If you’ve been using an on-premises telephone system and are moving to unified communications as a service (UCaaS), you may have heard that implementation can be a complex process. In addition to the transition process, you’ll have training to schedule, possible infrastructure upgrades, and the challenges of getting buy-in across your organization.
On top of all of this, you may have had the expectation that someone, or a team, would be on hand from the provider to walk you through the implementation. Increasingly, UCaaS migrations are becoming largely a self-service process.
How can you prepare for a smooth transition? Here are five steps:
Have the Conversation: Before you sign a contract, find out what kind of support you can expect from your provider. Will they have dedicated support available when you implement the solution? What about after implementation when mysterious problems pop up?
Talk not only to the provider, but also to some current customers to see what their experience has been.
Conduct a User Inventory: When you use unified communications, you only need to pay for the number of users you will need. There’s no reason to have extra numbers on hand like you do for an on-premises phone system, so you’ll need to take an inventory to determine how many users you have and what numbers can be eliminated.
To conduct an inventory, you’ll need to collect more than just the user’s name. You’ll also need their DID/extension, email address and physical location for 911 purposes. You should also determine the number of IP phones and headsets you’ll need so that when you compare contracts, you’ll be using consistent numbers.
Examine Call Flows: If you use an auto attendant, you need to examine call trees and flows to see how callers are being funneled through your system. This is the ideal time, before you implement UCaaS to see whether there are inefficiencies or wrong paths that could be corrected before launching your new communications technology.
Inventory Analog End Points: Your communications likely involve much more than telephone lines. Consider overhead paging, ringers, and fax machines. Fax can likely be transitioned to eFax, but find out how the UCaaS provider handles these additional analog functions before signing a contract.
Complete a Line Inventory: In addition to your user inventory, you will want to assemble a list of all voice lines and circuits, including SIP trunks, analog lines and PRI/T1. These will be eliminated through UCaaS implementation, but conducting an inventory of lines helps you get a complete picture of your cost savings with UCaaS.
No matter what UCaaS solution you decide is right for your company, you don’t have to go through implementation on your own. Partner with eXemplify to gain a knowledgeable guide for your UCaaS migration. Contact us today to get started.