Today we are going to talk about how UC can change the way you do business and help you address your business challenges.
Weâll start by talking about the challenges that businesses face today â Weâll focus on those challenges that small and medium businesses report as having the greatest impact on their business.
Then we will review how UC can address these challenges âand illustrate with some actual case studies.
From a business perspective, businesses must match technology and network solutions to critical business challenges âboth today and for the future - to remain competitive and thrive. In a recent study by Cisco â Small and Medium business were asked to rank the business priorities or goals for IT over the next 12 months. As you can seeâ the top priorities are focused on customers, lowering costs and improving workforce productivity.
Customers today are more demanding than ever. They face more choices in what and how they buy, and require a variety of different ways of communicating and getting information. Customers are used to shopping and interacting with businesses over the Internet, and they expect instant responses and rapid, personalized service.
Reducing costs and increasing efficiencies and productivity include doing less with more while continuing to improve the bottom line.
You may prioritize slightly differently or agree with the order depending on the focus of your business. Whatâs important to note is that Cisco has taken into account those areas where SMBs have stated they would like to improve performance and has solutions that can help businesses address these priorities.
From an employee and user perspective, we find that there are several breeds of workers in the workforce today and each has a preference for how to communicate - from the standard telephone call to the single number reach capability to the use of presence and instant messaging.
Todayâs empowered employees often use the communications method they prefer most, even bringing technology into the workplace on their own. In the meantime, while the organization may be evaluating new technology, a lack of integration can result when the two are not in synch. As a result, businesses find themselves struggling to keep pace.
Finally, the way we work today is changing â new regulations and policies as well as increased security needs affect us from a legal perspective. The need to compete with more and larger organizations requires a greater degree of customer intimacy. And employees expect empowerment in their jobs, including the tools and technology available to them. Finally, society is more and more concerned with âgreen initiativesâ, the workforce is increasingly mobile and social networks and web 2.0 technologies proactively make their way into the workplace via the workers vs the company making the choice for them.
As businesses operate across time zones, virtually 24/7, and access to continuous connectivity and real time information is required, technology can successfully bring the two together.
Other studies have categorized SMB Business Challenges and the way business decision makers describe them as shown here Later, youâll see how actual customers addressed them using Cisco unified communications.
Connectivity
Internal
Offices
Externally:
customers
remote access
suppliers: B-2-B
Security
Data
Applications
Access
Viruses
Accessibility
Work from anywhere
Customer Service
Personalized
Accessible
Organized
Device-independent
Productivity
Better use of employee time
Tools make it easier to work
Transparency between systems, processes, functions
Unified communications delivers solutions that run on the network which enable connectivity and collaboration and that can provide you a competitive advantage.
You may ask: What exactly is Unified Communications? The answer is â it depends on who you are asking. While we canât always define it, we know it when we see/use/experience it.
We also know that myths prevail around what UC, including it not being something that works well or is beneficial to SMBs.
For a better understanding of what UC is, letâs look at the Cisco and industry adopted definitions to start.
The Cisco approved definition is above but you can find many definitions for UC in many place.
Wikipedia says:
âUC potentially includes the integration of fixed and mobile voice, e-mail, instant messaging, desktop and advanced business applications, Internet Protocol (IP)-PBX, voice over IP (VoIP), presence, voice-mail, fax, audio video and web conferencing, unified messaging, unified voicemail, and whiteboarding into a single environment offering the user a more complete but simpler and more effective experience.â
Youâll see later that the promise of Cisco UC matches up closely with this definition.
Unified communications delivers solutions that run on the network which enable connectivity and collaboration and that can provide you a competitive advantage.
UC can be comprised of many components (here is where we notice the similarity to the Wikipedia definition of UC), but again, itâs about âunifyingâ or âintegratingâ your existing communications systems, tools and devices with the productivity applications you use every day to deliver a broad set of communications to any device, anywhere. As a result, each user can have the same basic experience, regardless of whether they are in a fixed location or mobile.
And so, UC, then, changes the old workspace â a phone and desktop computer into . . .
The Unified Workspace - one that facilitates collaboration every time, everywhere, and includes everyone. It extends unified communications across both fixed (desktop, desk phones, etc.) and mobile workspaces (mobile phones, teleworker locations, etc).
What prompts a customer to investigate or evaluation Unified Communications.
While it often begins with the phone system, it can be much. much more. Using VoIP, you leverage one network to do more then just transmit phone calls or send email. The IP network supports the phone, provides security, wireless, integration with applications. In essence, it is doing it all. The industry and many consumers world wide have chosen VoIP as the way to communicate, similar to the transition of the TV broadcast industry from standard video to HD. There are enough company benefits that it if you are purchasing a new phone system you should consider leveraging VoIP.
If you are going to a converged unified network, all elements in it should work and act as one. Cisco is the only solution provider that is able to deliver this. The system is automatically aware of what is happening on your network and everything works together.
Cisco is also the only solution provider to claim the #1 or #2 spots in every element on this slide. When you invest in Cisco you are getting the most reliable and proven technology available.
When you talk to other solution VARâs or manufacturers, they will provide piece parts or partner with 3rd parties, a Netgear switch, Mitel phone system, Netscreen FW, D-Link phonesâŠâŠ It is a Hodgepodge of products that were never designed to work as a single unified communication network.
We mentioned earlier that the move to UC often starts when a company is having issues with or are outgrowing their current phone system. Using the phone system and the phones in particular, as an example, you can see some of what UC offers.
When we talk about how you communicate, weâll highlight that the phone itself has features that are more accessible and intuitive for end-users to use. Basic features like conferencing multiple people on a call become painless but we also maximize the capabilities of UC, for example, by incorporating and providing basic call center capabilities so you can maximize sales and increase customer service. By providing the capabilities to view and use directories, to browse your voicemails, to access services like weather and stock quotes, to move from place to place and have the phone system recognize you wherever you are â and more.
To address the globalization of business and address the need to communicate 24/7, Cisco provides you with location independence. Our solution comes with the necessary elements to give you access from anywhere you want to work. As long as you have access to the internet you can securely connect to your office and get email, upload saved data, receive a phone call, video conference in an expert from a home office. TRUE location independence.
Letâs look at some real life scenarios that showcase the benefits customers have reaped by implementing Cisco Unified Communications.
Small businesses need to successfully compete against larger competitors but want to do so without continually hiring additional people. Keeping costs down and ensuring high productivity are priorities.
TBL Networks of Glen Allen, VA, was challenged to
compete against larger resellers
Provide excellent customer service and
Reduce costs
By implementing Cisco UC (CUCMBE, Unity Connection, MPE, CCX) the company was able to:
Offer a 1-hour service-level agreement that was better than itâs competitorsâ
Keep personnel costs down by making existing engineers more productive
Double revenues in 6 months w/o increasing staff headcount
Save $57K by operating w/o office space for nine months
Develop custom applications four times faster than usual
Seyfer Automotive, Inc. made its nine employees more productive with the Cisco Smart Business Communications System.
BUSINESS RESULTS
Freed up 30 minutes daily for the service manager, resulting in one or two additional daily repair jobs worth US$200 to $US400
Made it easier for customers to reach the right person, on the first try
Reduced number of network devices to maintain from four to one
This small supplier changed the way they work to provide a competitive advantage.
BUSINESS RESULTS
This tradeshow firm uses the Smart Business communications system to improve responsiveness and increase sales.
BUSINESS RESULTS included:
Faster response to customer messages
Increase in number of telemarketing calls by 500%
Reduced phone costs
Dr. Jayakar and Associates wanted to greatly improve productivity and provide excellent, personalized care for patients. After installing the Smart Business communications System, they achieved the following:
BUSINESS RESULTS
Automated appointment reminder calls reduce staff time by up to four hours per day.
Voice View Express improves message management and helps prioritize patient response.
Directory and one-touch dialing enables greater staff productivity.
Secure remote access to patient records provides enhanced patient care.
Integration with practice management software for expedited claims processing.
One of the most powerful productivity features for Dr. Jayakarâs office is the automated appointment reminder system. âThe staff used to spend four hours a day making appointment reminder calls. Now they spend 15 minutes a day uploading the information and the system places the calls,â said Dr. Jayakar
On-screen voice mail and separate mailboxes for patients, doctors, pharmacies, and insurance companies also increase productivity by reducing the time required for message management. Now insurance companies calling to authorize procedures can simply select the appropriate mailbox and leave a message. Doctors and staff can visually scan the messages for a specific authorization and add it the patientâs file. The same tool allows critical calls to be immediately forwarded to the doctor.
âWe used to check messages twice a day. It was a long process just to see if one procedure had been approved,â said Dr. Jayakar. âThe new phone system lets us retrieve messages very selectively and much more efficiently, because we can quickly access the message we need when we need it.â
Geek Terminal wanted to provide a facility with best in class technology to business travelers that wanted a comfortable place to meet and/or work utilizing a full suite of business center facilities and concierge services. A primary requirement was for secure access to data and scalability as Geek Terminal grew. Geek Terminal installed the Smart Business Communications system and achieved the following:
Improved network reliability and stability
New services for customers that would be accessed using the Cisco Unified IP Phones
Highly secure Internet access
Ability to provide user friendly, technologically up to date services to mobile users
The ability of SBCS to provide all of this sealed the deal for CEO, Christopher Lee
So, why choose Cisco over others?
When evaluating what to look for in a UC solution, you get it all with Cisco.
We have a huge worldwide base of knowledgeable and skilled partners to provide sales, installation and support. Cisco has millions of small business customers and a solid reputation as a market leader.
Cisco offers small businesses the largest breadth and depth to address unique small business challenges; we have the right products and solutions, sold and delivered how you want them and wherever you are.
Ciscoâs brand and years of experience in UC offer SMBs peace of mind.
Channel partners are available in every corner of the globe.
Finally, an array of financing is available to remove barriers to investing in the technology you need now.
And as embracing âGreenâ becomes more and more important in the world, know that Cisco is committed to it. Out Eco-Boardâs mission is to:
Impact how we operate as a company
Create efficiencies and innovations in our products
Provide solutions to our customers to address global environmental issues
Inspire our employees to get involved and to take action
In closing, a lot of useful information related to what UC is and how it is benefitting businesses today is available for your use in understanding and evaluating your options.
