When you think about the most lucrative verticals for selling UCC solutions, the public sector doesn’t immediately jump to mind. That’s changing. As state and local governments, public works departments, public safety officials and others look to increase efficiencies, reduce costs and better serve the community, any technologies that can help are of interest.

Changes in the healthcare market over the past decade have created amazing opportunities for IT solution providers. With today’s strong focus on improving patient care and outcomes, IT investments aimed at lowering costs, making healthcare more accessible and increasing the effectiveness of treatment will get the attention of healthcare decision makers.

Google grabbed a lot of headlines last month at its I/O event when it showed how Google Duplex, an AI-based text-to-speech assistant, can book appointments on your behalf. Check out the following demonstration from the event.

Years before working remote was as prevalent as it is today, there were still jobs that required telecommuting. Some employees worked from home. Some could be in the field. Those early pioneers know that the technology of the time wasn’t accessible, affordable or efficient enough to overcome many of the challenges created by working remotely. Today, it’s a different story. UCC technologies have matured and are now accessible to any business. If you or your customers haven’t looked at UCC technologies lately, now is the time. Things have improved quite a bit between then and now.

As the UCC category continues to mature, the technology keeps evolving—with new options being introduced all the time. The industry commonly divides UCC platforms into two categories:  on-premises and cloud. At Ingram Micro, we look at it differently, preferring to distinguish between “collaboration-first” and “voice-first” platforms. 

Odds are, you’re reading this article on your mobile device. You’re at home or taking a break in the field before your next customer visit. It’s less likely that you’re in an office at your desk. Working remotely has been on the rise for some time now, and there doesn’t appear to be any signs of a reversal or slowing down—particularly when you consider that many millennials, currently the largest segment of the U.S. workforce, want the option to work remotely. A Deloitte survey showed that 75% of millennials said they want the flexibility to work remotely. Additionally, according to the latest survey results from Randstad US’ quarterly Workmonitor survey, 82% of U.S. workers said that the ability to work anywhere, anytime creates a healthy work-life balance.

Research and analyst groups have nothing but positive things to say about the growth of unified communications as a service (UCaaS). But you don’t need analysts to tell you UCaaS is hot. New vendors have hit the market with cloud-based solutions sold as a monthly subscription, while incumbent vendors are changing their solutions to address this shift. Most importantly, your customers are now asking for monthly payments rather than costly CapEx projects.

How much emphasis do you place on training your customers to use their UCC solutions? We’ve found that many solution providers have little interest in offering training and when they do, customers often object to the additional cost. Because most of your competitors don’t offer training, you have a great chance to differentiate yourself, while also ensuring your customers get the most out of their investment.

You spend a lot of energy and resources on sales and marketing. Convincing prospects to trust in your abilities takes time and effort. Building out a complete solution requires research, planning and a team with technical expertise. In short, a lot has to come together for you to have the chance to create a satisfied customer. Unfortunately, one small mistake can overshadow all your hard work.