By Adrian Thirkill, Easynet UK MD
Unified communications (UC) promises a lot: cohesion, better sharing, smoother collaboration and more efficient ways of working. These benefits help explain why adoption is accelerating. Analysts have projected strong market growth as organisations increasingly recognise the value of bringing voice, video, data and mobile tools together.
Cloud adoption is a major driver. Savvy CIOs are choosing which applications to host outside their own data centres, and UC suits the cloud well. A cloud-hosted UC platform delivers agility, rapid scalability and the flexibility to add new features as business needs change—advantages that are hard to match with on-premises-only deployments.
At the same time, mobile and distributed workforces are creating greater demand for a unified platform. Flexible working is becoming more common, and regulatory and compliance requirements are pushing organisations to make communications more auditable and manageable.
But implementing the platform is only the start. My main concern is what happens after the service provider or systems integrator has handed over the UC solution.
During deployment the provider will have worked closely with your IT leadership to design a robust, future-proof architecture, and will have tested the platform thoroughly. New systems and processes are planned, migrated and validated while obsolete equipment is retired. Those are essential steps, but they don’t guarantee long-term success.
Critical to realising ROI and improving productivity is the support your organisation receives once the UC platform is live. Success depends not just on technical reliability but on whether people actually use and embrace the converged voice, video, data and mobile features.
Your service provider has an ongoing role to play in adoption. Their responsibilities should extend beyond installation and handover to include practical help that ensures employees use the new tools effectively. Left unsupported, expensive investments such as videoconferencing systems often end up underused—gathering dust in meeting rooms because staff don’t know how to use them or don’t have time to learn.
When selecting a UC partner, make post-deployment adoption a key criterion. Ask what internal marketing and change-support services they provide. Can they help raise awareness across the organisation and encourage use of the new platform? Will they deliver hands-on training sessions or workshops, or will they only supply basic brochures? Leaflets alone won’t drive behavioural change.
Put people at the centre of your UC strategy from the earliest design stages. Don’t treat users as statistical inputs for productivity or travel-cost savings calculations—engage them directly.
Consider forming a cross-functional taskforce of UC champions drawn from different parts of the business. These representatives can map how each team currently communicates, identify preferred workflows and devices, and reveal practical needs—such as tablet integration or mobile access—that must be addressed. Share these insights with your provider and incorporate them into the final solution design.
Prioritise ease of use. Technology should empower people, not distract or create extra work. A good UC platform makes collaboration intuitive and integrates seamlessly with the way employees already do their jobs, not just with other IT systems.
Ensure support is readily available. If a senior manager is presenting a sales forecast to a remote office and a screen or connection fails, they shouldn’t have to reschedule the meeting. Consider concierge-style support or rapid-response services that can resolve issues in real time and keep meetings on track.
In short, work closely with your vendor, focus on the user experience and build continuous adoption into your UC rollout plan. When people are supported and the platform fits naturally into everyday work, the promised benefits of unified communications become tangible—and sustainable—over the long term.