UCaaS Solutions: The New Year's Resolution Worth Keeping
New Year's resolutions are incredibly popular, and come with a similarly prevalent failure rate: According to US News & World Report, 80 percent of resolutions are abandoned by February. While individuals experience the lion's share of good intentions and growing regret, businesses often struggle with the same issue — what seem like great ideas on bright December days often seem less brilliant in the cold, gray fog of February.
But it's not all bad news. The right resolution can help companies stay the course and reap the benefits. This year? Consider UCaaS solutions as the resolution worth keeping.
Hitting the Gym
Why are resolutions so difficult? Two reasons: Lack of planning, and lack of support. Consider the oft-resolved plan to "hit the gym" when the new year arrives. Most newly minted runners and lifters only make it a few weeks before giving up the habit and returning to their old ways. But is it just a lack of willpower? Not quite. New gym members typically lack the knowledge to create a viable workout plan and stick to it. If they're going it alone, it's easy to get frustrated or confused and then abandon ship.
Why do most New Year's resolutions fail? Momentum. Everyone starts off strong, but as the weeks roll by, old habits creep back in and new ventures start looking less appealing.
The same goes for companies just starting their journey to the Cloud. They've heard the benefits and seen the gains enjoyed by other organizations — Easy mobile integration, media-rich calling and low latency — but they lack the knowledge and support to easily transition from RFP to full-on implementation. The solution? Start with an RFP sit-down. Hash out what the enterprise needs, what users want, and what a UC provider should look like. One key line item? Real-time monitoring and 24/7 support to ensure that when issues arise, new adopters don't walk away — they get help and get back to work.
Maintenance Mode
Some companies have spent the last year improving their cloud communications outlook. They've hit the gym, they've done the work, and now they're seeing solid results. Here, the resolution isn't about getting started but maintaining success, which means improving current operations with cloud-based solutions. The catch? Knowing where to spend and where to save in the expanding UC market.
The best bet? Opt for services that will pay long-term dividends. ITProPortal suggests that both team collaboration and work-from-any-screen services are trends to watch in 2018, making them a solid starting point. Here, consider services such as CRM integration and call center tools to help agents better serve customers and reduce the amount of time spent searching for data — or alternatively, dig in with communication APIs to develop mobile applications that meet tech-savvy customers' expectations.
The bottom line? Maintaining the current level of service isn't enough for a UCaaS resolution — organizations need to maintain success by continually meeting evolving expectations for service.
UCaaS Solutions: Digging Deep
On the other hand, let's say it's been a productive few years. The company has adopted UCaaS solutions, made reasonable resolutions, and always hit the mark. The result? Expansion. New offices are popping up both locally and internationally, all requiring their own cloud-based communication hub and UCaaS support. This is where a resolution needs to dig deep and emphasize new ways to deliver top-tier service. For expanding organizations, this might mean implementing new QoS tools that ensure VoIP and video-calling traffic get network priority, or opting for MPLS solutions that allow discrete control over network traffic along with reduced latency. Other options include SD-WAN and hybrid solutions, which improve total flexibility and reduce overall complexity.
After two or three successful years, it's easy for companies to link cloud communications with day-to-day success and ease of operations. Here, the worry isn't February failure or service stagnation, but sudden growth brought on by UCaaS investments that isn't met with a necessary uptick in UC adoption. This is the time to take risks, to spend big on services that add corporate-wide value and worldwide support — consistent end user experience and room to expand on-demand are the watchwords for reliable resolution results.
Be It Resolved
Why do most New Year's resolutions fail? Momentum. Everyone starts off strong, but as the weeks roll by, old habits creep back in and new ventures start looking less appealing. Thankfully, 2018 offers a boost for enterprises considering UCaaS solutions — momentum is growing for cloud-based communication offerings that help enhance company-wide collaboration and fully integrate with current cloud offerings. In other words, there's a stacked deck here: UCaaS is at an all-time high — let's ride the tide for better resolutions.
Keeping that UCaaS resolution this year? Vonage can help.
