Part 1 - Best practices when migrating customers to a UCaaS solution

Introduction 

With the recent increase in hybrid and remote work patterns, Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) has been propelled to the forefront of communications solutions. This work style has become widely adopted and office workers often now expect to have an aspect of flexibility in their working patterns. In fact, studies show that up to 83% of workers prefer hybrid working. Managed Service Providers play a key role in facilitating these work patterns by supporting businesses as they shift from traditional telephony to UCaaS, many of whom are now being forced to switch before the PSTN switch-off now taking place in 2027.

UCaaS solutions offer a plethora of features versus traditional landline systems, such as streamlined collaboration tools, improved customer experience features, and the ability to integrate with many leading business tools such as CRMs and phonebooks. Reliability and efficiency is also enhanced due to deployment over the internet. 68% of UCaaS buyers say that singular-platform software deployment is crucial to their communications purchasing decisions (Frost & Sullivan), so providing this is key for MSPs positioning themselves as a desirable partner to work with.

In this two-part blog, we will explore how MSPs can equip best practices when guiding their customers through a seamless UCaaS migration, in order to ensure long-term success and support them through their lifecycle. Part 1 will focus on the preparation phase, which is critical for laying the groundwork and preparing users with the knowledge they need to make the most of their new communication solution.

Understanding the customer’s needs

For resellers, a thorough assessment of the customer’s existing communication infrastructure is critical to understanding their needs, pain points, and key business tools. Here are the key areas to assess:

• Existing inventory of communication tools - a detailed catalogue of existing communication tools, including telephony, conferencing, collaboration, and data management platforms is key to ensuring all needs are met after migrating a customer to their new platform. 

• Usage analysis - Quantifying the utilisation rate and employee dependency for each tool allows MSPs to to identify underused tools and areas for consolidation.

• Overlap identification - When assessing existing tools, there may be redundant or unnecessary tools that can be replaced by the UCaaS solution, or tools that can be ceased as another does the same thing better.

• Performance evaluation - Analysing the performance of existing tools in terms of reliability, user proficiency, and scalability means these things can be improved after migration.

• Stakeholder feedback - Gathering insights from key stakeholders makes it easier to identify what is working and what could be improved.

• What are they trying to achieve? - Are they looking for ways to help them scale? Perhaps they are looking to encourage remote work, better satisfy their customers, and save costs? All businesses will have their own specific reasons for seeking out a UCaaS solution, and considering these objectives can help MSPs to ensure these needs are addressed appropriately.

Selecting the right UCaaS vendor 

Choosing the right UCaaS vendor for each individual customer is paramount for MSPs and resellers, in order to ensure they are providing a seamless, efficient and cost-effective solution to their end users. The following should be regarded as key factors when choosing a vendor:

• Feature alignment - Ensure that the platform offers a variety of features to suit different target markets and verticals, in order to align with different client needs, This could include video conferencing, instant messaging, and file sharing 

• Commercials - Every vendor goes to market differently, and aligning commercials with features may not be a one-size-fits-all process. Some vendors may offer a low subscription cost, but may charge for additional features and ‘bolt-ons’, or even basic minutes. Gauging customer usage patterns and feature requirements will help partners to pick out the best commercial proposition.

• Security protocols - Look for solutions with robust security features that meet industry standards, and allow customers to meet any industry specific compliance measures they may have to adhere to.

• Customer support capabilities - Evaluate the vendor’s customer support offerings, including response time, and consider the training and onboarding resources that they offer. This is key to smooth adoption and productivity, and shockingly, according to HubSpot, less than ⅓ of employees receive guidelines on using UC tools!

• Service reliability - Check the company’s reports, reviews, and social media to get a well-rounded impression of their reliability. Status pages for platforms will offer uptime statistics, and your vendor should have SLAs as part of their contracts.

• Scalability - Choose a vendor that offers a scalable solution, to provide customers with flexibility as their business grows and their needs evolve. How quickly can customer accounts be provisioned, deployed, and edited? 

• Integration capabilities - Look for a provider with a portfolio of quality no-code integrations, with the ability to build bespoke, custom integrations on top of this for maximum flexibility.

• User experience (UX) - The interface of the solution should be user-friendly, and facilitate easy adoption. The best way to test this is to demo the solution for a prolonged period, which your vendor should be prepared to support.

Future-proofing for continued success

It is key to ensure the solutions offered to end users are able to adapt in the future, in order to react to new trends and markets that emerge. This means companies do not have to worry about their communication software having a short lifetime, and can develop their business knowing that it can grow alongside them, providing them with the latest technology and quality tools.

• Remote work and SaaS adoption -  Increasingly, any communication solutions that businesses adopt need to cater to geographically dispersed teams and hybrid work models. This means ensuring employees can collaborate seamlessly when needed and allowing end users to access the UCaaS platform through smart device apps for flexibility.

• Rich integrations with CRMs and other tools - Seamless integration with existing business applications is crucial to enhance business communications and stay ahead of the competition. This also increases stickiness of end users as all of their business tools are in one neat, user-friendly package.

• Advanced security measures - Solutions with  robust security features can adapt to any evolving threats within the digital landscape. This includes the infrastructure level, where threat defence is essential, through to ensuring MFA and SSO is supported on apps and dashboards.

• AI and advanced feature adoption - Embracing advancing technologies such as AI within the business communications space is crucial for staying ahead of the curve and delivering cutting edge solutions to customers. AI could take the form of chatbots, advanced analytics, security measures, and even call quality, where algorithms optimise calls by adapting to network conditions and reducing latency.

Final thoughts

A successful UCaaS migration requires careful planning and execution. By understanding your customers' unique needs, evaluating vendor capabilities, and aligning the two, you can lay a strong foundation for a smooth transition.

In Part 1 of this blog series, we've explored the critical steps involved in preparing for a UCaaS migration. From assessing existing communication infrastructure to selecting the right vendor, these steps are essential for ensuring a successful outcome.

In Part 2, we'll delve deeper into the practical aspects of the migration process. We'll discuss topics such as data migration, change management, testing, and post-migration support. By following these best practices, you can ensure a smooth transition and maximise the benefits of UCaaS for your customers.

Get in touch to learn more.