Tag: Unified Communications

The Superior Customer Service/Personalization Trade-Off: A Decision Based on Trust

by , posted in Communicate
Ken Landoline
Ken Landoline

Summary Bullets:

  • An in-depth understanding of the customer, on the part of the enterprise, has the potential to provide a superior customer service experience and establish the groundwork for a high level of customer satisfaction, loyalty and longevity, assuming the enterprise makes appropriate use of the information.
  • Many customers are still reluctant to share personal information with a customer service provider because there remains a strong distrust regarding whether or not the information will be used appropriately and contained within the boundaries of the enterprise to which it was entrusted.

Last week I had the opportunity to attend the ITEXPO Conference in Miami Beach and act as moderator for two breakout panel sessions focused on the topics of “customer personalization” and “creating a consistent and quality customer experience” during customer service interactions. The three panelists on the stage with me at each session represented companies that develop, sell or use technologies designed to improve customer service interactions. The companies included InAppCare, Nuance/VirtuOz, Phone.com, TSG Global and VHT. Oddly enough, both sessions gravitated to an audience-prompted discussion regarding trading private and personal information for the potential of getting better service from the enterprise. While many argued that they thought customer care solutions were far from successful in meeting their expectations and needed improvement, it was implied that they were not willing to trade their privacy to improve the situation, at least not yet. Continue reading “The Superior Customer Service/Personalization Trade-Off: A Decision Based on Trust” →

Vendor Upheaval Overrated

by Jeremiah Caron, posted in IT Leader
Jerry Caron
Jerry Caron

Summary Bullets:

  • It is questionable whether vendor difficulties or management upheaval should be a major concern when making an IT buying decision.
  • Due diligence is important, but history suggests that fear-mongering is overrated.

It is debatable how much the financial or managerial state of a potential supplier should weigh on the minds of IT buyers as they consider various solutions.  Sure, on the one hand, no buyer wants to get caught out with an investment in products from a company that may not be able to support it for long.  On the other hand, how often does that actually happen? Continue reading “Vendor Upheaval Overrated” →

Premise, Hosted or Both? What UC Model Will Prevail in the Future?

by , posted in Communicate
Cindy Whelan
Cindy Whelan

Summary Bullets:

  • As the unified communications (UC) market develops, enterprises have access to a wide range of solutions from equipment vendors and service providers that offer hosted and on-premise UC solutions.
  • Enterprises that want to deploy hosted and managed UC solutions must consider which entire service wrap has the best model for their needs.

Carriers have long supported premises-based managed IP PBX solutions, typically based on platforms from Avaya, Cisco and Siemens.  In 2011, as interest in unified communications services began to grow, major service providers added hosted UC offers based on the Cisco Hosted Collaboration Solution (HCS) platform.  In 2012, service providers continued to build out their UC solutions, adding support for Microsoft Lync.  BT launched a pilot program for a dedicated hosted Microsoft Lync solution in February 2012, followed by its October 2012 commercial launch of hosted Lync in the U.S.  In November 2012, Verizon opted for a different approach with the launch of a managed customer premise-based Microsoft Lync solution that can be offered alongside a professional services practice specifically designed for Lync implementations. Orange Business Services has had a dedicated hosted Microsoft Lync offer for some time, and plans a Microsoft Lync ‘as a service’ shared hosted platform in 2013.  Many more carriers have certified their SIP trunking solutions with Microsoft Lync, even if they don’t yet provide a fully managed UC solution for the platform. Continue reading “Premise, Hosted or Both? What UC Model Will Prevail in the Future?” →

Logitech Is Using R&D to Expand Its Strong Consumer Brand into Business Markets

by , posted in Communicate
Ken Landoline
Ken Landoline

Summary Bullets:

  • The BYOD phenomenon has resulted in a variety of consumer devices and services becoming standard components of business IT solutions in the SMB and enterprise marketplaces.
  • Consumer product developers now have an opportunity to broaden product market scope and expand revenues by evolving their offerings into business solutions through strong R&D and marketing efforts.

A few days ago, I was invited to attend a lab tour at Logitech, a market leader in the consumer web camera market, headquartered in Newark, California.  I refer to Logitech as a market leader because it holds an indisputable leading position in the consumer webcam market (reported to be around 70%).  You might wonder why an analyst following the enterprise unified communications business would be invited to Logitech.  Well, approximately two years ago, Logitech set up its Enterprise Division and began developing high-quality video cameras aimed at capturing the attention of IT decision makers interested in delivering video collaboration applications to their employees.  The initial result was a personal videoconferencing camera named the BCC 950 ConferenceCam.  The BCC 950 is a desktop or small group videoconference camera that plugs into a PC or laptop via a USB port.  This simple-to-use device, introduced to the marketplace earlier this year, includes features expected in a video conferencing terminal used in a small conference room or business office, including 1080p30 resolution, noise cancellation, and pan-zoom-tilt functionality, and it has the plug-and-play ease-of-use capabilities of a consumer product.  The product also has a very impressive list price at $250. There is no software installation required, and it offers out-of-the-box integration with Microsoft Lync, Cisco Jabber, Skype, Google+ Hangouts, and several other consumer videoconferencing services that are migrating into the enterprise office environment. Continue reading “Logitech Is Using R&D to Expand Its Strong Consumer Brand into Business Markets” →

Superstorm Sandy Reinforces the Need for Business Continuity Planning

by , posted in Communicate
Cindy Whelan
Cindy Whelan

Summary Bullets:

  • The arrival of yet another devastating storm reinforces the need for business continuity features.
  • Business customers need to have a clear understanding of their carrier’s internal architecture for redundancy; they should also take secondary steps for further assurance of continuity.

In my August 28 blog, “UCaaS Can Be a Lifesaver in a Disaster,” I discussed the need for customers to have a clear understanding of their service providers’ business continuity features.  When I wrote that article, nobody had any idea that a storm on the scale of Sandy, which ravaged the Mid-Atlantic seaboard, was on the horizon.  Of course, the first and most important thing in these situations is the protection of family and loved ones.  This was a storm like nothing else in recent history in the region, leaving devastation in its wake. Continue reading “Superstorm Sandy Reinforces the Need for Business Continuity Planning” →

UC Hanging On Users’ Permission

by , posted in Communicate
M. Halama
M. Halama

Summary Bullets:

  • User adoption challenges UC deployments.
  • Permission by presence status fits some corporate cultures but clashes with others.

Customers and providers of UC services cite low adoption and usage by end users as challenging.  Both buyers and providers of UC services have a stake in encouraging end users to adopt UC services; once demanding UC projects have been rolled out, finance directors are keen to see some sorts of return on investment.  Some UC features fare better than others (typically telephony gets high use) and they vary from user to user, but the power of ‘presence status’ to give contact permission can both deter and appeal to users. Continue reading “UC Hanging On Users’ Permission” →

Cloud-based Contact Centers – The Appeal Beyond OpEx vs. CapEx

by , posted in Cloud Enable
K. Landoline
K. Landoline

Summary Bullets:

  • Cloud service offerings in the contact center are proliferating, and more often than not they are reaching the short lists of decision makers who select customer care applications.
  • Many considering a cloud-based contact center solution summarize the appeal in terms of capital to operating expense conversion and seldom note the potential benefits in the area of disaster recovery.

It was difficult to walk the exhibit floor of the Enterprise Connect conference in Orlando a few weeks ago without realizing that cloud services was given a major emphasis by exhibitors and show attendees alike. The program listed 46 exhibitors (more than 30% of total exhibitors) under the category of “Cloud-Based Services,” and the attendees flocked to any break-out sessions with the word “Cloud” in the title, which resulted in standing room only sessions in many cases. As an analyst who has been tracking the shift to the cloud in the contact center marketplace, I was very interested in the advantages of the cloud being highlighted by exhibitors and perceived by enterprises and SMBs with mission-critical contact center applications. Continue reading “Cloud-based Contact Centers – The Appeal Beyond OpEx vs. CapEx” →

Communications Market Needs More Fish Out of Water

by , posted in Communicate
B. Shimmin
B. Shimmin

Summary Bullets:

  • Despite marketing rhetoric, Enterprise Connect and its exhibitors are still struggling to blend communications and collaboration.
  • One solution is to invite unusual exhibitors steeped in collaborative business solutions outside of the realm of unified communications.

As a dyed in the wool software enthusiast, I often feel a bit out of my element at trade shows like last week’s Enterprise Connect, where solutions come in rack unit increments and business value is measured in port densities. Over the past year, especially after show organizers dropped the VoiceCon moniker in favor of a less PBX-centric name, Enterprise Connect has shown signs of becoming a venue capable of reflecting the needs of enterprise customers both today and tomorrow. That is, an enterprise where collaboration and communication not only co-exist but also understand and directly drive business value. But as my compatriot IT Connection blogger, Jerry Caron, pointed out yesterday, most of the vendors exhibiting at Enterprise Connect have not yet heeded this memo. Continue reading “Communications Market Needs More Fish Out of Water” →

Acquiring C&W Worldwide Would Give Vodafone Many Advantages and a Few Big Risks

by Gary Barton, posted in Communicate
G. Barton
G. Barton

Summary Bullets:

  • C&W Worldwide fits with Vodafone’s UC ambitions and would significantly boost Vodafone’s UK global capabilities.
  • On the downside, C&W Worldwide is a challenging organisation for Vodafone to integrate.

The news that Vodafone has become the first of Cable&Wireless Worldwide’s (CWW) alleged suitors to formally announce that it is considering making a bid for the carrier has been greeted with surprise in certain quarters, but it shouldn’t really be seen as unexpected. Vodafone frequently been cited as a likely candidate to acquire CWW and this speculation increased in late 2011 when former Vodafone exec Gavin Darby became CWW’s CEO. It certainly shouldn’t be a surprise when you consider that for the full year 2010/11 the two companies would have had combined worldwide revenues of GBP 48.14 billion and combined UK revenues of GBP 6.97 billion. Continue reading “Acquiring C&W Worldwide Would Give Vodafone Many Advantages and a Few Big Risks” →

Moving Beyond UC Features to Business Integration

by , posted in Communicate
C. Whelan
C. Whelan

Summary Bullets:

  • Although vendors are ramping up messaging around unified communications/collaboration, some enterprises are not seeing the business case that justifies the investment.
  • Business process enablement is a key area where enterprises can leverage vendor expertise to gain more from their UC investment.

In media articles and discussions with vendors, the message is clear that enterprise uptake of unified communications features is increasing; Web/desktop video conferencing, instant messaging, and unified messaging are leading features being considered to join voice services for initial deployment.  However, a recent survey sponsored by InformationWeek revealed that while most respondents were deploying or planned to deploy a UC solution within the next 24 months, 33% had no plans to deploy UC.  Of those not deploying UC, 32% indicated that they saw no definitive business value, with most of the remaining respondents simply putting UC at a lower priority behind other projects.  Despite being inundated with messages of increased employee productivity and efficiency and reduced operating expenses, some executives and IT managers may not see the business case to justify the investment and transition to a more cohesive collaboration environment.  Vendors have the pieces in place to support a more compelling business case, but could strengthen this case through some changes in messaging around UC benefits. Continue reading “Moving Beyond UC Features to Business Integration” →