In the last of this series of UCC-related blogs, it is worth recapping the key points that we’ve covered relating to the value of UCC, its implementation, and the role that Gen Y employees have, perhaps unwittingly, played in encouraging enterprises to adopt it.
As we have seen, UCC adds value throughout the enterprise, enhancing communication across a wide spectrum of activities, whether video and audio conferencing, instant messaging, IP telephony, presence, and more.
UCC’s unified central message store, telephony integration and far-reaching connectivity enable a range of benefits, including but not confined to:
- Improved productivity
- Enhanced employee involvement
- Improved communications
- Reduced costs
No single UCC system fits all, as every enterprise is different. For example, the larger the organisation, the more likely it is to have grown by acquisition, resulting in the existence of a fragmented communications infrastructure from a variety of sources and using a variety of architectures. Few can afford to completely rip and replace, so the implementation of a UCC system will involve the integration of legacy equipment as much as the acquisition of new hardware and software. It will need a hybrid approach that combines the best of the existing equipment with cloud-based UCC services, and a strategy that leans increasingly towards the cloud as legacy equipment reaches end of life.
The effort is worthwhile. With Gen Y digital natives naturally expecting their employers to support and use their technology and communication skills, and the growth of the porous, mobile-enabled enterprise, not to implement a UCC system is a negative step, resulting in increased churn, reduced productivity, and ultimately, poorer and slower decision-making, none of which are desirable in the competitive environments in which corporations find themselves today.
A forward-looking approach is needed with the user’s perspective at its core if those users are to be persuaded to fully exploit the new UCC’s features and so benefit from the enhanced productivity it can enable. It means understanding users’ current communication habits and patterns, and moulding the UCC around them, not shocking them into using a completely new system. The UCC also needs a C-level champion within the organisation and, above all, it needs to integrate into current systems and working patterns, and to align with the organisation’s business objectives.
