Creating and maintaining meaningful connections is an essential part of business that can impact supplier, partner and customer relationships. Having the right solution on hand can make all the difference in supporting employee needs and facilitating critical opportunities across important assets. Unified communications appears to be the answer to many business interaction needs, but it can be difficult to know where to start when looking at potential options. Let's take a closer look at how your can choose an effective UC solution:
1. Consider organization growth
The number of staff within a business isn't a permanent figure. People join and leave, but all organization leaders plan with the belief that the company will grow. When considering a UC solution, it's not only important to look at the amount of staff you currently have, but to also prepare for scaling in the future. TechTarget contributor Chris Partsenidis noted that most UC platforms support a specific number of users and are designed around these limitations. This could create major problems in the future as the business grows, forcing organizations to seek out new solutions.
Organizations will need to team up with a UC vendor that not only serves current needs, but also acts as a partner for strategic development. A capable provider should be able to scale features and services up or down depending on business requirements. This will guarantee the flexibility that companies need as they develop while still ensuring that employees have quality tools.
2. Ensure mobile enablement
When businesses start out, they might only choose a few of the most important, basic communications tools that they'll need. As time progresses and technology preferences change, organizations must ensure that their strategies encapsulate user demands. Today's modern organizations are still scrambling to meet remote and mobile work expectations, facilitating bring-your-own-device policies and other similar initiatives. Mobile capabilities are becoming a necessity for employees, making it essential for UC solutions to effectively support this functionality.
With the insurgence of consumer devices in the workplace, that means that IT departments no longer have tight control over everything that goes on within their networks. Network World contributor Zeus Kerravala noted that UC applications will be an essential component to ensuring that users can switch devices on the fly and access UC functions. This type of freedom can boost collaboration opportunities and improve overall productivity.
"Use your business objectives to customize your UC solution."
3. Align with your objectives
Any new initiative must be able to prove its value to stakeholders and users alike. The benefits of UC have been widely reported, but seeing is believing. To get the most out of your UC solution, you must have a clear view of your business objectives and use them to customize your UC system, digital content specialist Rajesh Kulkarni wrote in a LinkedIn post. By aligning the UC solution with your goals, you can deliver maximum value and ensure that the offering makes sense for your organization's needs.
UC initiatives must be planned out carefully to ensure that workers are engaged and motivated to use the tools. Leaders must put a training mechanism in place to facilitate even adoption and improve receptiveness to changes caused by UC. Employees are expected to leave behind familiar solutions, making it essential to align with objectives and deliver in a way that will help cushion the impact for staff.
UC is the next big necessity for businesses to keep up with user demands and offer flexible communication options. By following these tips, you can choose the most effective UC solution for your needs and ensure it benefits your organization. To find out more about what UC solutions can offer, contact ISG Technology today.