Wake Up Call: User Experience - "One Size Does Not Fit All"

We have been writing about User Experience (UX) for years here at UC Strategies. Primarily our message has been that the best UX is the one where communications functionality just "disappears" into the workflow and business application software associated with the user's role in the enterprise, organization, department or team.

As you know, since 2006 UCStrategies has defined UC as "communications integrated to optimize business processes." Clearly, the "integrated" part is not the integration of one communications mode with all the others; rather, it is integration into the business processes, or workflows, to optimize the organization's or department's or team's results. The new communication tools of UC, especially presence and software-assistance, allow minimizing or bypassing many labor-intensive communications tasks that have been necessary with legacy communication systems. In 2003, Gartner introduced the term Communications-enabled Business Processes (CEBP) to describe this approach; Gartner, along with UCStrategies and others, have continued to cite examples of progress in this direction.

This idea is not hard to grasp. Many of the business application software companies, such as Salesforce.com, SAP, Oracle and many others, and all of the office productivity software companies, such as Microsoft, IBM and Google, get it! What's more, innovation in both technology (e.g. WebRTC) and delivery (e.g. Cloud and personal devices) continue to open communications tools up for the application providers at little cost and with no dependency on the enterprise communication systems.

So, what's the mystery for the vendors who purport to be the leaders in the UC industry? Based on what we continue to see, the emphasis is entirely on how delightful and intriguing each vendor can make their own UC user client. This is puzzling, since those same vendors seem to understand the integration of communications with the CRM systems and databases required to optimize a contact center, but the lessons don't seem to flow over into other enterprise departments or user roles.

To add to this point, we see some vendors promoting their new UC client as the basis for new ways to work. Yet, when the examples of these new ways are examined, the workflows are all about a narrow niche of workers, specifically the collaborative knowledge workers (KWs). Yet, a review of data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and other sources shows that this group represents a minority of the workforce.

My past analyses of this data are in line with the data Phil Edholm showed in his recent Enterprise Connect session on "Cisco vs. Microsoft;" Phil defined the KW group at only 10% - 15% of the global workforce and slightly higher at 15% - 25% of the U.S. workforce. He defines Information Workers (IWs) who use information and communications in very structured ways and in context of a workflow and/or software application (e.g. contact center agents, bank tellers, nurses, policemen) as representing another 25% - 40% of the global workforce. The balance are defined as Task Workers (TWs) who comprise 55+% of the global workforce.

There are some indications of more responsiveness to the reality that communications happens as part of business, not the other way 'round. Unify's Project Ansible video does highlight some integration to applications (e.g. Salesforce.com) and workflows (project workspaces), but that product is yet to be released sometime later this year. Cisco emphasizes the Jabber API as the vehicle for integration, though that is a client-side integration only, which puts some boundaries on the functionality. Avaya has been promoting the Avaya Aura Collaboration Environment as their vehicle for UC integrations, which is a viable approach since that Environment is extended from the mature Nortel ACE platform. NEC, Mitel, ShoreTel and others also emphasize their API capabilities. All good, but the clock is ticking.

Meanwhile, IBM really has the vision and the delivery platform with IBM Connections; their Social for Business product is configurable to provide a "work portal" that is designed for the roles of the users and can include integrated feeds from business application software such as SAP as well as content from workspaces, a new e-mail interface, social networking resources, and business documents. Microsoft is hurrying to blend Yammer (the social component) with SharePoint (the content and workflow component) and Office (the document and communication component, including Outlook and Lync).

At the bottom line, enterprise managers and executives understand that their organizations are designed around processes that deliver goods and services most efficiently and effectively. They know that technology is useful only when the technology enhances or enables those processes. Any supplier who can help the enterprise achieve their goals will be welcomed and embraced. Suppliers who are not connected to the workflows will be relegated to infrastructure status, at best.

A shift and expansion of the industry's focus toward integration with workflows and with business application software will be a good thing - for the customers, the resellers and the vendors. Let's hope that shift occurs soon and is well done. Time is of the essence.