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3 Considerations When Buying Unified Communications Products
When purchasing unified communications (UC) products, organizations should consider three key principles: value proposition, deployment models, and vendor-partner relationships. The market is competitive, and understanding vendor differentiators, potential deployment models (on-premise, cloud-based, hybrid), and evaluating vendor capabilities is crucial. Properly implemented UC solutions can significantly improve business outcomes, reduce costs, and enhance communication effectiveness.
3 Considerations When Buying Unified Communications Products
- 1. CONSIDERATIONS WHEN BUYING UNIFIEDCOMMUNICATIONS PRODUCTS #UCJourney
- 2. Once you havedefined the specific benefits and impacts of a unified communications system for your organization, you need to consider these 3 buying principles: 1- VALUE PROPOSITION 2- DEPLOYMENT MODELS 3- VENDOR-PARTNER RELATIONSHIP #UCJourney
- 3. A challenge witha UC deployment is the various applications and integrations that are potentially involved in the deployment. You will need to have an clear understanding of which applications are required #UCJourney
- 4. The proposed benefitof more frequent, more effective and more efficient communication is a realization with all of the UC applications when presented in a bubble #UCJourney
- 5. But reality is… yourbusiness requirements are unique and you will face several challenges when moving toward a UC decision Here are 2 examples… #UCJourney
- 6. ONE UC solutions donot fix current issues or problems that existed with many of the legacy systems that you may be replacing. #UCJourney
- 7. TWO Most unified communications productsdo not completely replace existing technology, and can be a new experience that may not be easily adopted. #UCJourney
- 8. BUT THERE ARETREMENDOUS BENEFITS WHEN DONE PROPERLY Decrease costs Improve business outcomes REDUCE TRAVEL EXPENSES REDUCE AUDIO CONFERENCING CHARGES REDUCE TELEPHONY CHARGES IMPROVE END-USER PRODUCTIVITY RESOLVE CUSTOMER ISSUES FASTER SHORTEN SALES CYCLE 30 min/day Up to 50% Up to 20% 5% - 30% 30% - 95% 50% - 70% #UCJourney
- 9. Making a purchasingdecision requires careful consideration. There are three core considerations when buying a UC solution that all businesses can use. #UCJourney
- 10. THE UC MARKETIS EXTREMELY COMPETITIVE By knowing the vendors’ differentiators, you will be able to determine if their solution aligns well with your business case 1- VALUE PROPOSITION #UCJourney
- 11. Almost all theproviders will be able to offer telephony. This and several other applications would be considered a right to play and not a differentiator. 1- VALUE PROPOSITION #UCJourney
- 12. Here are someservices that would be considered differentiators that you should look for: 1- VALUE PROPOSITION CONTACT CENTER MOBILE CLIENT VIDEO CONFERENCING CRM INTEGRATION #UCJourney
- 13. Carefully evaluate eachvendor and rank them on how well they align with your business case for Unified Communications 1- VALUE PROPOSITION The comparison between vendors will not be easy #UCJourney
- 14. There are severaldeployment models for UC solutions and the deployment model will very likely be the most important consideration in the decision making process 2- DEPLOYMENT MODELS #UCJourney
- 15. There are 3available deployment model options: 1- Based On-Premise 2- Cloud-Based 3- Hybrid UC 2- DEPLOYMENT MODELS #UCJourney
- 16. Usually an evolutionof a traditional phone system where the customer and vendor have upgraded over the years to include UC features. Businesses with large IT staffs and in-house expertise, and businesses that have a high degree of customization requirements will often opt for an on-premise deployment. 2- DEPLOYMENT MODELS 1- Based On-Premise #UCJourney
- 17. 2- DEPLOYMENT MODELS Theneed for a private cloud solution is generally driven by a need for high availability with a need for high customization. Multi-tenant cloud is a very popular model for the SMB and the Enterprise market due to the ease of implementation, low level of IT resources required, scalability, and monthly licensing fee payment model. 2- Cloud-Based (Private and Multi-Tenant) #UCJourney
- 18. 2- DEPLOYMENT MODELS Hybridsolutions are implementations that move certain applications to the cloud while running other applications on-premise. Hybrid solutions can be complex and require a high degree of technical resources from the IT staff and the provider. 3- Hybrid #UCJourney
- 19. Not only isit important to understand the deployment models currently supported, but also what the vendor's roadmap looks like. Many are moving to the cloud as fast as possible, and these won't be good choices for businesses that will need support on-premises for the foreseeable future. 2- DEPLOYMENT MODELS #UCJourney
- 20. Determining the strengthof vendors' partner networks will require extensive research as you examine their customers and channels 3- VENDOR-PARTNER RELATIONSHIPS #UCJourney
- 21. Strengths to research: •Past performances • Ability to meet customization requests • Resources within the company and their network 3- VENDOR-PARTNER RELATIONSHIPS #UCJourney
- 22. No UC vendorhas a complete in-house solution, especially when considering future needs. All vendors have a partner ecosystem to support their offering, and along the way, many will simply acquire companies and integrate them into their platform. 3- VENDOR-PARTNER RELATIONSHIPS #UCJourney
- 23. The extent towhich UC vendors rely on partners varies greatly. Understanding this partnership dynamic can help you determine the vendor's ability to meet your business needs and its vision for UC. 3- VENDOR-PARTNER RELATIONSHIPS #UCJourney
- 24. The three areasof consideration are a great starting point in determining how you will choose the right UC solution, vendor and applications #UCJourney
- 25. By conducting theresearch to create your business plan and having a clear understanding of your requirements you will be able to quickly narrow down the potential vendor list. VENDOR-PARTNER RELATIONSHIP DEPLOYMENT MODELS VALUE PROPOSITION #UCJourney
- 26. THANK YOU TO LEARNMORE VISIT US AT CALLTOWER.COM OR EMAIL [email protected] ACCESS FULL ARTICLE HERE #UCJourney