Creating Raving Fans of Your Unified Communications System

The idea behind unified communications is to deliver a set of tools that enriches the communications experience for an entire organization. According to ShoreTel CEO John Combs (News - Alert), UC consists of a combination of

 When you consider that list, it becomes apparent that Combs was right when he addressed a full hall during his opening keynote address at ITEXPO West in Los Angeles this afternoon: Companies like ShoreTel are not in the phone business – they are in the communications business, he says.

 

But what keeps them in the business is not the features and capabilities of their UC system. Rather, it’s the “brilliant simplicity,” as he calls it, of the system. In order for a solution to be successful today, it must be both easy to use and easy to install and manage – and it has to be available anywhere, anytime (that’s why the mobility component is critical).

 

To illustrate, Combs compared BlackBerry (News - Alert) to the iPhone. Combs himself uses a BlackBerry, but doesn’t like it. “I use it, but it’s not that great,” he says.

 

On the other hand, despite concerns about AT&T’s (News - Alert) ability to deliver reliable services, the iPhone has been adopted by millions of uses in a very short period. Why? Because it’s easy to use.

 

The question, for the IT managers looking to sell the idea of a Unified Communications (News - Alert) platform to not only management, but the employee base as a whole – and they’re the most important ones, they are the ones that need the combination of simplicity and feature richness, and they are the ones who, ultimately, will validate the decision to invest on the system.

 

So, how do you go about getting that buy-in? How do you create what Combs calls raving fans?

 

Have your vendors demo their solutions, and insist on a hands-on comparison of the finalists – and don’t let the IT team go home during this test. They need to shadow the installation to give their input on maintenance and management. 

 

Servers typically have a mean time of 3-5 years between failures. On the other hand, solid state switches go five times as long between failures. Factor in the number of servers, and make an intelligent investment.

 

Reliability is the probability of failure, whereas availability is the impact of failure. Servers and WAN infrastructure tend to be the highest probable points of failure in a network.

 

You have to consider what happens when a server fails, and you have to account for growth. Double the size of the network and see how it impacts your bottom line.

 

How was the system architected? Was it a conglomeration of several acquired systems? Is it a legacy solution with an IP wrapper?  Or was it built from the ground up as a pure IP solution? The latter is what you’re looking for in order to accomplish your other goals.

 

Your capital costs are going to be about one-fourth of your operating expenses. Figure out how your investment is going to impact your monthly costs.

 

You’ll need a strong balance sheet.  Don’t overestimate the need to financial stability. The largest install base in the world is going to be sold off on September 11 because the vendor’s debt outgrew its ability to pay it down.

 

Ask existing users if they would repurchase the system?  Do you know others using the same system? Dive into the costs and its ease of management for the IT group. Look for raving fans – the same kind of users you are hoping to create.

 

By following these steps, Combs says you can become a hero in your organization by delivering them a unified communications solution that is appropriate for your needs, and which is easy to use, and whose benefits are easily recognized by everyone.

 

By following these steps, you’ll not only bring your organization into the future by delivering a communications solution that can be used today but is designed for the future as well. Ultimately, he says, doing your due diligence before investing in a new communications system will ensure you end up with a company full of raving fans.