UCaaS and CCaaS solutions are taking the world by storm. In a world of hybrid and remote work, where teams need to be able to access flexible and scalable solutions anywhere, companies are on the hunt for the most valuable unified ecosystem.
These days, the concept of combining both UCaaS and CCaaS into the same platform is growing increasingly appealing. With everything you need in a single cloud environment, you can boost team productivity, enhance customer service, and even save money.
The question is, how do you choose a vendor capable of delivering both your UCaaS and CCaaS needs? Let’s look at some steps you can follow to improve your chances of making the correct decision.
Step 1: Examine Your Cloud Strategy
Embracing a world of unified UCaaS and CCaaS solutions is a critical step in a company’s plan for digital transformation. If you’re planning on aligning both of these tools, there’s a good chance you’re moving a significant amount of software and technology into the cloud. With this in mind, it’s worth thinking carefully about what the ideal cloud platform would look like to you.
When searching for the ideal consolidated cloud environment, you might start with a UCaaS solution, and implement CCaaS technology, as many companies do when upgrading their Microsoft Teams investment. Alternatively, you might begin with a contact centre in the cloud and embed collaboration and unified communication features.
It’s also worth thinking about the extra “XaaS” offerings you might be able to bring into the same environment. Many leaders in the communication landscape are now bringing elements of CPaaS to their platforms. This could allow business leaders to implement APIs and additional integrations into a customised stack of productivity tools.
Step 2: Prioritise Flexibility and Scalability
Bringing UCaaS and CCaaS together isn’t just a great way to cut costs and simplify your software stack. The right solution can also give you a greater level of agility at a time when customer and employee needs are consistently changing. However, to take full advantage of this ecosystem, you’ll need to ensure you’re working with a vendor capable of scaling to suit your business.
Look for vendors who can deliver hybrid cloud solutions and integrations to your business so that you can align existing legacy tools with upgraded cloud services. You may also want to prioritize vendors who can embed daily technology your teams use into your new cloud hub. These solutions might include CRM services, ERP technology, and help desks.
The best combined UCaaS and CCaaS offering should be able to evolve to suit your company as your business continues to grow. Ensure your vendor makes it easy to provide new users with a remote control panel for your technology and access new licenses as quickly as possible when your business grows.
Step 3: Know Your Cloud Essentials
When investing in the converging world of “XaaS” (Anything as a Service), it’s important to think carefully about the essential features you need from your cloud environment. In today’s world, it’s more common for brands to seek out custom environments suited to their specific business processes and use cases than to use off-the-shelf technology.
For instance, depending on the industry you’re involved with, you might need to look for a certain level of data sovereignty from your cloud provider. This ensures you can store data collected in both the UCaaS and CCaaS environments is kept it according to compliance guidelines. There may be geographic considerations if you run a global business too.
Look at the specific capabilities you might need from your cloud landscape, like a greater focus on video communications or more opportunities to embed AI tools and self-service solutions. It’s also worth considering each provider’s analytics and reporting options. The best UCaaS and CCaaS solutions will give you an end-to-end view of your ecosystem.
In certain circumstances, you may even need to look for value-added services your vendor offers, like helping set up secure networks.
Step 4: Ensure Great User Experience
Making the most of new technology in your business starts with ensuring widespread adoption of all your new tools. It’s crucial to find a UCaaS/CCaaS vendor that makes it simple for you to deploy, manage, and even monitor the performance of your tools from a distance. Many vendors offer straightforward online portals for this purpose.
Think about making the experience as straightforward as possible for your staff. Companies often prefer adding UCaaS or CCaaS technology to their teams’ platforms. This reduces the need for additional training and guidance. For instance, if your staff already uses Microsoft Teams for UCaaS, you can add contact centre features with the right partner.
Linking other tools your teams already use to the same environment can make life much easier. Track customer relationship management data in the same interface as a CCaaS tool means your staff can spend less time jumping between apps. Consider testing various platforms to see which suits your teams and employee personas best.
Step 5: Look for Innovation
When you’re starting your UCaaS and CCaaS synergy plan, your focus may be on aligning as many tools your teams already use as possible into the same environment. However, as your company and customers evolve, you may invest in more innovative solutions to boost both EX and CX.
Working with a vendor with a substantial investment in disruptive technology will be helpful to ensure you’re prepared to evolve at the right pace. You may want to look into companies with a strong focus on artificial intelligence and machine learning. Or you could consider exploring no-code and low-code automation options within a CPaaS-ready environment.
The option to upgrade your technology at a moment’s notice will ensure you can stay competitive, even as new vendors in your space continue to invest in powerful new tools for their technology ecosystem.
