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Ian Rowan for Comms Business

Companies that herald applications that are suitable for any company size, from a few all the way up to thousands of users clearly think the old enterprise order is bust. Nowhere does this scenario seem more true than in the Unified Communications market where UCaaS versions seem to fit the 5 to 5000 user market with apparent ease. In this interview Ian Rowan, Senior Channel Manager for Wildix UK, explains why.

 

CBM: Are there really 5 to 5000 user applications out there successfully competing across the SME, Mid-Market and Enterprise sectors?

Ian Rowan (IR): The Wildix Platform is most certainly competing in this space and why shouldn’t it, the the UCaaS model is much easier and cost- effective for SME to obtain the features and capabilities that were not only out of the SME budget but also above the skill sets they had within their IT departments. One other thing I would add is I no longer think that the top to bottom trickle- down of functionality strictly applies to many UC functions but instead ramp up, people are using tools like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger for group chats and calling and expect these same functions in the workplace.

CBM: And are they cost effective across these user spreads?

IR: Yes, these solutions are just as cost effective for SME’s as there are Enterprises but by just what level depends on the measures of ROI that the company has in place, this is where the Enterprise has the advantage over SME as they typically have the tools in place to greater analyse the performance of their employees and the increases in productivity. This is really where the reseller has to play their role by helping the SME identify the ROI achieved through the implementation of a UCaaS solution. All this said, even without this extended analytical information on employee behaviour, many UCaaS solutions offering enterprise-level functionality are priced similar to solutions that only do a traditional voice solution.

CBM: What should resellers be looking for from these apparent one size fits all products in terms of vendor support?

IR: This is a very complex subject as a whole. There are many topics to cover and factors that the reseller should consider with any partnership, however for comparison of SME to Enterprise level with UCaaS alone I would say the two most important things to look for are a vendor that does not sell direct because as a growing business selling UC to an ever-increasing customer base, the last thing you want it is the vendor competing against you for the same business or even selling your customer base to someone else! The last thing to look for is a solution that scales and does not have a “one price fits all model” with bolt-ons. This kind of solution does not scale and although you may win in the sub 50 user market, it will be impossible to be competitive above this level.

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Ian Rowan
Senior Channel Manager for Wildix UK
Ian Rowan for Comms Business, May 2020

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