Legacy UC systems are no longer enough to support today's employee communication needs. Explore why migrating to UCaaS is key to mitigate the cost of poor communication.
All businesses know that communication is fundamental, yet few businesses invest properly to provide employees with the right tools to interact with one another. There are many ways to define poor communication, but it will almost always be a mix of technology shortcomings combined with the choices employees make in the way they communicate.
The cost of poor communication is especially pronounced in businesses still tied to legacy technologies, such as PBXs and standalone applications like conferencing. While these tools can support some communications needs quite well, other areas will suffer. The result is lower levels of personal productivity, ineffective teamwork, duplication of effort, disconnected workflows, wasted expenditures on communications technologies and weakened morale due to frustration with getting work done.
At a high level, some of the leading causes of poor communications include the following:
Fragmented tools across communications modes, including voice, text, video, meetings and email.
Lack of integration leading to duplication of effort and wasted time.
Absence of a common platform or interface to manage work and collaboration with co-workers.
Difficulty with sharing files and information when collaborating in teams.
Limited ability of tools to automate tasks and workflows to drive productivity.
Inability of legacy tools to support a distributed organization and today's hybrid work model.
In addition to being a drag on productivity and teamwork, these causes have a financial effect on the business, making this a strategic issue for both IT and C-level leaders. Key examples would include:
Legacy systems and tools are costly to run and maintain -- and many vendors are no longer supporting them, so this issue will only get worse.
Added cost when trying to integrate standalone tools together as a patchwork approach to maintaining the status quo.
IT must maintain staffing and expertise for legacy systems, which will not be required when moving communications to the cloud.
Cost duplication across lines of business where each subscribes to its own communications tools independently.
Hidden cost of lower productivity, not just for employee retention, but for your customers and brand when this affects customer-facing communications.
Invest in cloud-based communication
To a large extent, these issues can be addressed by a strategy that reflects a holistic view of communications. First, shift from using standalone applications from multiple vendors to an integrated platform, usually provided by a single vendor, that encompasses them all. Think in terms of communications being multimodal. Workers need to seamlessly use all channels, not just for one-on-one communication, but also for working in distributed teams.
Second, recognize the limitations of legacy tools. These applications are typically premises-based and weren't designed to integrate with other software or to support remote workers. Most businesses have used cloud-based apps for many years, but some still resist doing so for their communications apps, especially voice and video. These concerns may have been valid when the cloud was still emerging -- and the legacy tools in place were still working -- but not today.
Workers need to seamlessly use all channels, not just for one-on-one communication, but also for working in distributed teams.
Cloud platforms continue to evolve. Unified communications as a service (UCaaS) is now the platform of choice for workplace communications. Indeed, UCaaS is tailored to address all the issues related to poor communications. In terms of adopting new technology to modernize communications, the business case for UCaaS is clear. It doesn't just provide a singular, integrated platform that workers can use regardless of location. UCaaS is a platform that can easily add new applications as collaboration requirements continue to evolve.
ROI is an important consideration to build the business case for UCaaS. While productivity gains are expected, these particular outcomes are difficult to measure. The following are some other metrics that will be easier to track for ROI:
UCaaS is Opex-based. Since no capital outlay is required, the conventional, asset-based ROI model doesn't apply here.
Cost certainty for budgeting. Pay for licensing on a per-user basis, making it easy to scale up or down as needed.
Flat-rate pricing. Usage of applications isn't metered, which also makes budgeting more predictable.
Low switching cost. No long-term lock-in with UCaaS providers, unlike with legacy carrier services that may also charge costly exit penalties.
Reduced spending. Fewer vendors and separate applications to manage.
Lower IT costs. Much of the cost burden to support collaboration tools shifts to the cloud provider.
Minimize duplicate spending. No more buying multiple versions of the same apps.
Hybrid work success. Eases how to right-size spending on office space.
Strategic approach required
The cost of poor communication is the byproduct of several factors; no singular response will fix this. Yet, the right technologies are on the market today. What you need is a strategic approach for modernizing. Consider these three key IT elements:
Legacy communications tools may still perform based on their intended purpose. But they are siloed by nature and do not support the needs of today's workers. A more modern approach is needed -- both for communication and collaboration -- and to support that, a shift is needed from standalone applications to an integrated platform where all the tools are in one place.
UCaaS is the dominant provider for these needs, and that requires another fundamental strategic shift -- migrating from premises-based tools to a cloud-based platform. In addition to being more manageable economically, the cloud requires less support from IT. While IT may give up its longstanding control over premises-based technologies, this will also free up resources for higher-value innovation projects based on newer technologies, like AI.
The issue of poor communications will not be fully overcome with UCaaS, but this approach is a big step forward from maintaining the status quo. Without a thoughtful strategy to modernize communications, issues will only get worse and will go well beyond missed calls or unproductive meetings. Today's workplace is far more collaborative, and UCaaS is the best way for employees to interact, regardless of their location.
Jon Arnold is principal of J Arnold & Associates, an independent analyst providing thought leadership and go-to-market counsel with a focus on the business-level effect of communications technology on digital transformation.
