Not all UC vendors are the same — so choose them all

In the older days of telephony, the sentiment of “everything is exactly the same, no matter which vendor you choose” drastically limited businesses across the globe — forcing them to continuously bend their processes to the will of whatever solution big telcos and integrators offered.

Then, a miraculous thing happened. Like a bright light at the end of a long tunnel, the cloud emerged — vastly disrupting the hold that old telcos had on business possibilities. And now, this bright new future has truly taken hold, offering new realms of possibilities such as choice of vendor, service provider, software, and more.

Now, as the blog title states, not all UC vendors are the same. And thank goodness for that. It took the good part of a century to break that mold of telcos being clones of one another, with each offering the same-old-same-old to everyone. Now, choice and desire are the new drivers — enabling businesses to deliver better experiences to employees, partners, customers, and more.

Think of all this like you would a retail store. Some people like sports-oriented apparel, some like suits, some prefer casual wear, and some vary their attire based on the day of the week. Regardless of your taste, there are multiple stores that offer the style — or styles — you want. Even better, given the range of stores available to you, you have the ability to mix and match each outfit as you desire.

Now apply that same idea to your UC vendor. In 2021 and beyond, every vendor has something different to offer. Perhaps one business telecom suits every need you have; however, your needs are far different for call center applications. In our single-vendor world just a few short years ago, you would have been forced to compromise. But in this new decade, businesses can choose one or many vendors to work with — sculpting the perfect solution for their business processes, business needs, and ultimate desired experience. The world is your oyster, as they say — you just need to know how to harvest oysters. And perhaps that is the crux of choice in the cloud era.

Is there a potential downside? Of course, there is. But nothing that can’t be solved. We are, after all, still talking about technology. Inherent complexity is always lurking around the corner, especially when you’re trying to fit proverbial square pegs into round holes. Though a multi-vendor world is fantastic, making two or more disparate companies work together is never as easy as one might hope.

However, I did say there is a solution! And an easy one at that. When venturing down the path of multi-vendor endeavors, having a partner to help navigate those waters is the final, most logical step in the process. It’s the step that takes the hassle out of the equation. In short, your path to success is the right partner. Therefore, whoever you choose should aim to make your life hassle-free, by doing the following three things in particular.

First of all, your partner should know every vendor’s ecosystem like the back of their hand. This knowledge enables them to do the heavy lifting of sifting through a world of possibilities, distilling options back to a collection of features, functions, and outputs that equal your desired outcomes. This amounts to less time spent deliberating vendors, and more time spent moving towards the right solution.

Second, your partner MUST have a handle on how the tech will be managed and used — with hassle-free provisioning being a critical component. You have no time for a partner who must reinvent the wheel every time they take on a new client. Having world-class provisioning software that removes the hassle out of unified communications is the only way that your business’ success is going to see the light of day. Better yet, it’s also a great way to judge the first step above — after all, if the partner really knows their stuff, then by default they would have their own software to back it up.

Last, but certainly not least, there is the service itself. This may go without saying, but choose the partner that has your back every time. In 2021, business moves at digital speeds. When something needs to happen, it needs to happen fast. The right partner will make it seamless every time — thereby ensuring your success, every time.

We live in amazing times — one where old telecom is gone, and a bright new future of choice awaits. Pick your vendors and pick your partner to make it happen. The rest will simply fall into place.