Why vertical UC platforms beat one-size-fits-all services

How vertical UC requirements may differ

Industries often have specific communications needs based on their operating and regulatory environments. Some specific examples include the following:

• Education. Communications systems within educational environments may require support for emergency notification and paging systems, as well as for local and state laws like Alyssa's Law, which requires in-classroom silent alarm systems for emergency notifications. Educational organizations may require their UC platforms to integrate with classroom and student management systems, such as Canvas and Blackboard.
• Financial Services. Requirements include ensuring call data capture for compliance and e-discovery, and protecting personally identifiable information like account numbers. Guidance provided by AI assistance tools during calls must also be documented in the event of a dispute over financial advice.
• Healthcare. Requirements may include mobile phone and paging support, as well as integration with patient management systems. Support for patient scheduling through an AI IVR is also a rapidly emerging requirement. In all cases, UC platforms must support regulatory requirements, such as HIPAA, to ensure patient confidentiality. Inbound call queues must automatically adapt to availability during peak times.
• Retail. Needs may include the ability to direct inbound calls to specific departments or to workers on the floor who can respond to customer requests. Retail organizations may also require inbound IVR systems to integrate with inventory management and enable customers to check inventory levels or to put products on hold.
  During peak times, retail locations may wish to redirect calls that are not answered in a timely manner to stores with more available capacity. Often, role- and shift-based accounts are required to manage customer queues and ensure proper call routing. Integration with scheduling management software may also be required.

Additional requirements may include support for non-standard endpoints, such as hardened phones in manufacturing or industrial facilities; incident response management integration and support for cellular or satellite communications for remote operating areas.

Vendors are increasingly meeting vertical needs

UC vendors are rapidly bringing solutions to market that are designed to meet vertical-specific needs. Examples include the following:

• Cisco. Supporting industries including education, healthcare, government, finance, sports, entertainment and non-profits, Cisco offers an array of highly specialized solutions. For example, its government offering supports FedRAMP and DoD security levels for U.S. federal government authorized collaboration. Sports and entertainment offerings include integration with digital signage and inventory management to improve fan experiences.
• 8x8. 8x8 offers services for retail, manufacturing, financial services, healthcare, insurance, legal, and education, built on its common UCaaS, CCaaS and CPaaS platform. For example, its legal offering provides secure communications, integration of call data into systems of record and billing time management.
• GoTo. One of the early UC pioneers, GoTo offers specific services for automotive, healthcare, education, retail, government, legal and manufacturing. Its omnichannel automotive service includes an AI receptionist to manage incoming sessions and to answer customer questions with specific connected knowledge. It also provides integration with auto dealer and service center customer management platforms.
• RingCentral. RingCentral's offerings include service specifically tailored to meet the needs of healthcare, financial services, retail and legal organizations. Its RingCentral for Healthcare offering, for example, provides HIPAA compliance for both internal and inbound call management, with AI-enabled workflow automation, AI-powered analytics and integration with healthcare management systems.
• Wildix. The U.K.-based provider offers a UCaaS platform with specific options for a variety of verticals, including automotive, education, healthcare, field workers, legal, manufacturing and retail. X-hoppers, its retail offering, provides in-store wireless communication, enabling easy sharing of inbound calls with all in-store associates.
  It also supports placing QR codes in the store to enable customers to scan them and instantly reach an associate for assistance. Additionally, Wildix's education offering supports virtual and hybrid teaching. Healthcare services include support for nurse paging and alarm management, as well as supporting DECT-based wireless handsets.
• Zoom. Zoom delivers an increasing array of vertical-specific services for industries including education, financial services, government, healthcare, manufacturing, retail and frontline workers. These often include integrations with highly specialized hardware and software to support the customer service, security, and compliance needs of each industry.
  For example, as part of its healthcare offering, Zoom offers integrated AI notetaking in patient management systems like Epic, all in compliance with required standards. Patients can also use scheduling capabilities to book in-person or telehealth visits with providers.

One size certainly doesn't fit all for most organizations, especially those in industries with unique requirements for customer engagement, security, compliance and application integration. Evaluate vertical UC platforms designed for your industry as a way of maximizing ROI.

Irwin Lazar is president and principal analyst at Metrigy, where he leads coverage on the digital workplace. His research focus includes unified communications, VoIP, video conferencing and team collaboration.