Want Your UC Project to Succeed? Build a Cheerleading Squad!

...and other tips for successful UC user adoption

You believe in the power of unified communications; that's why you're here. To be successful, everyone else needs to believe in UC just as much. Your enthusiasm needs to go viral. Especially in larger organizations it's not reasonable for you the UC manager/architect/SysAdmin to be the sole champion. While this is crucial, below are my other top five tips for a successful user adoption strategy.

5. Plan your user adoption strategy when you plan your deployment

Design sessions are often all about technology. Make sure you include equal time for user adoption planning and strategy. Figure out how your users work, how they communicate, what types of devices and modalities will fit them best. Reach out to your users early and get their feedback on your plans. Allow them to contribute to the solution. It will create excitement and they'll become your biggest fans during the deployment.

4. Communicate often

In the busy modern business, attention spans are short. Keep unified communications in the front of the minds of your users. Let them know the current status and what's up next... and most importantly, when they get to start using it!

3. Phase your rollout

Most UC solutions offer a variety of new tools to learn. Realize that part of your job is to help users integrate these new tools into their daily work lives. An easy way to do this is by staging your rollout into "bite-sized" chunks of new functionality. This could start with IM or UM, then move on to collaborative web conferences, then video, and then telephony, for example. Big bang deployments tend to only work with very tech-savvy audiences, while phased rollouts accommodate a much larger audience.

2. User education

It's a well-known fact that people learn in different ways. That's why it's important to have a wide variety of user education solutions. In-person events generate additional interest and provide a way to get direct and immediate feedback from your users. Use video for remote training events to make them more personal and to showcase the value of video. Offer self-service solutions for users who are always on the go or too busy to attend scheduled training.

1. Build a cheerleading squad

Find people in your company that are just as excited about the new UC solution as you are. Ideally these people are business leaders with a strong social network within the company. Encourage them to share their experiences and give feedback. Actively listen and respond to their feedback, both positive and negative. Let them carry your message of UC value to parts of the organization that you can't reach.

Always remember that your users are your customers and your #1 job is customer satisfaction! Set aside your bias and see the solution from your users' point of view. What's in it for them? Whatever your strategy, don't leave user adoption until you're already rolling out your UC solution. Think of it early and often. User adoption and satisfaction is a very strong measure of the overall success of your project.

Alex Lewis, MCITP, CISSP has a mixed background in telecommunications, IT, and consulting with more than 15 years experience. He has authored eight books including two on Lync. He is currently principal consultant at Modality Systems.