It’s fair to say that 2019 has been an exciting year for the Unified Communications (UC) industry. Throughout the marketplace, we’ve seen the rise of new and disruptive technology, like artificial intelligence tools, IoT, and machine learning.
As businesses continue to accelerate on their path to the cloud, vendors and service providers from across the UC spectrum are also beginning to consolidate and collaborate with other companies to ensure that they can offer the most extensive selection of features available.
We teamed up with leading UC and collaboration provider PGi, to create this top 10 list of the biggest UC Takeaways from 2019 so that you can prepare adequately for the rise of new trends in 2020.
1. Digital Transformation Continues
According to leading analyst firm, IDC, 85% of enterprise decision makers currently believe that they have a time-frame of two years or less to make significant progress with digital transformation. If these companies don’t make enough progress at that time, then they could fall behind their competition and therefore start suffering financially.
Around 34% of companies also say that they have already begun to undergo a digital transformation. It’s safe to say that this trend will only continue in 2020.
2. Legacy Systems Take a Hit
Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) is currently soaring in growth as businesses of all sizes look for more flexibility and scalability in their communication systems. Today’s companies want true UC, not restricted by hardware and software silos. In 2019, companies have begun to realise that legacy systems are losing their shine. Companies that want to compete for the need to evolve into the cloud.
3. Video Collaboration is Growing in Popularity
Thanks to the growing impact of remote working, mobile employment, and general out-of-office flexibility, video conferencing is more valuable as a communication strategy today than ever before. Employees and colleagues want to make sure that they have an immersive way to connect with others from any device. Seeing is believing in this new age.
Going forward in 2020, there’s a good chance that an expansion in HD video technology and easy-to-use meeting solutions will drive the growth of video collaboration even further.
4. Remote Work and Remote Teams Grow in Popularity
Speaking of the remote work environment, it seems that we’re seeing a rise in the number of people who are willing to maintain their productivity outside of the office too. Today’s employees don’t need to be in the office to excel in their jobs. More companies than ever before are beginning to appreciate the benefits of remote working, not just for the employees, but the employer too.
Remote working ensures that employers can pay less for their workforce by allowing them access to next-level technology from any environment.
5. Teams Become the UX
Many experts believe that the way that we build our communication stack is changing in this new environment too. Throughout 2019, collaboration tools like Microsoft Teams have given us a new and agile way to connect, without relying on email inboxes. Going forward, there’s a good chance that Teams environments will be at the centre of business UX.
6. CCaaS is the Gateway to AI
While many companies have been talking about the potential impact of artificial intelligence in recent years, it seems as though companies need to first embrace Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS) to enter the new intelligent age. Without CCaaS, there’s no room for AI or innovation.
If companies want to transform their customer experience environment, then the first thing they need to do is take CX into the cloud with a CCaaS deployment.
7. Full Stack Isn’t the Holy Grail
One interesting finding that we’ve encountered this year is that full-stack might not be the holy grail that we thought it was going to be. Cisco is full-stack, but generally everyone else is being as open as possible these days. Companies are starting to look for build-your-own solutions to the best communication environment and greater flexibility.
8. APIs Pave the Way for Differentiation
Things like CPaaS and cloud APIs from SaaS providers are becoming increasingly available and more appealing in the modern environment. It’s easier to integrate various islands of technology and pre-built plugins than to build a new custom solution from scratch.
App marketplaces are now making APIs hugely accessible to businesses of all sizes.
9. Intelligence is on the Way
While companies might need to experiment with CCaaS before they can unlock the doorway to AI, that doesn’t mean that artificial intelligence isn’t on the horizon. In 2020, we’re going to see artificial intelligence more and more, as machine learning and intelligent tools transform the industry.
10. Watch Out for 5G
Finally, the rise of new connectivity solutions like 5G could lead to new opportunities with other disruptive tools, like VR and AR, Artificial intelligence-powered voice assistants and so much more. It’s safe to say that each of these elements will make a difference in business communication and collaboration in the years to come.
