How Call Accounting Can Help With UC Migration
August 20, 2015
By Susan J. Campbell
TMCnet Contributing Editor
Unifying communications technologies is a concept that first emerged on the scene two decades ago. Business decision makers were inundated with information on how best to integrate multiple enterprise communication methods into one platform. So powerful were the results that unified communications (UC) continues to be a proven approach to streamlining communications, information capture and cost across the enterprise.
According to Transparency Marketing Research, the momentum has not stopped. UC still enjoys strong annual growth and is predicted to grow almost 24 percent through 2022. The company’s latest analysis of the entire industry suggests that UC and related technologies will produce just short of $34 billion for 2015. The demand remains strong as companies are still migrating to proven platforms, yet some remain tied to legacy systems, scared of the cost to change.
A recent blog by call accounting solutions provider ISI Telemanagement Solutions (News - Alert) suggests that UC has matured and it’s time to consider the migration, even if management is hesitant to make a move. We’re now in a world of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies, applications in the cloud, VoIP connections and complete mobile capability. The loss in productivity is reason enough to consider what UC has to offer.
Even with a solid business case, migration to UC is not something to take lightly. A thorough assessment of the current environment is necessary to understand needs, challenges and opportunities. A complete audit and examination of your call accounting is a great way to understand current habits, usage, needs and opportunity for streamlining.
Any legacy environment is really missing out on the potential for efficiency, but you need the hard numbers in order to make a recommendation to those who can give you the green light for a major change. Once you have that information, you can set goals and gain a better understanding of what to expect from a UC migration. You can also better determine if it makes sense to deploy UC in-house or leverage a cloud-based partner with administration falling to a key individual on your team.
Still, those deeply invested in a legacy system may be hesitant to do the work to recognize the potential in UC. For those companies that want to focus on their business and not the management of communications, however, there really isn’t a strong argument for putting it off any longer. UC now has limitless configurations, virtual collaboration capabilities, the ability to integrate complex modes and methods of communications and so much more. Today’s enterprise is no longer standing still and UC can help take you to the next level in innovation.
The key to making the right decision moving forward is to leverage the information captured in your call accounting methods. Once you can make a strong case for the financial and efficiency benefits, moving forward will be the only strategy that makes sense.
Edited by Stefania Viscusi