Blog archives
Top ways unified communications in the cloud affects you
Rapid developments in cloud-based unified communications means there is no time to lose when it comes to planning the strategic and tactical reorganization of your IT team. IT organizations are rapidly evolving as they move from supporting on-premises applications hosted in corporate data centers, to unified communications in the cloud. Nemertes Research Group Inc.'s "Unified [...]
Are You Obsessed With Digital Customer Experience? Here’s Why You Should Be
The focus on customers is more intense than ever—and for good reason. External customers (consumers of products, patients, students, investors, etc.) can wield more influence than any advertising campaign or marketing program, thanks to social media, mobile messaging, and Web-based ratings. Happy customers can make a company as much as disgruntled ones can break it. [...]
When Humans Fail, AI Can Rescue Customer Experience
I have talked to many friends and colleagues who complain about people who don’t return calls, emails, and texts—either at all, or when they say they will. These are typically business-to-business or business-to-consumer interactions (vs. personal calls), where the supplier tells a customer: “Let me check on that, and I’ll (call/text/email) you back (in 10 [...]
You’re Winning Customers; Now Keep Them Engaged
Companies invest heavily in sales and marketing to grow their customer bases. What they do next to nurture those relationships—especially digital-only customers—leaves much to be desired. The good news is that’s changing as companies hire Chief Customer Officers who are increasing focus on Customer Engagement Management (CEM). This technology category contains apps and services that [...]
It’s Time to Take Another Look at E-911
The advancement of Next-Generation 911 requires IT leaders to revisit their E-911 plans. Last week, Avaya held Engage, its annual customer, partner, analyst, and consultant event. As my fellow No Jitter writer Zeus Kerravala noted, the event largely centered on Avaya’s advancements around its cloud strategy. However, another announcement coming out of the event may [...]
Five Tips For Picking the Right UCaaS
Unified Communications-as-a-Service (UCaaS) offers small businesses the opportunity to purchase an integrated set of communications and collaboration functions, all from a single provider, on a per-user subscription basis. Via the cloud delivery model, UCaaS eliminates capital costs associated with equipment purchase, as well as PSTN access contracts. As a result, more than 14% of organizations [...]
Think Big: Collaboration for Small Business
While small businesses have unique business needs, when it comes to collaboration tools, they share a great deal in common with larger enterprises, including: Support for Digital Transformation: Small businesses often operate in dynamic, highly competitive markets, meaning that they must quickly embrace emerging technologies to gain competitive advantage, or to avoid being disrupted. Mobility: Small businesses [...]
No Time Like the Present for Network Automation
The time has come for IT to once again dive into the world of homegrown automation for running their networks. Network teams have a love/hate relationship with automation, and have had for decades. Time after time, they have tentatively extended the reach of automation, working with everything from PERL scripts, CLIs, and screen scrapes to [...]
Why You Need a Video Content Management System to Ensure Governance Success
In my previous blog I discussed the five components of a successful video governance strategy: Assessment, Access, Encryption, Approval, and Retention. I discussed best practices for addressing each of these areas, but didn’t address the “how.” How you enforce security, governance, and retention policies requires a critical piece of infrastructure: A video content management system, or VCMS [...]
The Five Keys to Video Content Governance
Organizations are increasingly using video to communicate and collaborate. Whether it’s streaming of live broadcasts like executive town halls, training, or other content, or recording of meetings for later playback, IT leaders are diligently working to meet rising demand for video streaming. But in doing so, they must also support regulatory, legal, and policy requirements [...]