Tad Talk: Building the Future of Communication, One Feature at a Time

We spoke with Tad Thompson, VP of Voice at Intermax Networks, about what keeps him energized after decades in the industry and what the future of telecoms might hold. He’s seen it all—from clunky desk phones with red hold buttons to sleek, cloud-based systems packed with features. The pace of innovation is fast, and that’s what keeps things exciting. With AI integrations, smarter voice tools, and seamless mobile access on the horizon, Tad is more fired up than ever about where the industry is headed.

Q: With all your years in the industry, what keeps you excited?

Technology. That’s what keeps me going.

Watching how far things have come from the old Key sets with five big buttons and a red hold button, to the sleek, feature-rich systems we have today, it’s incredible. I’ve always loved the tech side of this industry. Seeing it evolve, grow, and change so quickly is what motivates me.

This industry never stands still. There’s always something new, whether it’s cloud-based systems, mobile integrations, or advanced analytics. It’s exciting to be part of that constant innovation. That’s what makes this such a great field to be in.

Q: Are we integrating AI into our products?

Yes, we are, and it’s pretty exciting. We’ve just started working on an AI integration that will live right inside the customer portal. You’ll be able to go into the AI section, type in your company’s website—say, intermaxnetworks.com—and the AI will scan the site, gather information about your business, and automatically suggest what your auto attendant greeting should say.

For example, it might generate something like:
“Thank you for calling Intermax Networks. For Internet sales, press 1. For phone sales, press 2…”

It learns and adapts based on your business.

Even better, you can type out your greeting directly in the portal, choose your voice, male, female, accent, different languages, and the AI will generate the recording for you. No more recording, re-recording, or worrying about mistakes. Just type it out, select your preferences, and it’s done.

We’re currently in the integration and testing phase, and we’re hoping to roll it out next year. It’s a really cool technology, and I’ve seen it in action—it works. This is just the beginning of what AI can do for our platform, and we’re excited to keep pushing forward.

Q: If you could look into the future of technology and the company, what would you see in your crystal ball?

When I look ahead, especially in the voice space, I see a lot of exciting advancements coming, including more features, better integrations, and smarter systems. Things like text-to-speech and speech recognition are going to get significantly better. Right now, transcription is decent, but we’ve all seen those voicemails where you’re left wondering, “What did that even say?” That’s going to improve, and it’s going to get more affordable.

I think an AI front-end speech recognition is going to be a game-changer. Right now, it’s hit or miss. You call your credit card company, and the system struggles to understand you because of background noise or unclear prompts. But with AI evolving, those systems are going to become much more accurate and intuitive.

The pace of change is fast, and that’s what makes it exciting. Features are going to get smarter, more seamless, and more powerful. And at Intermax, we’ll be right there adapting, innovating, and making sure our customers benefit from every step forward.

Smarter Systems, Limitless Possibilities

The future of voice technology is smarter, faster, and more intuitive—and Intermax is ready for it. Tad sees a wave of advancements coming, from seamless speech recognition to AI-generated greetings that adapt to your business. These aren’t just ideas—they’re already in development. With a mindset rooted in innovation and a passion for solving real-world problems, Tad and the Intermax team are building tools that help businesses communicate better, work smarter, and stay connected from anywhere.

Find Connection with Intermax  

Locally owned and operated since 2001, we’re proud to offer high-speed wireless internet, fiber, voice services, and more to thousands of residential and commercial customers.   

Headquartered in Coeur d’Alene with offices in Spokane, Seattle, Sandpoint, and St. Maries, Intermax is the local’s choice for reliable service in hard-to-reach places.   

Our friendly support team is here to answer any questions you may have. Visit Intermax, or call us at (208) 568-7979, today!