You’ve heard it again and again: the right cloud communication solution has the potential to transform your business. That’s because UCaaS (Unified Communications as a Service) offers many advantages over traditional on-premise PBX options. Productivity enhancements, faster turn-up times, access to cloud collaboration tools, and reduced costs thanks to little to no on-prem hardware thus requiring no maintenance from internal staff. By bringing together all communications into one hub – voice calling, team instant messaging, collaboration applications, mobile UC, video, and audio conferencing – businesses can reduce complexity and support more productive employees. These advanced features, coupled with a company’s increased comfort level with cloud computing, are pushing the adoption of UCaaS to new levels, especially in the SMB space. Some research suggests that SMBs adoption will double by the end of 2021. (MarketsandMarkets). 

Not ‘if’ but ‘when.’

So for many companies looking at their plans for 2020, UCaaS isn’t a question of ‘if’ but ‘when’. But, with all the new and big-box UC providers out there, how do you choose the right one? How do you balance wants vs. needs and pick a provider that will be there long after implementation? Let’s explore the top 5 considerations for finding the right UCaaS partner.

1. What about phones and equipment? Has your company upgraded its IP phones in recent years, and you want to use existing equipment? Or, do you want the handset cost built into your monthly charge as a service cost? What about rental or lease options? These are all considerations companies should sift through as they evaluate options and providers. Crexendo, for example, is a partner that has options to meet just about every customer need. We have advanced IP desk phones, cordless phones, receptionist phones, conference phones, and headsets. Crexendo supports many industry-standard SIP phones and telecom devices and offers high-quality desktop phones that leverage industry-standard SIP protocols for an easy plug-and-play VoIP solution.
2. Features and functionality – While most providers deliver a set of standard features customers want, how each provider bundles those offerings can be different. Some of the most common features continue to be voice, web, and video conferencing, team chat, mobile UC, softphone apps, and customer portal for simplified administration and analytics. Find the right mix of features and functionality that will grow with your business. 
3. Collaboration features – Tools that make collaborating easier online are now a must-have for many organizations. That’s because even small companies are competing in a global market with teams and customers located around the world. Collaboration tools might include the ability to share desktop screens,  post feedback on documents, chat options, or secure file sharing. Crexendo takes online collaboration to the next level with these features plus many additional tools such as file and document storage, desktop and mobile screen sharing, and document sharing similar to DropBox. The Crexendo UCaaS solution also includes videoconferencing, annotation, conference recording, and e-signature options so users can get the most out of meetings. 
4. Do you need to enhance your contact center? Does your organization want to improve its call center? How many agents do you need to support? What about application integration, advanced routing features, or any specific reporting capabilities? Cloud contact center capabilities can reduce costs and help companies create a full-featured, omnichannel contact center. Crexendo offers a unified cloud contact center solution that supports CRM integration, multi-location agents, plus it’s always-on and available with zero maintenance. It also offers skills-based routing across and within queues.
5. Is business continuity a concern? Natural disasters, fires, floods, equipment, and software failures are, unfortunately, a real part of life. Organizations should ask potential cloud communication partners how they protect against these scenarios. Crexendo delivers data protection by backing up customer’s phone systems and storing data in secure and redundant data centers. In addition, the company’s web portal allows customers to quickly re-route calls to another location or to employee’s smartphones with the ability to make adjustments to extensions on the fly. 

Don’t forget about customer support

One of the biggest differentiators when selecting any cloud solution is the service and support provided. You may want help with implementation or configuring the new system. Also, consider the customization required. A partner’s customer support offerings can make all the difference in getting the highest ROI and being satisfied with the UCaaS platform. Fortunately, customer support is an area where Crexendo shines brightest. Not only do customers get a reliable cloud solution with seamless integrations, but the Crexendo team is there to help customers every step of the way. Crexendo delivers white-glove customer experience, a lifetime warranty that includes support and software enhancements. 

If you want more recommendations for selecting the right UCaaS provider, email us! Customers love Crexendo because we deliver a feature-rich and custom-designed cloud communication solution – and it’s engineered, designed, and supported in-house! Don’t wait! Start increasing productivity and efficiencies for employees and achieve cost savings up to 50%, compared to your current telecom spend!