Glia, the leader in customer interaction technology, today announced that channel ecosystem powerhouse Ray Hicken has joined Glia as an executive channel advisor. In this role, Hicken is fortifying and expanding Glia’s channel strategy, accelerating the company’s impact and reach in the voice and digital customer interaction space.
With a proven track record of success in telecommunications and customer experience, Hicken brings decades of industry experience and knowledge to Glia. Previously serving as VP of Channel Sales for North America at NICE, Hicken oversaw its U.S. channel, spearheading a team to develop, leverage and execute growth strategies for all U.S.-based strategic partners. Prior, he led sales at CarrierSales and built the first-ever CX practice in the TSD channel at both CarrierSales and Telarus, where his work was instrumental in drawing Telarus’ interest in acquiring CarrierSales in 2017. This impact is why Hicken was named to the 2023 Top 20 UC/Contact Center Leaders and the list of 2024 Channel Influencers of the Year by Channel Futures.
“Glia breaks the mold of traditional CCaaS and contact center tech providers. With its ChannelLess® architecture and innovative pricing model, the company offers a welcome change and a modern platform for all digital and voice customer interactions. I am excited to be part of something truly new and disruptive in customer experience,” said Hicken. “Because Glia is purpose-built for the channel, I am confident they’ll become a significant player in the channel ecosystem, and I look forward to leveraging my experience to drive the company’s growth strategy forward.”
Hicken’s expertise in cloud contact center and UCaaS, both as a certified technical salesperson and an in-depth market strategist, differentiates him as a leader in guiding companies and partners through a crowded provider landscape. Hicken opted to work with Glia because the company overcomes the limitations of traditional CCaaS providers via a modern Unified Interaction Management platform, boosting efficiencies, closing data and context gaps, and improving the overall customer experience.
“At Glia, we are setting the standard for how companies interact with their customers, and an enhanced presence in the channel ecosystem is allowing us to do so at a larger scale, even more quickly and effectively,” said Dan Michaeli, CEO and co-founder of Glia. “With decades of experience in driving growth and navigating the channel, Ray brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise that sets us up for lasting success.”
Hicken joins Glia only a few months after the addition of Chad Haydar as Senior Vice President of Alliances & Channels. “Ray’s appointment as executive channel advisor is already adding rocket fuel to Glia’s trajectory in the channel. We’re working together to create a vibrant channel ecosystem to bring trusted advisors a differentiated solution for high-trust industries.”
About Glia
Glia is the leader and pioneer of Unified Interaction Management—redefining how companies interact with their customers. The Glia Interaction Platform unifies voice, digital customer service, and AI with a unique ChannelLess® architecture that eliminates data silos, dropped context, and frustration for customers and representatives. With Glia, companies can easily shift volume between channels, and customer connections can evolve naturally. Glia helps its customers harness the power of customer interactions to drive efficiency, loyalty, and revenue.
Glia has partnered with over 500 insurance companies, banks, credit unions, and other financial institutions worldwide to improve the customer experience and drive business results. Named a Deloitte Technology Fast 500™ company for a fifth year in a row and a Great Place to Work (with a 97% employee satisfaction rating), the company has raised over $150 million in funding from top investors and was recently valued at over $1 Billion. Learn more at glia.com.
