What to Look Out for When Buying UCaaS

Buying unified communications as a service (UCaaS) may seem simple at first; compared to a legacy private branch exchange (PBX), any one of the options may seem like an upgrade to a much better solution. But not so fast. You can find yourself in an endless series of obstacles and challenges if you choose a UCaaS with strengths that don’t match well with your primary reasons for the upgrade.

Your search for UCaaS or its frequent companion contact center as a service (CCaaS) should begin with an assessment of what your needs are for a communications solution. The perfect compliment is to work with an agnostic sales agent to help determine what your priorities, timeline, and budget entail so that you are able to stay focused on your objectives. You should have a clear set of metrics to assess whether each solution can help you meet your goals.

Here are some of the common approaches to buying UCaaS and why they tend to be a challenge, unless you are working with a sales agent:

1. Window Shopping: Once the word gets out that you’re on the prowl for UCaaS or CCaaS, you can expect to receive a lot of offers for live demos. This can be a great way to see some options, but it’s not a good systematic approach to choosing the right solution without an agnostic point of view. First, the sales reps from the provider often tend to direct the conversation, so you’re soon excited about all the bells and whistles but forgetting to assess whether your priorities will be met by the particular option you’re considering.
2. RFP: A request for proposal (RFP) may be the right move if this is how your company’s procurement process works, but it has to come at the right time. Receiving proposals before you know what features you need to be included in your UCaaS solution can be a frustrating waste of time.

   Once you’ve narrowed it down to a couple of potential options, an RFP can tell you detailed information about the training, support, features and functions, implementation process, and more. It’s a valuable step in your process, but make sure you don’t accept any proposals too early.

3. References: Your potential UCaaS providers will be accommodating when you ask for references, but there are limitations to the usefulness of a list provided by them. You need to talk with companies who are similar in size and function to your organization, but be prepared to ask them about specific challenges and how they were able to overcome them. Talk about the obstacles you anticipate in your own implementation and find out if they encountered anything similar.

While you’re still early in the process, be sure to talk with industry partners to see what others are using for communications technology. It may expand your considerations and help you better understand the process you’re initiating.

The Safe Path to UCaaS Success: The best alternative to these options is to partner with a guide familiar with UCaaS solutions and all the details of a successful implementation. You need a partner that knows which questions are most critical, the red flags that should disqualify an option, and what obstacles are likely to slow your transition.

At One Connect, we offer the kind of guidance that equips you for a smooth migration to UCaaS. Buying UCaaS shouldn’t be overwhelming and confusing; it should be an exciting time of growth for your company. Contact us today to get started on a seamless transition.