Cisco paid hundreds of millions of dollars or more to acquire two companies, IMImobile and Slido, that it says will boost customer interaction on its Webex video conferencing platform.

The networking giant said it reached a $730 million deal with IMImobile, a public company based in the United Kingdom, that provides cloud communications software and services.

And it also announced its intent to acquire Slido, a Slovakian startup that developed an audience interaction platform with more than 7 million participants monthly. It gives companies real-time feedback before, during, and after events and meetings using polls, Q&A, and quizzes. The companies didn’t disclose the purchase private price for Slido, which raised about $36,400 in seed funding in 2013.

Cisco plans to fold both companies into its Webex portfolio, which has seen staggering growth during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Last month alone, Webex had nearly 600 million participants, almost double the number we had in March,” Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins said during his company’s Q1 fiscal 2021 earnings call in November. The vendor has also added several new capabilities and services via Webex since March, and this is where IMImobile will come into play.

Cisco plans to combine IMImobile with its new Webex Contact Center offer to provide what it calls “contact center-as-a-service (CCaaS).” This will use technology including artificial intelligence (AI), experience management, collaboration tools, omnichannel capabilities, and programmability for customization to “give organizations the ability to provide delightful customer experiences across the entire customer life cycle,” wrote Omar Tawakol, vice president and general manager of Cisco Contact Center business unit, in a blog post.

IMImobile’s omnichannel capabilities allow marketing or service organizations to message with their customers on any channel their customers use including WhatsApp, Apple Business Chat, and Google RCS.

In a separate blog post about the Slido acquisition, Abhay Kulkarni, VP and GM of Webex Meetings, says the startup’s technology will also help Cisco customers adjust to the pandemic-induced “shift to virtual everything.” He cites Cisco’s global workforce survey, which found 98% of respondents expect future meetings to include remote participants.

“With Slido’s technology, Cisco will integrate even more insights into the Webex platform to help everyone work smarter and be more productive whenever and wherever work happens,” Kulkarni wrote. “We are going to enable companies around the world that have traditionally relied on in-person events like townhalls, all hands meetings and major user conferences to make sure everyone is engaged and included.”