Page 8 - Telecom Reseller FebMar 2017

8 Telecom Reseller BELLMAR
With the mobile workforce predicted
to make up about three-quarters of U.S. employees by 2020, business leaders will continue to rely on UC to elevate workplace collaboration and productivity. In fact, growth in the UC and collaboration market is projected to hit $96 billion by 2023, according to Global Market Insights.
As organizations revamp their IT strategies in 2017, resellers should consider the following tips for being the best uni ed communications and collaboration partners possible:
Move Clients Away From Multi-Vendor Environments. 2017 will be the year more companies go all-in on one vendor. More
than 40 percent of enterprises are planning
to converge their UC apps around a single provider, with most selecting either Cisco or Microso , according to Nemertes Research. Larger organizations, in particular, are looking to consolidate vendors in e ort to create a better user experience and guarantee smoother deployments.
On the ip side, many small businesses aren’t ready to commit to just one vendor. Instead, we’ll see more small businesses take advantage of disruptive providers.
Keep An Eye on Whether Disruptive Tools Replace Traditional Tools. In recent years, team chat apps like HipChat, Microso Teams and Slack have surged in popularity, enabling consistent internal and external communication.
e casual instant messaging format allows teams to interact more frequently and stay up-to-date on projects in real-time. However,
it remains to be seen whether these tools will actually replace more traditional UC tools
or permanently serve as boutique solutions.
In 2017, a clearer picture will emerge as to whether these tools are capable of displacing traditional technologies or if they’ll continue to be just another tool amid a suite of options.
continued from page 1
personalize deployments based on employee needs. By talking with users and evaluating which tools are required to carry out speci c responsibilities, providers can help clients select and implement the right technology.
Demonstrate Other Uses For Video. Although businesses have embraced the value of video content like YouTube and Vimeo, enterprise-grade video conferencing is still
not a standard workplace tool. In fact, only about half of employees regularly participate in video conferences through free, consumer- grade technology – with 70 percent using tools like Skype or FaceTime, according to West’s Uni ed Communications Services state of video conferencing report.
While video conferencing adoption
will likely grow in 2017, we’ll see more organizations attempt to make video a fundamental component to accelerating digital transformation.
In the next year, expect to see video used in everything from virtual training and onboarding to video town halls.
Emerging technology continues to alter how people choose to work. As more employees look to work remotely, UC and collaboration technology will continue to play a crucial role in supporting seamless, real-time collaboration in 2017.
Resellers need to ensure a better customer UC user experience, tailor their tool deployments and leverage the power of video content to help customers reap the bene ts of a more productive and collaborative workforce. ●
February/March 2017
SMITH continued from page 3 All too o en, the client just brushes the issue
o , saying: “We’ll get Jennie at the front desk
to voice it.” Or the client themselves – busy as they are doing a million other things – gets stuck with the task. Or even you – (that’s you, the hipster telco IT guy in the last picture) – will occasionally just voice the prompts on install, even though this is the last thing you want to be doing.
As a professional telephone voice, I have a lot of clients make contact with me because they did their system in that slap-dash, last-minute way, and they want their IVR done right. ey’ve done the “Jennie” route before (but she resigned a year ago and the call ow is now a pastiche of a bunch of di erent receptionist’s voices); your client is sick of customers recognizing their own voice on the system (and the associated conclusions which may come from that), or they *loved* the job the tech guy did on the install...they just don’t love his voice.
Just as your client wouldn’t likely attempt to design their company’s website, the voicing of
a reseller’s end product is important enough
to be handed over to a professional, whose
core competency is the voicing of auto- attendants, closing/holiday greetings, mailboxes, system outage announcements, and on-hold programs. Disciplined IVR voice talent have
the consistency to match previously recorded les, keep the energy even, use pro gear to record, and – if IVR is their sole focus – should be available for same day/next day changes or updates, and re-records into the future.
A company’s IVR is an important aspect to their image and their brand. A reseller who includes the services of a pro voice talent as a line item in their transaction has taken care of
a vital aspect of the system’s install which – all too o en -- gets overlooked until it’s time to go live. Providing a V/o pro is a feather in your cap, setting you apart from other resellers, and is a valuable service to your end users. ●
and can sti e these smaller competitors.
is may prove to limit the rate of industry innovation, which is disadvantageous to the end-user. e possibility of other repeals and reexaminations occurring is still unpredictable, but questions related to service provider and subscriber rights are sure to be brought up as the FCC makes its new rulings and policies. What’s important for the industry as they face this road ahead is striving to strike a balance, keeping some regulations in place that can even the scales and ensure that smaller service
all fairly represented. ●
Emphasize Improved Interoperability. In 2016, Microso Skype for Business and Cisco collaboration solutions announced greater interoperability between their two platforms, highlighting a growing industry trend. As more vendors look to improve connectivity between their platforms, users will enjoy a more streamlined UC experience.
Improved interoperability will also enable collaboration to take place outside of a client’s ecosystem while providing the ideal mix of cross-pollination for external communication. Greater interoperability ultimately tears
down communication silos while positioning businesses to make smarter, more scalable UC investments. Long-term, more integrated UC solutions will lead to a rise in user adoption.
Tap into Personas for Better UC Deployments. While personas have long been used in marketing, this year we’ll start to
see more IT leaders use personas to identify what tools employees need based on their job responsibility.
Previously, companies have failed to take a hard look at employees’ day-to-day tasks, and instead mass deployed certain UC tools to users based solely on job title or department. Resellers need to help clients move away from this practice and instead,
Vertical market solutions. Analog, VoIP, corded, or cordless.
Schools
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Continued from page 22
device that could be purchased by employees. IT will need to determine which devices it is able to support.
• Geo-Fencing: It may be that security, or
data use needs, require policies to gov-
Retail
– Sales area, cash register, stock room, warehouse, show room, common area
create some legal issues. Risk reduci policies must be developed.
• Responsibilities: Does an employ
using a device with corporate apps a
data have a responsibility to protect t
March/April 2014
– K–12/College/University classroom, dormitory, hallway, administrative, faculty of ce
Healthcare
General Of ce
ern devices used within prede ned geo-
device? What if precautions are not tak
graphical areas. Different regions gener-
to protect the device?
– Patient or resident room, xed or
– Executive, administrative,
ally have different laws.
• Rights: The legal rights of employe
single-use, maternity room, of ce,
reception, hallway, common
• Bandwidth Throttling: Organizations
and organizations differ from country
common area
area
must determine how to allocate employ-
ee demand for bandwidth across a broad
swath of locations, roles and usage vol-
country, so policy may have to be alter
on a country-to-country basis.
• Liability:Whoisliableforthelossofpr
Call +1.719.638.8821, write info@cetis.com, or visit www.cetis.com for
umes. vate data when protocols are followed? product and pricing details.
• Business Support vs. Personal Support: • Privacy: What measures will a compa
O©r2g0a1n7 iCzeatits,ioIncn. sPromduuctstpedcie ctaetiromns aindedetshceripteioxnstiennthtis documetantke to protect the privacy of the employe subject to change without notice. Cetis®, Teledex®, TeleMatrix®, Scitec®,
to which they are willing to provide
• Look for the second part of this artic where we will detail the next three esse tials for a successful BYOD policy. %
and TOPSTM are trademarks and registered trademarks of Cetis, Inc.
technical support for an employee-owned
device.
• DeviceLoss:Devicelossortheftisafact
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continued from page 4
in many cases, the end-user wouldn’t even be aware that it was happening.
SHIFTS IN CONTENT OWNERSHIP COULD LIMIT INNOVATION
e trend toward deregulation may have side e ects in terms of concentration of content ownership and in turn, industry innovation. Historically, small private organizations have been able to o er cutting-edge content and delivery platforms to satisfy consumer demands — Net ix and HBO streaming services have accomplished this over the past decade. With a fair playing eld, these organizations have the potential to grow into large customer-oriented companies. But, as the trend to deregulation continues, powerful industry players will gain
providers, content producers, and end users are
26more control over content delivery platforms
Telecom Reseller
Higher Education + Technology = ACUTA
As a CIO, it is important for
me to be a part of a group of people who strive to con nually evolve as knowledgeable technology professionals.
I know of no be er organiza on to be a part of than ACUTA.
Keith Fowlkes Director of Informaon Technology Services and CIO Centre College
• Professional networking at its best happens at the face-to-face events and via the listserv/community. We provide opportunities to connect with people who can help you succeed.
• High-quality education features presenters at seminars and conferences who are experts in the eld.
• Valuable publications bring critical information to you in a timely, pro-active way.
• Online resources give you access to solutions that will help you meet the needs of your campus faculty, staff, and students.
• Professional development opportunities abound at ACUTA, giving you experiences that will help you grow professionally and advance your career.
www.acuta.org Questions: Call Amy at (859) 278-3338.
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of life. Therefore, an organization should have a plan for protecting (or wiping) a lost device.
• Reimbursement: How will employees be reimbursed for devices and/or data
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plans?
Connect and Communicate