5 vital questions to ask every UCaaS solution provider

Choosing the right Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) provider can be tricky. As you research vendor after vendor, all the features and service options can start to blur together.

One UCaaS provider might offer the right price, while another talks about options you didn’t even know were possible. One UCaaS platform has stellar reviews, but it seems complicated and hard to understand.

To help sort through all this information—from the system implementation process to which UCaaS features fit your needs—ask potential providers the following five questions.

1. Will the UC service scale with my business?

Imagine getting your new communications platform set up only to find that a year later, you’re ready to scale and need the platform to expand.

In general, cloud-based unified communication solutions will grow with your business (for example, it’s easy to add seats as you hire new employees and system updates happen automatically).

However, businesses sometimes grow in unpredictable ways. Some platforms may have feature limitations that could stunt your growth. For example, you may not need a dedicated call center now, but as you open new offices and grow it could become a necessary business function.

As you start talking to providers, ask about their product’s ability to keep pace with your growth:

1) Does the UCaaS platform support customization?

2) What are the common UC upgrades that businesses require as they scale?

3) Can you add new locations with their own virtual receptionist, schedules and greetings?

2. What’s the process of moving the UCaaS solution to a new building?

Whether you’re opening an additional office or simply moving to a new address, the migration process can be stressful—from the physical relocation of staff and equipment to the work of making the transition appear seamless to customers.

For a smooth transition, your unified communications solution needs to be up and running at the new location before the start of business.

The good thing is that moving a UCaaS platform is much easier than transferring a traditional phone system. As long as you have a multi-tenancy UC system, the transition to the new address should be seamless.

Talk to your prospective providers about the process of moving a UCaaS solution to a new site. How will they evaluate the space to accommodate your communications? What changes can you expect, if any? Are changes determined by location, like in-state versus out-of-state?

3. How do you determine platform users’ needs?

Switching to a new communications platform will affect everyone in your company. A smooth transition is essential, and for a large enterprise it can be even more difficult. Staff, from CEO to receptionist, must have the tools they need and the know-how to navigate the system with ease right from the beginning.

User surveys

Ask potential providers about their pre-installation user surveys. The survey will allow the provider to understand workers’ needs throughout the organization. With that information, they can ensure that employees have the appropriate user license to do their work.

Training options

Talk to vendors about training options. Do they offer easy-to-understand tutorials? What do they recommend for in-house training (such as training admins as a go-to source for users’ questions)?

Ultimately, all the fanciest features in the world don’t matter if you can’t get your staff up to speed quickly. Practical training is not only essential for a smooth transition to a new communications platform, but for the long-term health of your operations. Proper instruction ensures the staff is comfortable using the system as well as making them aware of new features that can increase efficiencies. You wouldn’t want helpful new features to go unused after all.

4. How long will it take to implement an enterprise UCaaS system?

Communications disruption is a big deal—and an expensive one. Unlike switching traditional phone systems, which can create havoc as technicians work on lines and phone carriers update the business’s system, UCaaS implementation is generally straightforward and fast.

That said, at the enterprise level, there are many moving parts to manage when migrating UCaaS. Naturally, the scope of the project (business size and solution complexity) will determine the time needed to implement the new system.

Talk to providers about the timeline for implementation. That includes the time required to:

• Conduct user surveys

• Evaluate existing call flows and plan new ones.

• Port numbers (and working with existing carriers)

• Test the network

• Complete onboarding and training

• Launch the system

5. What level of support do you provide?

One of the most profound differentiators between UCaaS vendors is customer support. It’s the one thing that’s going to make the biggest difference to your experience and your efficiency down the road.

As with so many online services, UC cloud providers offer substantial support through online content. Users can access FAQs and blog posts or get help from troubleshooting guides with a quick search on the vendor’s website or via chatbot.

However, sometimes you need to talk to someone. It helps if you can reach the right person easily to get your questions answered quickly.

Talk to the providers about their support system. Will the support team provide the care you need—from the most straightforward question to an emergency?

More importantly, will you have a dedicated support manager who can coordinate the implementation process from start to finish and beyond?

Wrapping up

Switching business communications is a significant step. However, unlike complicated and time-consuming on-premises upgrades you’ve probably done in the past, moving to a cloud-based UC solution is simple.

As you talk to potential providers, use the five questions above to guide your decision. Ultimately, it comes down to finding the right vendor and solution-fit for your business, to not only help you today, but help your business succeed for years down the road.