Evaluations and Decisions Prior to signing any UCaaS purchase order, it’s advisable for enterprise decision-makers to host a proof-of-concept (PoC) evaluation in order to get a first-hand look at how well the proposed system works in their actual environment. Although some people view this exercise as an avoidable extension of the sales cycle, there is no substitute for hands-on experience with a proposed technology. “The proof of concept is Engage power users or tech-savvy users who really helpful in helping would be able to see not only the strengths and them decide which plat- weaknesses, but also will evangelize the deploy- form is best.” ment after the final decision is made. Gathering requirements and feedback from different “personas” across the organization is important to do prior to the PoC. Consult these users about improvements to the communications tools during the down selection process to avoid going to POC with a vendor that has shortcomings related to the company’s desired future state. IT can be unaware of the needs of certain departments or the shadow IT workarounds department heads and individual users have put in place to fill gaps in the current company provided tool set. “The proof of concept is really helpful in helping them decide which platform is best,” said Convergent Technologies’ Jaffe. “I recommend that they test two or three solutions with the help of key influenc- ers within the company to provide feedback.” 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, she added. The task force should clearly define parameters for success and look at how to weight those parameters in the cross-platform comparisons and evaluations. “These could include certain dialing capabilities, such as users having the opportunity to move from place-to-place,” said Savwoir. “I’ve seen some trials in which the criteria were not well defined, the users didn’t provide the feedback, and it turns into a very extended and less useful time for the customer.” Copyright © 2020 AVANT Communications, Inc. 25