Industry executives and experts share their predictions for 2021. Read them in this 13th annual VMblog.com series exclusive.
The Upcoming UCaaS Market
By
Kara Korte, Director of Product Management at TetraVX
The coronavirus pandemic has been a
challenging time for communities around the globe. In turn, to adhere to social
distancing guidelines, Unified communications as a Service (UCaaS) tools have
become a key component of how organizations function, education institutions
teach and family and friends stay connected. Now, with more than 80% of employees
still working from home either full- or part-time, it's vital for businesses to
look ahead and have a solid strategy for UCaaS as well as contact center
solutions.
So how will UCaaS tools transform in
2021? Here are a few ways we think the industry will grow to meet the needs of
the marketplace:
- Video conferencing will continue to boom, but
companies will require more functionality. In 2020, Zoom found
success in being a product-first organization. However, looking forward, Zoom
lacks what Microsoft Teams and other UCaaS solutions have in terms of file
storage and collaboration, which are very important functions of how businesses
operate. As a result, companies that rely heavily on Zoom tend to adopt several
solutions, such as Google Docs shops, in order to function remotely. This raises
the question, will more companies move away from Zoom at the appeal of a single
consolidated tool like Microsoft Teams?
To remain competitive
in 2021, UCaaS providers must build in integrations that round out their
platforms. Each platform should stand as a single user experience and source of
support encompassing features like: Modern phone system, video meetings,
persistent messaging, business workflow, omnichannel contact center and mobile
app enablement. Time will tell which UCaaS provider reigns supreme, but they
must integrate features that enable end users to centralize workflows.
- Security, security, and more security. The reality is
that even after the pandemic ends, many organizations will still continue to
opt for work-from-home opportunities for their employees. Not only is it a
benefit to employees who prefer flexibility, but it also provides the company
the ability to consolidate real estate costs. Because of that, the need for
advanced security measures will stay as well.
There are so many
industries relying on video to connect, including education and government. And
now that these interactions are happening virtually, confidential conversations
are now susceptible to more outsiders. We're seeing a major push by
organizations of all industries and sizes to either increase cybersecurity
spending or at the very least ensure they're leveraging the existing security
tools they have to the fullest. Organizations need to enable employees to work
remotely without compromising on security and/or taking on additional risk.
- The fate of the office phone line is sealed,
and it's not a good one. The office phone number has been dying a slow
death for some time, but with the shift to remote work there simply is no need.
It's going to be important for organizations to understand the relevance of
mobile and the focus it will continue to build in the next year. To address
these challenges as well as take advantage of the benefits that an increasingly
mobile workforce can offer, organizations should begin integrating mobile
communications with UCaaS solutions to create mobile UCaaS.
By integrating mobile
capabilities with traditional telephony, messaging, voice, presence, and other
business applications, mobile UCaaS provides employees with the same integrated
communications capabilities anywhere, anytime, on smartphones and other mobile
devices that are fully integrated with the organization's communications and
collaboration platform. By coupling these mobile features with cloud
capabilities, organizations will have access to employees as well as clients
from anywhere in the world.
- More focus on AI. In 2021, UCaaS
providers will lean more on AI in order to inform better business decisions.
Between tools such as analytics and virtual assistants, companies will leverage
AI to improve engagement and productivity tracking as well as speech-to-text
capabilities.
For example, by
utilizing AI within the platform, end users can conduct searches of spoken
words to find specific references. Also, with enhanced AI, users can use data
mining to determine opinions and business outcomes. Combining UCaaS with AI
will help organizations get more out of their data and ultimately help improve
communications interactions.
The UCaaS market is ultimately enjoying
sustained growth for many reasons and shows no signs of slowing down anytime
soon. Therefore, moving your communication and collaboration infrastructure to
a mobile, unified, cloud-based platform makes for a more flexible environment.
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About
the Author
Kara Longo Korte is the Director of
Product Management at TetraVX. She is passionate about the role technology
plays in communication and collaboration in the workforce and sees Unified
Communications as a Service (UCaaS) as the perfect way to connect the ever
changing workplace. She has twenty years of experience in the technology
industry and has expertise in product management, pre-sales, sales enablement,
strategy, CRM and integrations holding various positions with a variety of SaaS
organizations. An avid believer in giving back, Kara founded and ran early
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs, even participating in CSR
events at the White House. When not working, Kara enjoys spending time with her
family and friends and is an active volunteer in Chicago.