3 Tips to UC Selection & Deployment

There is no doubt about it that organizations are aggressively evaluating the pros and cons of Unified Communications offers in the market today.  The requirement to be mobile-worker friendly coupled with a younger generation entering the workforce is one of the main factors driving this collaboration technology evolution.  With any new technology, there are those tenured end users that are resistant to change and prefer the good...trusted...working solution that is in already being utilized.  As soon as the UC platform direction is defined, the next challenge on any strategy team's plate is brainstorming how best to introduce the new offer to those end users adverse to change.  Here are a few tips that have proven helpful during the selection and introduction of UC platforms. #1 - Select an offer that compliments the existing web conferencing system in place today.  For an example, if an organization is using WebEx Meeting Center today, look at WebEx Connect IM to be the bridge product to introduce your end user community to the UC world.  Conversely, if everyone is using WebEx and the new tool is on a new platform as well, it can lead to problems.#2 - ONE FEATURE AT A TIME.  The benefits of a UC offer within an organization can create a buzz / excitement that has everyone wanting to use every feature in every meeting.  With too much functionality, an organization runs the risk of lowering productivity due to end user confusion.  For example; a marketing manager needs to connect with his/her team; with a UC solution they can IM, point-to-point call, video chat, email, share their desktop...even a combination of all of the above.  A phased rollout of a UC platform with dedicated training sessions per feature is a great way to ensure proper adoption from the outset. #3 - ENSURE IT'S SCALE-ABLE AS IT GROWS.  Microsoft, Cisco and Avaya among others are driving the conversation around one Unified platform that will handle all your collaborative requirements.  On paper, and in videos, this sounds ideal.  In practice however, this is not always the case.  When an Executive hosts a large conference call with 30+ attendees and the VoIP audio conference does not scale properly, it can be a real issue when the first line of support is the iT Helpdesk.  For this reason, a hybrid UC deployment tends to be favourable for organizations that host high-profile calls and any calls that involve more then a handful of participants.  Partnering with an organization like Arkadin will ensure you have the in-call, real-time support required to deliver large-scale conferences.