Consideration #2: Are you stuck in your traditional ways?

UC has really been a game changer for the telecommunications industry as a whole. Yet many of our colleagues are having a hard time grasping the fundamental change that is occurring. All too often our services are engaged because voicemail and PBX systems are reaching “end-of-life” support. Thus, the need to migrate to a VoIP system is immediate.

System support is a key responsibility for all IT departments but often they are not thinking “out of the box” when it comes to the opportunity for changing the way their organization communicates with each other and their customers.

All too often they simply want to replace their legacy TDM system with an updated VoIP system with similar features as they had before. What compound’s this situation further are the vendors who want to “get in and out quickly” in order to maximize profit; these vendors are not looking to educate their customer of new applications if they are satisfied with status quo.

A VoIP telecom system on its own is really not very exciting if you are just interested in replacing your existing “dial tone”. The significant benefits and added features a VoIP system with UC can add to your business is beyond just cost savings. Some of the benefits of UC include:

• Enhanced customer service: Improved communication between employees and their customers enhances the customers experience – which may results in increased loyalty, retention, and referrals.
• Increased end-user productivity: By linking together all of the communication tools your end-users utilize into one platform allows for communication to become more efficient.
• Improved end-user flexibility: UC provides end-users more flexibility – opening the door to working at home, on the road, etc. while still maintaining a high level of productivity.

UC is here, and its implementation has been unfolding gradually starting with larger enterprises and trickling down to small-mid sized companies. Eventually, UC will become the norm and will be demanded by your employees and customers. Why settle for a like-for-like replacement when UC has much more to offer?

Consideration #3: The cost of being “ubiquitous.”

The idea of having access to voice, text and data “anywhere, anytime” really originated with the consumer experience. We traded in our expensive LD plans on our tethered home phone line to a world of expensive mobile data plans and devices for every member of our family. Our need for being connected and “available” with family and friends continues to accelerate at a rapid pace. Interestingly this trend has not successfully transcended into the workplace as of yet, thus the growing frustration for many business end-users.

What’s interesting is when we conduct our interviews with business representatives they expect to experience 100% coverage on their mobile devices during working hours. Whether it is a physician that works at multiple hospitals and wants access to patient records at their fingertips, or higher education faculty members that move between campuses; the desire to be connected with one number and their device of choice is demanding attention.

What your clients don’t often appreciate or understand is the back-end cost for infrastructure. Considerations to security of information, redundancy, power cabling and physical changes to space allocation for IT closets all drive up the cost for coverage and performance. Other considerations are simply the time to plan and implement those needed changes.

So what is the cost of being ubiquitous in a business environment and more importantly, can you afford it?

Stay tuned for my next post on the Importance of a UC Strategic Plan.

Emily Nielsen,
UC Specialist & President of Nielsen IT Consulting Inc.

UC Strategic Planning Blog Series – Table of Contents

Having a plan is the first step to leadership. Follow our eight week blog series to learn key actionable items that are crucial to developing an effective UC Strategy for your company.

• Part 1a: UC Considerations
• Part 1b: UC Considerations Continued
• Part 2: The Importance of a Unified Communications Strategic Plan
• Part 3: The Discovery Process
• Part 4: Defining Your Vision
• Part 5: Identifying Corporate Requirements
• Part 6: Identifying UC Applications
• Part 7: Infrastructure Assessment
• Part 8: Final Thoughts