To ensure the successful introduction of a new solution for Unified Communications and Collaboration (UCC) in the company, top management should define a uniform UC strategy beforehand. UCC systems usually consist of several components from different providers. The seamless integration of all existing communication services in the company ensures smooth and intuitive communication and cooperation. UCC can only be used to its full potential with a custom-fit strategy. The lack of a coherent UCC strategy runs the risk that the new applications will tend to increase complexity for end users and IT administrators instead of simplifying cooperation.

The following success factors should be borne in mind when setting up the optimum UCC strategy:

Success factor 1: open communication and full documentation

Project managers should understand that a changeover to a UCC environment is not merely a technology project. The responsible staff from IT, the HR department and management should already engage in open and constructive communication in the design phase and work closely together at all times during the changeover. The teams must get to grips with diverse, complementary and competing requirements, features and implementation strategies in order to ultimately find the ideal UC solution for end users. Exact knowledge of the interactions between individual applications can prevent the wrong decisions from being made.

Full and detailed documentation of all agreements and milestones are also essential for the successful implementation of the UCC strategy. Many omissions and errors only occur because decisions and agreements made in the team were not documented in detail or not shared with all those responsible. If actions are only based on assumptions, then problems are inevitable.

Success factor 2: early involvement of employees (end users)

Employees are a key component of the UC project and should be integrated in the planning and design right from the start. A UCC system can only be successful if it offers functions which employees also want to use and which make their daily work routine noticeably easier though process optimization. The status quo of employees should be clearly defined in order to be able to carefully plan the changeover to a coherent UC environment. Determine which tools the employees are currently using and also take into consideration those which are not official communication tools in your company. Your employees may work with special apps or their own devices, because they enable better, more flexible and more mobile communication with customers, suppliers or business partners. Your users are the most important source of information when it comes to defining which tools are the most useful for uniform communication and cooperation. The results will show whether the UC solution from a single manufacturer will suffice for your company or whether you have to design a UC environment which is made up of different partial solutions. 

Purposely bring together employees with different background experience. Encourage them to express their opinion of the planned changes from their personal point of view. Often good ideas come up in this way and you benefit from assessments which are overlooked when only the project team deals with the UCC strategy.

Success factor 3: familiarization with and evaluation of UCC technologies 

The more complex the changeovers are for communication and cooperation in the company, the more important it is to think carefully about which UC platform best meets the requirements and how it works in practice.

This learning process may take several weeks or months. For a UCC solution entails highly specific requirements, which even experienced IT service teams are not always familiar with in detail. A good overview and a sufficiently deep insight into the various UC technologies, the technical requirements and the possible implementation strategies are key factors in making the correct decisions when setting up a UCC strategy and ensuring that your company will benefit from the solution in the long term. 

Success factor 4: manufacturer-independent interoperability and infrastructure

If you are implementing a UCC solution which comprises different systems, technologies and software from different providers or manufacturers, you should clarify and ensure beforehand that all components interact smoothly with each other. This also includes the UC server, PBXs and terminal devices. Only if this is the case can the information be efficiently provided to users. The interoperability of UC hardware and UC software has improved considerably in the last few years. It is, however, advisable to work together with a specialist in system integration to ensure the seamless integration of all components. 

The collaboration tools will also pose new challenges for your network infrastructure: telephone service with presence information, location information and a search function, instant messaging, web conferences, document sharing and rich media result in increased traffic. Ensure that servers, routers and data connections are able to cope with this traffic. Also take into account future developments such as the integration of additional users in the system. The security systems and requirements to be met by the WLAN should also be checked and evaluated. 

Success factor 5: step-by-step introduction, tests and user training

A phased introduction of the new UCC solution is advisable, as our experience has repeatedly shown. The rollout should be performed one user group and location at a time. This offers the major benefit that initial shortcomings can be identified immediately and what has been learned can be applied to the further procedure. The subsequent introduction at further locations can then mostly be performed without any problems. A good strategy during the rollout is to involve only power users or technically experienced users in a pilot phase. They can then carry out thorough tests of the UC suite and all its functions and provide valuable feedback before the solution is definitively implemented. 

Many UC components and partial solutions, such as the attendant solution talkbase, are designed in such a way that they can be used immediately without the need for significant training. However, professional user training should be completed for extensive UCC systems which include different communication and collaboration applications – even if employees are already familiar with certain UC applications such as instant messaging or video conferences. For your UCC solution will contain many new features. Ultimately, the know-how and acceptance of the users have an impact on the ROI of the UCC solution. Its full potential in terms of increased productivity can only develop if all employees accept the new tools and apply the whole range of functions in a professional and consistent manner.

Companies would be well advised to take into consideration the key success factors and the key trends for Unified Communications when developing the ideal UCC strategy. This procedure will help you to find the right solution whether this is the merging and integration of different platforms or a stand-alone UCC solution.

One of the most important components of a complex UCC environment is a uniform telephony application. The professional web-based attendant solution talkbase offers all the functions for efficient call control in the company. It can be used as a partial solution for a UCC system or as a stand-alone UC application. We will share our expertise relating to the integration of UCC with you and assist you with comprehensive advice without any obligation.