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.