The necessity of cloud communications will present new growth opportunities for the channel in 2021, as more business strategies focus around comms.
That is according to Keith Jackson, 8×8 Regional Vice President of EMEA Channel Sales, who said that 2020 proved that businesses are ready for SaaS-driven cloud products and that the new year will see businesses implement long-term cloud strategies to replace the temporary systems adopted at the start of the pandemic.
Speaking to UC Today, Jackson said: “When Covid-19 emerged last year, cloud adoption rapidly increased and proved its worth to many businesses across all sectors and it’s clear that remote working is here to stay.
“As a result, a pure-play integrated cloud communications platform needs to be at the core of every business strategy to ensure business continuity and resilience”
“For example, contact centres which continue to offer remote working for agents post-pandemic will require both internal and external communications tools to be most productive.
With many businesses’ digital transformation journeys being accelerated due to Covid-19, growth opportunities within the channel will come from helping customers utilise cloud technology to support their business operations moving forward.”
Attitude
Jackson went on to say that any investment made from businesses needs to be met with a workforce that is open to the new way of working, adding: “Over the next 12 months, businesses will be revisiting the technologies they have deployed to support them through the 2020 crisis, reviewing these short-term strategies with a view to creating a more sustainable and long term solution for their business and workforce.
“In our recent research into SMB employees working from home, we found that less than half (47 per cent) feel the communication tools their company has in place helps them to their job more efficiently. With remote working firmly here to stay, the need for high quality video, voice, chat and analytics capabilities, combined with the ability to provide end-user training remotely will continue to drive demand over the coming months.
“Investment must also be coupled with a business culture that nurtures open communication, for both their employees and customers. Business owners and leaders need to ensure employees have what is needed to enable great conversations – both with colleagues and customers.
Whether it’s having those personal online “water cooler” conversations or handling customer calls, enabling conversation is key for success, productivity and continuity. The tools that businesses put in place, should enable the use of a wide range of communication channels, not just email, to break away from transactional relationships – which are expected when we rely on email alone to conduct business.”
