full conversation, you can watch the YouTube recording, listen on Apple Podcasts, or on Spotify.
To explore the full conversation, you can watch the YouTube recording, listen on Apple Podcasts, or on Spotify.
Contact information:
For more information, please visit www.panterranetworks.com or call us at +1 800.805.0558 or email us at info@panterranetworks.com.