Telecom & Technology Consulting
As we all know, the smartphone allows us to communicate beyond making old-fashioned phone calls. We have texting, instant messaging, and email. But from a technical standpoint, the blessing of so many options comes with the curse of fragmented communications.
This problem led to the development of UcaaS (Unified Communications as a Service). Through the cloud, UcaaS integrates all of these communication methods. And just as communication tools have expanded, so has UcaaS, which is fostering greater enterprise collaboration thanks to the growth of API integrations and other collaboration technologies.
The evolution of UcaaS has been a huge boost for enterprises moving to a complete cloud-based infrastructure. In turn, cloud communication providers have changed their business strategies to adapt to the demand for integrated solutions. For example, voice technologies, on their own, have lost their appeal. Accordingly, providers have begun to offer services and capabilities that provide more customer value, such as cloud contact center, integrated enterprise-grade communications platforms, and AI/analytics.
We see this enterprise collaboration continuing with improved dashboards for onboarding, workstream collaboration to facilitate conversational workspaces, globalization, and enhanced video capabilities. These trends have been driven by a wealth of innovative and emerging technologies like virtual assistants, AI, conversational user interfaces, and IoT.
That’s why these types of solutions are essential for today’s M&A and R&D teams across every industry. There’s no question that UcaaS is still held in high regard for its ability to drive business efficiency. However, enterprise IT leaders do not view UcaaS how they did in the past: It’s no longer the main force behind transformation.
Clients want – and need – a bigger bang for their buck, which means high-growth solutions. These include cloud contact center solutions with embedded customer engagement tools, integrated enterprise-grade communications platforms, and workforce optimization.
What should providers do to adjust to new market forces? First, understand that quality voice, chat and video solutions don’t truly distinguish provider A from provider B. These services are now commodities that are simply expected as part of a package. To be clear, while voice is still a necessary capability to offer, it doesn’t lead the sales pitch. It’s time to transform the offering from voice-only to voice-enabled solutions.
Also, while you still have to offer a complete communications and collaboration suite, it’s best to integrate with other technologies instead of creating something entirely new. Best of all, these strategies will allow you to be perceived as a full-service provider that remains on the cutting edge of technology. That’s about the best marketing you can get.
