The communication space has evolved drastically in the last decade. Not only are we moving more aggressively from hardware to software, but we're seeing a slew of new technologies too. IoT, artificial intelligence and more are all joining the comms landscape, thanks to solutions like UCaaS and CPaaS.
ALE is a market-leading communication company that serves more than 830,000 customers in the current landscape. Under the Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise brand, they deliver award-winning UCaaS and CPaaS solutions through open standards. Xavier Martin, the Vice President of Market Development, spoke to us about the evolution of comms. His position in the heart of marketing for ALE solutions makes him the perfect guide to their market strategy.
The Evolution of Comms in the Last 15 Years
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Xavier Martin[/caption]
According to Xavier, things were much simpler for communications companies 15 years ago. Because customers had no choice about how they installed their system, there wasn't nearly as much complexity involved in customising each implementation.
"Now every customer has multiple choices in front of them. They can decide where their communication environment will be. For instance, they can keep their strategy on-premises, or they can move it into the cloud. There are even opportunities to blend both options with hybrid strategies. Then the second biggest change is that communications are no longer exclusively from person-to-person."
Today, businesses in the midst of digital transformation are looking at ways to connect everything, including objects, and devices. "Though communications are more complicated, they're also much richer and more immersive than they were a few years ago."
How Has the Buying Process Evolved?
The added complexity of communications and a new appetite for digital transformation has also changed the buying process for today's companies. According to Martin, the buying strategy is following the trends of the consumer world.
"In the last 2 decades, we've seen a massive shift from products to services among consumers. For instance, people no longer buy music, they consume it through streaming services. We're no longer spending money in advance; we're spending cash as we use things."
The same habits are becoming common in the business environment too. As the cloud becomes more accessible, budgets and strategies are shifting. People are moving away from one-off purchases at the beginning of the cycle with CapEx strategies. Today, people want the OpEX solution, where they can choose exactly what they're spending their budget on, and access absolute flexibility.
