Upcoming Webinar – Putting UC to Work for SMBs

On September 26, 2013 at 1 p.m. CST, 11:00 Pacific, I’ll be participating in a webinar entitled, Putting Unified Communications to Work for SMBs, sponsored by Fonality and hosted by TMC. Moderated by TMC’s Eric Linask, I’ll be presenting along with Jeff Valentine of Fonality, and Kevin Mlynarek, an Allstate agency owner.

During the webinar, we’ll discuss some of the opportunities and potential pitfalls of implementing a UC solution, and share important considerations for small and medium businesses (SMBs) when evaluating a UC solution. SMBs have unique needs and challenges, and need to find ways to do more with less and help their workers be more effective and productive. While UC solutions were initially out of reach for SMBs, there are now various unified communications solutions – including hosted services – that are ideal for SMBs.

During the 60-minute webinar, I’ll provide an overview of why it’s important for SMB’s to understand UC and the benefits it provides, as well as discuss the biggest opportunities and pitfalls companies face when moving to UC. Not to give too much away, here’s a preview of the Five Things to Consider before going down the UC path that I’ll discuss:

1. Focus on your business goals – it’s not about the technology, but about what you’re trying to achieve and accomplish.
2. Involve the right people, and recognize that people throughout the organization need to be brought into the process.
3. UC is more than simply getting a new phone system – it involves cultural change, especially when it comes to better collaboration.
4. End user training is essential.
5. Choose your solutions/services and vendor partners carefully. There are many, many options out there, and you need to look at your business goals and objectives in order to identify which solutions are the best match.

After I set the stage, Jeff Valentine, EVP Product and Corporate Development, Fonality, will discuss how Fonality is an advocate for small business, providing business-impacting solutions with UC and Contact Center solutions.

The highlight will be hearing the end-user perspective. Kevin Mlynarek will discuss the business challenges they were looking to fix and improve, how the implementation of a UC solution has impacted Kevin’s insurance business, and the business results so far.

I hope you’ll join us, and be sure to bring your questions, as there’ll be plenty of time for Q&A. You can register here.