Ready, Willing and Able - Keeping a Step Ahead as UC Evolves

Regardless of how far along you are with your UC deployments, customer needs will not remain static. If there's one thing we focus on here at UCStrategies, it's the value proposition. UC's flexibility is also its weakness, and for many businesses, defining its business value is a moving target. There are likely a multitude of reasons why your clients are deploying UC, and your value comes from ensuring they have good reason to stay with it. In that regard, here are three ways to look at how you can keep them onside with UC.

1. Where UC has been

This is especially important for longer-term deployments, where UC has likely gone through a few iterations. First and foremost, you need to remind these clients why they deployed UC in the first place. You likely played a key role in defining their objectives, and with that, earned their trust. Perspective is important, and you can provide that by reviewing how well UC has met, or even exceeded expectations. Of course, you need to own up to where UC has fallen short, but this can be tempered by reminding them this was a shared risk and that you're in this together. The key here is to ensure that the bond of trust you built with them and UC is still in place.

2. Where UC is today

Building on that bond, a review of the current situation can set the stage for future growth. A key focus should be on the idea that UC is never really finished. Unlike buying a phone system, where the features are pretty fixed, clients need to see constant evolution as a key value driver for UC. If they don't, your long term prospects won't be good. That said, you need to position this carefully, and not give clients the impression they've bought into a black hole where they'll forever be dependent on you. Focus instead on their changing needs, and it won't take much for them see how today's needs are quite different from just a couple of years ago. In that context, UC's value comes from its adaptability to constantly meet changing needs - something their legacy PBX could never do.

3. Where UC is going

If you can establish the dynamic nature of UC as a key enabler to stay current with communications applications, you can prime clients for the most important bond of trust - the future. To do this, you must show that you're at least one step ahead of the client, and in the best position to make the right UC moves for their needs. They're going to have pressing questions about mobility, security, Big Data, BYOD, video, cloud, social media, etc. These are the emerging drivers that are starting to re-shape UC now, but for most businesses, their impact is not well understood. This is your golden opportunity, and is there for the taking - but you have to be ready, willing and able.

I'm leaving that last thought hanging deliberately, as it's a call to action. UC will continue evolving, and if you have a long history with legacy telephony, the pace of change may be unexpected. Not only are these changes coming fast, but many are coming from non-traditional places, and often without proven business models. The future will count more than the past with UC, and your expertise will need to keep growing to deliver long-term value. Keeping the bond of trust strong may require going outside your comfort zone and whether you re-tool internally or recruit from outside, you need to be proactive. As soon as the client senses you're not a step ahead of them, that bond will weaken, and without that, you're in trouble. Being ready and willing won't be enough - you need to be able as well.