Top 7 Tips for Evaluating a UCaaS Provider

Unified Communications as a Service, otherwise known as UCaaS, leads to buying decisions that require a very different set of purchase considerations compared to on-premise solutions. When making the move to the cloud, companies need to think carefully about how they’re going to bring the best possible technology into their landscape.

Since moving into the cloud tends to require a huge systems change, it’s important for organisations to ensure that the UCaaS providers that they work with are equipped to assist them in their transformation. Here are just some of the key things that brands need to consider.

1.    Deployment Models Provided

Looking at the complete UC portfolio that your vendor offers is a good place to start when searching for the ideal UCaaS solution. It’s important to have a company to work with that can deliver solutions on the cloud with UCaaS. However, you may also want someone who can provide on-premise tools too, for a phased “hybrid” migration. This could help you to make the transition to cloud at a more comfortable pace.

2.    Provider Stability and Support

Think about how the vendor can support your business and it’s needs from a long-term perspective. Traditional telephony and network professionals offer more substantial support models that include everything from 24/7 phone support, to web support for enterprises that need it. You may even find vendors that can come and train you in using the latest equipment that you want to enable for your team.

3.    Feature Flexibility

The UC landscape is constantly evolving, and businesses are increasingly searching for more capabilities as a result. Because of this, it’s important to evaluate the features that your UCaaS provider can offer and determine whether they fit with your requirements. Is the company that you’re going to be working with invested in disruptive tools? Are they invested in the solutions that you want to enable in the future?

4.    Contact Centre Solutions

Many businesses are beginning to enter an era where they want their internal and external communications to be more closely linked. A UCaaS company that can also offer CCaaS functionality could provide your business with the tools it needs to deliver more contextual and advanced conversations. If you want an all-in-one communication environment, then it may be time to look for a vendor that specializes in both UCaaS and CCaaS.

5.    Third-Party Integration

Speaking of having an all-in-one environment for communications, it’s much easier to transform your communication stack if your UCaaS tools can integrate with the systems you already use. Most UCaaS providers are offering integrations today with leading management and communication tools. Some are also looking into the world of APIs and SDKs for greater extensibility.

6.    Security and Compliance

Depending on the kind of business you run, you’ll need to ensure that your UCaaS solution adheres to your specific needs. Find out whether your UCaaS provider can host your call media in a local data centre if that’s something that’s required for your industry. You can also look into things like PCI and GDPR compliance if necessary.

7.    Can They Accommodate Phased Migration

Finally, make sure that your UCaaS provider can deliver the phased migration solution that you need, rather than focusing exclusively on one major roll-out. Incremental migration could be done by location and functionality and may be a good option for testing new solutions and training offerings. This could also be a good choice for testing the waters with new tools.

Good luck finding your UCaaS vendor!

 

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