Making the most of mobility

Gone are the days of the workforce being resigned to a physical office during regular office hours. Today’s always connected, instant access workplace has blurred the lines between the physical office and the place where work actually happens.

Flexible working is something the workforce is rapidly coming to expect as standard. According to recent research by Powwownow, three quarters of employees now favour flexible working in some form. In fact, it’s now a key consideration when looking for a new job, with 70% of people saying having the option of flexible working makes a job opportunity look more attractive. And as the way people work, interact and collaborate continues to undergo profound change, employees are expecting more choice in the way they communicate with colleagues, customers and suppliers.

It is now completely normal to see rows of people working in a coffee shop with their headphones plugged in and a steaming cup next to them. The same is true of hearing fellow train passengers discuss their next big presentation with colleagues on a video call or seeing airport lounges dotted with iPad users cramming in a few more minutes work before they need to switch to flight-safe mode.

This shift in recent years has made mobile one of the most crucial elements in an organisation’s communications infrastructure. But it’s not as simple as just giving everyone a mobile phone and getting on with it – the entire IT infrastructure of an organisation must be geared towards making mobility possible.

Remote working has been the biggest driver for SMEs to switch to next-gen telephony. With workers spending an increasing amount of time working outside of the office, the move to a mobile first strategy is both commercially and technologically advantageous.

Mobile is at the heart of the UC proposition as employees look for flexibility and productivity gains. Technology that supports productivity and both the new and existing customer experience will be critical in any decision to invest in new systems.

Historically UC solutions were more commonplace within larger enterprise. However, the demand from SMEs for UC is well and truly on the rise, with features such as presence, instant messaging, chat and video conferencing becoming the norm.

At last, UC solutions are becoming more accessible to and affordable for SMEs, and at the same time SMEs are finally getting to grips on what UC is and how it can can benefit their business. However, it’s still up to channel partners to educate customers on all of the possibilities so that they really understand the features and benefits available.

Business leaders are reconising the impact these sophisticated UC features have on their business’ productivity and performance.

The workforce is beginning to outgrow the more traditional telecoms solutions and resellers that haven’t already, must embrace technology to leverage this opportunity before they get left behind.

For channel resellers, this presents a huge opportunity to help customers revolutionise the way that they work, make them more attractive to employees, and ultimately help them become more efficient as businesses.

Offering next-generation solutions that empower businesses to support and encourage remote working is a must for channel partners who want to succeed.

Resellers who not only have the smart UC tools in their portfolio, but also take a consultative approach to help position customers with the right selection of solutions, that fit and work together seamlessly, are more likely to win high ARPU and high margin deals. Going out to market with a strong UC proposition, with a full, well thought-out service wrap, helps position you as a leader in your space and gives you a differentiator when up against other providers.

Selling UC is also where channel partners can make their biggest gains through upselling.

Understanding customer needs and being able to cater to them is the best way to increase the value of existing business. If you’re able to go in and offer a quick response to an immediate problem, you’ll set yourself apart from the competition.

The more you know about your customer and their challenges, the better you can service your customers because you’re talking to the customer about something they actually need. And don’t forget, customers prefer to have everything in one place and selling UC really lends itself to this. The fewer suppliers your customers have to deal with, the easier it is for them. And if you can deliver first-class support and customer service to back this up, it will help you harness longer term, ‘stickier’ relationships.