If you're like most companies, you're probably considering replacing your communications systems with a cloud-hosted solution soon. BroadSoft believes the market for new cloud PBX/unified communications and contact center systems will surpass on-premises PBX/UC equipment shipments by 2020, as illustrated by the struggles of on-premises vendors such as Avaya.
The benefits of cloud are unquestionable, proving to reduce complexity, lower total cost of ownership, increase availability, and improve productivity and mobility for the increasingly distributed workforce. Cloud apps innovate more rapidly too, something on-premises apps simply can't do.
Regardless of your role in a company, the thought of transitioning to the cloud may seem overwhelming. You can't disrupt your business, workflows, or customer sales and service.
So keep it simple. Focus on one department or function at a time based on how, when, and with whom they communicate and collaborate -- internally and externally.
For example: Your sales and customer service teams in the field and the contact center are likely to be high-priority groups within your organization. They interact daily with customers, prospects, and colleagues. They need quick and easy access to experts, tools, omnichannel communications, from anywhere on any device. And remember, one of the great things about cloud UC is when a customer-facing person needs help solving a customer problem he or she has instant access to collaborate with subject matter experts throughout your company -- regardless of where any of them are.
Other ways you can simplify migration is to divide internal groups into logical subsets and adopt a phased approach when moving them to a reliable and secure cloud-based UC solution. UCaaS provides the flexibility and agility to migrate small groups of people at a time, at the pace that's right for your business. You can add new features when you need them, and leverage your existing endpoints and applications as needed.
When you start evaluating vendors for cloud PBX/UC and contact center systems, here are some must-have checklist features:
| Cloud UC for the Enterprise | Cloud UC for the Contact Center |
|---|---|
| BYOD and flexible CPE options | Unified omnichannel communications |
| Combined HD video/voice, chat, file sharing and screen sharing | Integrated collaboration features with subject matter experts |
| Native cellular network and Wi-Fi/LTE data channel support | Hybrid cloud support for phased cloud migrations and distributed workforces |
| Integration with leading business applications | Integration with leading business applications |
| Support for a wide variety of business desktop and conferencing phones | Ability to leverage the data in all your contact center systems to drive intelligent routing strategies |
Want more information on how to simplify and streamline your transition to a cloud-based UC and contact center? Join the upcoming webinar covering five steps to migrate your communications systems to the cloud. The webinar will feature discussions from BroadSoft executives as well as industry-leading analyst Irwin Lazar, vice president and service director at Nemertes Research. Register here.
