Industry analyst Blair Pleasant had more ideas: “Make sure that the chosen UCaaS system really works and integrates with the applications and workflows that your company has in use. That needs to be a big part of the proof of concept. I would also make sure that the features and capabilities that your workers use, and need are part of that solution. Many times, the IT department will roll out something that might be missing things that the end users need. So, it’s important to get different types of end users from different departments involved in the POC. Then I would also examine how it works for remote workers. Things might be fine in the office, but not necessarily fine when people are mobile. People need to understand what’s in it for them, and how it’s going to help them do their jobs better or enhance their work-life balance. So, doing some internal marketing and change management is important to helping people understand the value.” Once the final decision is made, your Trusted Advisor steps to the forefront with the integrations and other technical considerations necessary to go live. But the customer’s job is not quite over yet. The next step is to focus on user adoption. This includes not only training, but also on articulating the ben- efits the new installation will bring to the team. It’s recommended that this effort be more than just a single meeting. Assistance should remain available over time. “We have to make sure we continue to stress the availability of training, the importance and necessity of training, because when you are integrating such cool technology into your business, you want to make sure that your people know how to take full advantage of that,” said McGarry. As the search begins to narrow to a few preferred options, it is advisable to request customer referenc- es and also speak with the supplier implementation project manager to get a better understanding of each party’s responsibility during an implementation. 26 Copyright © 2020 AVANT Communications, Inc.