Tackling the jungle of VoIP phone system vendors and UC providers out there can be a daunting task, so I thought I’d put together of a list our most popular reviews, tips and other guidance to help.
Notwithstanding there are lots more brands to mention, however, these are vendors that UC Today has seen notable investment in their platforms in recent times. It’s also worth stating that the list below is a combination of vendors and service providers (but not resellers).
Recently there have been many measurable changes to the world of phone systems and unified communications systems. Today, more companies than ever before are making the move into cloud, and that means that enterprises from almost every vertical are beginning to assess precisely what technology they need to support their teams and maintain strong customer service experiences in the year ahead.
If you’re beginning to reassess your phone system for the new year, or you simply want to explore some of the options available for a fresh upgrade, we’ve got a selection of fantastic, in-depth reviews for you to search through, to help you make a more informed decision.
Current Trends in UCaaS and CPaaS
The development of new technologies and ways of working has led to an evolution the way that people access modern communication technology. Currently, the "as a service" deployment strategy is growing increasingly popular, providing companies with a low-cost and high-flexibility method of unlocking the latest technology. The communications platform as a service or "CPaaS" market is currently expected to grow to a value of $10.9 billion by 2022. On the other hand, VoIP providers and unified communications as a service (UCaaS) are seeing a similarly impressive annual growth rate of 29%.
So, what are the trends driving the continued development of these two areas? Well, some of the ones we've noticed include:
- The rise of omnichannel communication: Today's customers want more options on how they can communicate with their favourite This means that businesses need to be willing and able to connect with clients through everything from instant messaging to email. Omnichannel CPaaS solutions give companies a way to differentiate themselves with better customer service, and memorable consumer experiences.
- Artificial Intelligence and Machine learning: AI has emerged as a common part of the communication conversation today. The fourth industrial revolution is set to be driven by data, and the automated solutions that can be created using the information businesses learn about their clients. With AI and machine learning, companies can analyse and visualise crucial data about their customers and use it to make essential brand decisions. Solutions like sentiment analysis can even help businesses to understand what their clients feel.
- Chatbots and automation: For many companies embracing CPaaS technology, a goal may be to eliminate the repetitive and unnecessary tasks from their employees' to-do lists, so that agents can spend more time addressing complex customer concerns and other problems. Chatbots and automation are increasingly becoming a part of the offering delivered by many communication platform vendors.
- High-quality video: Many UCaaS providers are beginning to embrace high-quality and HD video as a form of internal and external communication. As solutions like 5G internet emerge, these 4k-quality video streams will become more of a realistic solution for modern businesses, even when connecting to employees and customers through smartphones.
- Data compliance: Finally, as businesses around the world are hit with new regulations like GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI, UCaaS and CPaaS vendors will need to make sure that their solutions help businesses to be as compliant and secure as possible. As we go forward into 2019, consumers and companies alike will continue the search for a communication strategy that keeps their data private and safe.
Compare the Market
If you want the best communication strategy, you'll need to make sure that you're choosing the best platform and vendor. Remember, the market for UC is set to reach $143.5 billion by the end of 2024, and the growing potential of the space means that new brands are arriving in the sector all the time.
Narrow your search by comparing brands, features, and benefits. Most unified comms capabilities nowadays are primarily software controlled and therefore scalability over the years has dramatically increased due to improvements in the hardware they reside on. For example, you can now buy a phone system the size of a shoe box that will easily support 100 users or more.
If you have a virtualised server environment (e.g., Microsoft Hyper-V or VMware) a single host can support potentially hundreds if not thousands of users. You may even choose a cloud-based platform for your business; this is a very popular option due to the scalability and low upfront costs.
Some other points to keep in mind when comparing UC and phone system platforms include:
- Reliable, Cost-Effective Systems
The best communication solutions are the ones that give you the features you need, for a price you can afford. You'll be searching for the perfect balance between secure and reliable services, and cost-efficiency.
Remember to take your time when browsing through communication platforms; although it might be tempting to choose the cheapest options at first, it's crucial to ensure that you're getting all the features you need, from call recording to video conferencing.
- Comprehensive Features
Always look for a Unified Communications platform that goes beyond the standard VoIP systems. In today's complex business climate, it's not enough to rely on a solution that's built on voice alone. You'll be better served by a platform that can seamlessly integrate a wide range of applications into a single, easy-to-use system.
Ideally, your provider should allow you to build the strategy that you want out of the available features so that you're only paying for the things that you'll use. That way, you can scale your communications platform as your company grows.
- Flexible Ease of Access
Communication is constantly changing. In recent years, we've seen the introduction of countless disruptive new technologies, including artificial intelligence, sentiment analysis, and more. With that in mind, it's essential to choose a platform that's flexible enough to allow access to the services you want.
You'll also need to think about how you plan on deploying your communication strategy so that you can ensure ease-of-use. Do you want something that's entirely on-premise or something that combines on-premise and cloud solutions? Perhaps you want the freedom of a technology stack wholly built on the cloud.
- Minimal Disruption
Finally, make sure that whatever communication strategy you choose, it's something that's easy for your employees to adopt and take advantage of. You want something that combines simple installation and set-up with the features that your employees genuinely need to be more productive and efficient at work.
Speak to your staff members about what they need from their communication solutions, then check through our unified communication system reviews to find the tool that's best suited to your needs. Remember to verify that the vendor you want to work with will provide any support or additional training your team might need too!
VoIP Reviews
Click through and take a read of our:
Notable UC Vendors
8×8 – In 2018 8×8 have made some significant hires and also acquired machine learning and AI tech startup MarianaIQ. The recent launch of their X series platform combines collaboration, conferencing and contact centre tech. More 8×8 News
Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise – ALE continue to drive innovation into their portfolio centres around their flagship cloud collaboration platform Rainbow. Notably, they have some really good mashups using CPaaS, UCaaS, IoT and AI technology. More ALE News
