Embarking on the Unified Communications Journey (Part 4)

by CoSo

February 11, 2016

In part one of this four-part series on the UC journey, we looked at the Plan Stage, which includes creating a vision, ensuring ROI, and eliminating extraneous expenses.  In part two, we looked at the Deploy Stage, when your new UC system is actually being rolled out.  In part three, we focused on the care, maintenance and feeding of the environment.

Today, we look at The Extend Stage—the realization and extension of UC’s full power.

By now, workers have adapted to what’s already in place. CIOs are starting to realize what UC can truly do and how it can be used to bring even more transformation to the way people communicate, collaborate, and produce within their organization. This goes well beyond expanding the deployment into other departments or geographies. It means looking deeply into where UC is already deployed and identifying how it can be used to bring even more productivity gains to a variety of workflows.

For instance, consider a logistics company before it deployed Skype for Business. Something could show up on the shipping floor and not look quite right. Typically, Joe the Receiver would have to go to his desk, fill out some forms or send some emails, and wait for a response, which could take hours, even days. At some point, Joe might realize he can save some time by taking a picture to instantly convey the issue, but he would still have to send the email. Later, after deploying Skype for Business and understanding the way Joe works, Stacey the CIO realizes she can provide Joe with a specially made tablet that allows him to take the picture, access all the touchpoints in the shipment, and instantly resolve the issue right then and there.

Or, imagine a healthcare company that uses Skype for Business to power a telemedicine platform that allows remote specialists to use data fed by patient records and sensors to diagnose, test and treat patients as if they were in the same room. Or an HR department that saves time by creating an IM bot that uses an employee’s Active Directory credentials to automatically answer questions about vacation balances or insurance deductibles. The possibilities are endless.

This is when UC becomes truly transformational. When Skype for Business becomes Skype for Your Business. When the full value of UC becomes readily apparent and CIOs begin applying it in new ways to help workers do their jobs faster and better. And when some organizations start using their newfound efficiency to blow other organizations away.

Which one will yours be?