Updated 3:06 pm E.S.T, May 22, 2015. We were thrilled at the opportunity to host an enriching dialogue with communications experts from Rogers on Unified Communications yesterday. A special thanks to our guest experts who contributed to the chat. Has your IT department considered how a Unified Communications solution could improve your business processes? If not, you might want to scroll down and read on why you should! Tune in to our next Twitter chat on #connectivitysolutions Aug. 20, 12-1 pm E.S.T.!
Have you ever stopped to think how critical of a role communication has in your business? What if you were to discover that you could increase your ROI, streamline business processes, reduce costs, drive productivity, and have an impact on employee engagement and retention just based on your organization’s communication infrastructure? Unified Communications is that solution but there is no cookie cutter approach. Join us to discuss how Unified Communications could improve your business and what aspects are most important in a solutions package. This chat will be hosted by our @ITBusinessca account.
The chat will be held May. 21, 12-1 PM EST, at the hashtag #connectivitysolutions. If this is your first time taking part in a Twitter chat, check out this video on how to join a twitter chat. The questions are listed below so you can start thinking about what you might want to tweet about.
We’ll be joined by the following guest experts:
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Rani Pendse Product Manager, Office 365. Rani supports the delivery of Microsoft solutions to small, medium and large businesses. |
| Steven Hong Unified Communications, Enterprise Wireless Solution |
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| Obaid Shah Product Manager, Unified Communications, Enterprise Wireless Solutions |
Q1 What types of communications tools are most important for your organization? #connectivitysolutions
A1 We use VoIP phones; I like getting voicemail over email as a WAV file but sometimes the QoS isn’t what I’d like #ConnectivitySolutions
— Jeff Jedras (@JeffJedrasITW) May 21, 2015
@itbusinessca Key communication tools: email, audio/video conferencing, phone, intranet shared team space #connectivitysolutions
— Rani Pendse (@ranipendse) May 21, 2015
A1: #Email, #phone and using #Ubiq, #wirelesspresentation in our #meetingrooms. #connectivitysolutions
— Ubiq (@goubiq) May 21, 2015
@itbusinessca A1. We got so hooked on instant messaging that people next door to each other even use it #connectivitysolutions
— Lynn Greiner (@lynngr) May 21, 2015
@mpancha @goubiq wireless sharing so that everyone in the room can share (not just the one with the cable) is great! #ConnectivitySolutions
— Ian Gallagher (@igallagh) May 21, 2015
.@Skype is popular internally, everyone is already using it & it offers IM, voice, video and screenshare easily. #connectivitysolutions
— Mat Pancha (@mpancha) May 21, 2015
Q2 What are your key business drivers for considering UC? #connectivitysolutions
A2 strategic focus – better #collaboration, #innovation, customer satisfaction & attract more talent #connectivitysolutions
— Rani Pendse (@ranipendse) May 21, 2015
We are taking cues from consumer tools to make enterprise IM mobile-centric and persistent across devices #ConnectivitySolutions
— Ian Gallagher (@igallagh) May 21, 2015
A2: Key driver is to simplify and reduce all the noise — all the different communication channels #ConnectivitySolutions
— Edwin Frondozo (@drgnmeme) May 21, 2015
@itbusinessca A2: Accessibility (Always stay connected with your teams, customes and partners #connectivitysolutions
— Obaid Shah (@obaidshah_) May 21, 2015
Q3 Has your company invested in UC? If not, what concerns are holding it back from making the move? #connectivitysolutions
A3 costs vs existing solution, interoperability with existing infrastructure/ solutions, quality of service #connectivitysolutions
— Rani Pendse (@ranipendse) May 21, 2015
A3: Transition and adaptability of new technology within the company #connectivitysolutions
— Obaid Shah (@obaidshah_) May 21, 2015
A3 – sort of, we have pieces of #connectivitysolutions but not a unified one. Goes back to my answers to Q1 and Q2, it has to be simple.
— Mat Pancha (@mpancha) May 21, 2015
Q4 What types of jobs would most benefit from switching to a UC solution? Why? #connectivitysolutions
A4 UC is great enabler of remote work which benefits nearly any role in an organization. You’re much more reachable. #ConnectivitySolutions
— Jeff Jedras (@JeffJedrasITW) May 21, 2015
The UC solution should be user friendly, scalable, not kill bandwidth. For customer interactions QoS becomes crucial #connectivitysolutions
— Matt Joice (@mattjoice) May 21, 2015
A4: All jobs will be affected because of the flexibility and streamline promise of UC #connectivitysolutions
— Edwin Frondozo (@drgnmeme) May 21, 2015
it’s not about jobs, it’s about working in teams and staying informed, up to date.#connectivitysolutions.
— Italia Corigliano (@ibcorigliano) May 21, 2015
A4: Any roles requiring frequent travel, training, interaction with customers, or agile interaction with team members #ConnectivitySolutions
— Ian Gallagher (@igallagh) May 21, 2015
#connectivitysolutions Q4 – knowledge workers especially. Those that need to be brought in for parts not necessarily ALL of the conversation
— Miles Davis (@MilesDee) May 21, 2015
Q5 Which features are most important when considering a platform for UC solutions? #connectivitysolutions
I think it is more about use case and business outcomes vs features today #connectivitysolutions
— tfleming (@tfleming) May 21, 2015
A5 Disaster recovery to make sure no call is missed and data can be accessed #productivity #continuity #connectivitysolutions
— Rani Pendse (@ranipendse) May 21, 2015
A5: Seemless movement from one device to another is critical to the UC experience mobile, tablet, laptop. #connectivitysolutions
— Jim Love (@CIOJimLove) May 21, 2015
Business outcomes over features. Digital strategy is imperative #connectivitysolutions
— Matt Joice (@mattjoice) May 21, 2015
Q6 What level of self-administration do you feel is necessary in a UC environment? What features do you want users to self-administer?
A6 Users need to reset passwords on any device, get #quick support/ responses with #simple tools #connectivitysolutions
— Rani Pendse (@ranipendse) May 21, 2015
A6. Users should have the ability to control the interruption level. Focus time to complete work is important. #connectivitysolutions
— Mat Pancha (@mpancha) May 21, 2015
@mpancha I dont think there is such a thing as Low bandwidth anymore… who remembers dial-up LOL #connectivitysolutions
— Edwin Frondozo (@drgnmeme) May 21, 2015
Services from companies like Google are very granular and provide and excellent user experience. #ConnectivitySolutions
— tfleming (@tfleming) May 21, 2015
A6 Managing you accessibility on all devices is critical for a UC solution #connectivitysolutions
— Steven Hong (@StevenatRogers) May 21, 2015
Q7 What types of security concerns should IT be aware of before considering any UC platform? #connectivitysolutions
A7 authentication/ encryption, eavesdropping, denial of service, vishing, AV/AS & support #connectivitysolutions
— Rani Pendse (@ranipendse) May 21, 2015
A7 When communications becomes data on your IP network, it’s as vulnerable to threats as the rest of your network #ConnectivitySolutions
— Jeff Jedras (@JeffJedrasITW) May 21, 2015
A7 – It is not only UC. Security is foundational to any digital strategy for both team and customer engagements. #connectivitysolutions
— tfleming (@tfleming) May 21, 2015
A7-Risks associated with IP based platforms (Authentication/Encryption etc.) and how to mitigate it. #connectivitysolutions
— Obaid Shah (@obaidshah_) May 21, 2015
Q8 How can we ensure minimal disruption to customers as they transition to UC? #connectivitysolutions
A8 Test test test before you go live. Begin with a limited rollout to your power users and make then your advocates. #ConnectivitySolutions
— Jeff Jedras (@JeffJedrasITW) May 21, 2015
A8 starts with planning, design, readiness assessment and smaller pilot group, then user #training #connectivitysolutions
— Rani Pendse (@ranipendse) May 21, 2015
A8 A good migration plan minimizes disruption associated with transition from legacy to UC. #connectivitysolutions
— Steven Hong (@StevenatRogers) May 21, 2015
A8 – User adoption is critical. If you don’t provide value users will not jump on. Big bang projects are a bad idea. #connectivitysolutions
— tfleming (@tfleming) May 21, 2015
Q9 How about user privacy concerns? How do employees retain their personal privacy in the face of presence technology? #connectivitysolutions
A9 Users can choose to appear away or offline to retain personal #privacy #connectivitysolutions
— Rani Pendse (@ranipendse) May 21, 2015
A9: Three words – Privacy By Design. Anne Cavoukian had the right approach. Design it in. Don’t paste it on. #connectivitysolutions
— Jim Love (@CIOJimLove) May 21, 2015
A9 – Most people are presence liars. The real issue is identity management and presence just the start. #connectivitysolutions
— tfleming (@tfleming) May 21, 2015
A9 – You have the choice to maintain privacy by using controls based on their preferences. (Away/Offline/Busy) #connectivitysolutions
— Obaid Shah (@obaidshah_) May 21, 2015
Q10 While UC is great for staying connected, how do you encourage your team to disconnect at the end of the day? #connectivitysolutions
A10 Have an unconnect policy that lays out when users can communicate after hours w/emphasis on emergency only #ConnectivitySolutions
— Jeff Jedras (@JeffJedrasITW) May 21, 2015
A10 Simply sign out of your UC platform when you need to disconnect.#connectivitysolutions
— Obaid Shah (@obaidshah_) May 21, 2015
A10-that’s a work/life balance question-requires positive, supportive culture – work will still be there tommorrow. #connectivitysolutions.
— Italia Corigliano (@ibcorigliano) May 21, 2015
A10 – fully understand that “if everything is urgent, then by definition nothing is urgent” #connectivitysolutions
— Mat Pancha (@mpancha) May 21, 2015
@itbusinessca A10. Needs to start w/ the boss respecting downtime. Culture trumps all. #ConnectivitySolutions
— Lynn Greiner (@lynngr) May 21, 2015
