Evaluations and Decisions Enterprises have become more comfortable with the process of selecting unified communications systems, perhaps in part because the market appears to be relatively mature. Yet, while UC and its UCaaS offspring are known product categories, developments in the market, along with continuing changes in workforce management and end-user needs, mean enterprises should still consider bringing in Trusted Advisors to guide them through the process. Before signing any UCaaS purchase order, enterprise decision-makers should host a proof-of-concept (PoC) evaluation to understand how well the proposed system will work in their environment. The advent of cloud-based UCaaS means that testing a system is much easier than when hardware had to be installed on-premises; still, the PoC provides hands-on experience that can help in rolling out the system to the entire enterprise. So, what steps should decision makers take to prepare for, execute, and analyze their evaluation? Before the PoC Gather requirements and feedback from different employees (especially those outside of the IT department) across the organization prior to the PoC. Consult users about desired improvements during the down pre-selection process to avoid going to PoC with a vendor that doesn’t have the capabilities that are needed. There can often be “shadow IT” processes or technologies in place that the IT department is unaware of; having a diverse set of users included in the process will help decision makers understand gaps in the current tools. Companies should create PoC scorecards to better track attitudes around collaboration functionality, features, ease-of-use, ease-of-management, and the effectiveness of any mobile applications. The task force should clearly define parameters for success and look at how to weigh those parameters in cross- platform comparisons and evaluations. Also, if the organization runs multiple PoCs, try to have the same people, length of time, and success criteria across all vendors. This allows for an "apples to apples" evaluation. PoC Engage power users or tech-savvy users who would be able to see not only the strengths and weaknesses but will also evangelize the deployment after the final decision is made. Make sure that the chosen UCaaS system works and integrates with the applications and workflows that your company has in use. Examine how it works for remote workers. Things might be fine in the office, but functionality could decrease when people are mobile. A cloud system’s architecture might have network bottlenecks that make the service hard to use on mobile devices, for example. As the search begins to narrow to a few preferred options, benchmark the test experience by requesting customer references. Make sure the references are companies of similar size, geographic reach, or market vertical. Speaking with a project’s implementation project manager can reveal challenges that a PoC didn’t uncover; a discovery call can also lay the groundwork for a statement of work and help establish familiarity with the implementation process. Copyright © 2025 AVANT Communications, Inc. 13