Make no mistake about it: The enterprise and SMB markets have big appetites for unified communications as a service (UCaaS). Research shows that adoption rates for cloud-based UCaaS solutions are increasing as the market is growing at a CAGR of 16 percent. By the end of 2016, at least 74 percent of organizations will use a minimum of one cloud-based UC application.
While adoption rates are definitely on the uptick, there is still a great deal of wallet-share to gain from customers who haven’t yet migrated from their legacy communications systems. Many business leaders are just now waking up to the cost savings, convenience and reliability that UCaaS affords, and are therefore still in the market for new, hosted solutions.
For this reason, competition is heating up among UCaaS providers, who are lining up with competitive offerings. Here are some ways that you—a partner, agent or VAR—can capitalize on the opportunity, and gain your rightful share of the remaining UCaaS market:
Focus on disaster recovery: The Atlantic hurricane season is right around the corner, and scientists expect that it will be an especially active one. In fact, it could be the most active season since 2012, with a recent forecast predicting at least 15 named storms. So make sure your sales pitches focus on the disaster recovery benefits of UCaaS solutions. Let your customers know that enterprises utilizing UCaas offerings can stay up and running even when critical on-premises infrastructure becomes damaged.
Plant the seed for 2017: Making the decision and then performing the switch to a UCaaS solution can be a lengthy process, so plan ahead for the start of the new year, when most businesses schedule downtime to roll out new services. Start the conversation with your customers about UCaaS now, so that when the time comes to make a critical communications decision, it won’t have to be made hastily.
Go at your customers’ pace: Another thing to keep in mind when selling UCaaS is that some businesses may want to migrate slowly to the cloud. Some may want to integrate apps one at a time—starting with mobility apps, for instance, and then working in voice, presence and conferencing solutions. Others may want to pursue a more aggressive adoption schedule. Play up your ability to be flexible so customers can migrate at their own pace.
Strike up a conversation about OT pay: On Dec. 1, the federal overtime threshold will increase to $47,476 per year. As a result, many employers are strategizing as they look for ways to absorb the higher costs of paying their workers. Now could be a great time to ask your customers how they plan to pay for overtime in the data center. Mention how outsourcing key communications services to a third-party hosted provider is a great way to reduce the burden on IT.