Top Tips for Implementing Enterprise UC&C Solutions

3 steps to upgrading to UC&C: What enterprises need to know

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ImplementUCCEnterprise
Unified Communications

Published: May 14, 2018

Rebekah Carter - Writer

Rebekah Carter

According to global market forecasts, the unified communications and collaboration industry may reach a value of $96 billion by 2023. In a world of constantly evolving technology and countless modes of connectivity, today’s enterprises are turning to UC&C as a way of streamlining their business structure, improving productivity, and enhancing customer satisfaction.

UC&C brings the disparate collaboration and communication tools of an organisation together into a single-pane-of-glass structure – eliminating the complexity that day-to-day users would otherwise face.

However, like any significant change in a space as large as the modern enterprise, companies could suffer if they attempt to roll new technology out too quickly. Just like the move from on-premise to the cloud, or the decision to implement a new PBX, it’s important for enterprises to have a strategy when they roll out UC&C.

1.     Know the “Why” of UC&C

Unless you know exactly what UC&C can do, and how you need to use it to support your enterprise teams, then you won’t know which resources are right for your organisation. Like with any system, a UC&C implementation needs to be supported by company culture. For instance, if the different silos in your contact centre are having trouble working together to offer first-time resolution to clients, a UC&C service with real-time messaging and sentiment analysis features could be key to success.

Instead of approaching UC&C to change the way your enterprise recruits do their jobs, look at this solution to support how your people are already collaborating and communicating. While this may lead to the removal of inefficient communication methods over time, successful UC&C begins with learning what your people need right now, and what they may need in the future.

2.     Prepare for the Present and the Future

The modern enterprise needs to be flexible and agile to compete in a digitally transforming (DX) business space. This means that when you’re implementing a new UC&C strategy, it’s important to consider not just what you want to accomplish now, but what you might want to explore in the future. For instance, while today you might just need unified communications and collaboration service that allows for instant messaging and audio conferencing, as you continue to employ remote, and flexible workers, your demand for video conferencing might grow.

Preparing for the present and future means looking at UC&C tools that support scalability, and interoperability. While scalability will allow you to adjust your commitments and packages according to the ever-changing needs of your enterprise, interoperability will ensure that you’re not restricted on how your organisation can grow in the future. Think about things like:

  • Whether you can assign different tools to different people in the enterprise
  • Whether your UC&C solution supports both cloud and hybrid deployment options
  • Whether you have strategies in place for things like AI, mobility, and other workplace trends

3.     Don’t Forget about Security and Privacy

Finally, with so many people involved in the running of an enterprise each day, it can be difficult to keep track of the sheer volume of data you collect. As regulations continue to evolve like GDPR, it’s important for today’s enterprises to think about how they can add privacy and security measures to their unified communication and collaboration strategy.

Bring CIOs and security experts together to determine how specific regulations and rules can be implemented to support security. For instance, encryptions and firewalls offered by your UC&C provider can be helpful, but you’ll also need to think about things like how granular the permission levels are for your UC&C tools. Is there a BYOD plan you can implement for enterprise employees who prefer to use their own tools? Do you want your workers to access the cloud, but avoid insecure environments?

Just as you have a plan for disaster recovery, and a strategy for business success, the right plan for implementing UC&C can ensure that you end up with all of the benefits of a unified enterprise, with none of the potential risks.

 

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