How to Deploy or Migrate to UCaaS the Smart Way
Let’s face it: launching a UCaaS (Unified Communications as a Service) system from scratch can seem pretty daunting. This type of cloud phone system incorporates many different types of communication / collaboration services to help your business succeed. Whether you’re talking about voice, video, messaging, meetings, presence or team-based collaboration, they’re all traditionally available as options.
And while the hallmark of a UCaaS environment is its ability to bring together all of these elements, there are many (frequently overwhelming) considerations you have to make on the back end to determine if and how it can work for you. Then, there are past investments. Over the years, many businesses like yours have spent significant time and money toward implementing many traditional communication and collaboration options that are now outdated for the modern landscape.
Previous choices, however, should not complicate matters when considering when, how and why to make that jump to an all-encompassing UCaaS infrastructure.
Choose the UCaaS for YOUR Needs
In most cases, your provider may be able to handle the dirty work for you. The key is to select the specific features and elements that your organization needs, and see what sorts of deployment options are available from the host.
So … whether you’re starting out from scratch or migrating to a full-on – or even hybrid – UCaaS environment, most of this rollout involves the streamlining and automation of a la carte options.
Consider Scalability …
Communications and collaboration options abound, but are not all necessary in every business case. From a UCaaS perspective, it can be scaled as necessary, with features added or taken away in an a la carte fashion as your organization’s needs change. In other words, UCaaS allows you to establish custom communications infrastructure exactly as you need while also supporting future growth initiatives.
For that reason, you should carefully evaluate the options and capabilities made available to you by the various providers, weighing them against your own unique needs.
… While Embracing Flexibility
One of UCaaS’ best traits is how optimal it is for remote and telework environments. This cloud-based system can be deployed across many different types of communication channels and devices. The flexibility it extends to YOUR deployment, however, should run so much deeper.
In particular, focus on factors such as extending customer communications channels and streamlining CRM services with these options.
Assessing Reliability
With flexibility comes the need for reliability, a factor that can largely be out of many organizations’ control. Sadly, the stability of a UCaaS is largely tied to the state of your – and your remote workers’ – internet connection, as well as the relative strength of the service provider and UCaaS architecture that it provides.
In most cases, the smart move is to choose a deployment that guarantees virtually unlimited uptime and availability, as well as geo-redundancy for better backup integrity. Many vendors claim accessibility to these. Reading customer and peer reviews, however, can often tell a different story.
Focus on Real Time
UCaaS users tend to be the most productive when they can communicate and collaborate consistently in real time, as if seated in the same room as one another.
Weigh Cost Versus Benefit
Like most extensive software deployments, the price tag will almost always play a factor. Choose a UCaaS system that gives you the most proverbial “bang for your buck,” weighing the critical features that you need against the feasible cost of their implementation.
While it’s often good to take a chance, gaining access to the most sought-after features and elements for the lowest-available cost is almost always prudent.
Have you considered the numerous features, capabilities and benefits that come as part of a comprehensive Sangoma UCaaS deployment? Visit www.Sangoma.com or call (877) 344-4861 for more information.
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