ABS Technology Architects

To take Unified Communications (UC) to the next level in terms of success, organizations are challenged to focus on user adoption. While the business case for UC often is extremely compelling in terms of overall savings and productivity benefits, none of these gains can be realized unless UC is embraced by an organization's workforce. The first cha... llenge to adoption lies in how a UC solution is presented in the first place. "All too often when Solutions Integrators are proposing a communication solution - whether it is basic VoIP or a UC solution for collaboration, instant messaging, unified messaging or even communication enabling business processes - they get so involved in the technical aspects of the solution that they overlook one of the most basic components of business communication," writes Pam Avila at Unified Communications Strategies, a portal devoted to UC trends and opportunities. "That component is the 'equipment' that sits on the end-user's desk or travels in their pocket or briefcase. We refer to this equipment as the 'end points,' which sounds very official and technical," she adds. "In reality, however, it's all about the end-user experience. Provide a great end-user experience and acceptance of technology is almost assured. Conversely, move the end-user too far out of their comfort zone and a disaster looms." Mike Sapien, a principal analyst for Ovum, contends that UC services should be introduced in the enterprise the same way as new PCs have been introduced. As he explains, users gain upfront training. They are educated on new applications, features and the value of these capabilities. "Just like with new PCs, UC users may at first be completely unfamiliar with some new features and have only very narrow experience with others," he contends. "The assumption that end users can immediately jump in, knowing which tools to use to improve their productivity, is a bad one." He explains that some of the most successful UC implementation results are produced when companies create formal and ...Read More