Unify Your Team’s Communications in the Cloud
As a business leader, you want your team to be fast, nimble and able to communicate efficiently with teammates and customers. The cloud has revolutionized business communications by connecting once separate systems under a unified platform that supports team messaging, voice calling and video calling. By unifying your communications in the cloud your team will be able to have those important "on the fly” connections with others that they once replied upon office time to achieve. The power of unified communications will make your teams more productive, more nimble and more engaged.
Here’s How We Help
The cloud communications arena is a busy one. There are well more than 100 leading providers in the space. Each provider offers unique benefits, features, and risks that you will likely want to consider. We help you assess, plan, deploy and socialize new platforms into your business by being and extension of your team. Our senior business consultants will take your through our defined “FutureWork” Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) Migration process. We help you remain focused on your work at hand, while facilitating a thoughtful assessment process that will arm you with the tools you need to do your job well.
Our Proven FutureWork Process
Our practice is built around our proven “FutureWork” process. Our unique process helps our clients define, plan, execute, and coach their teams through successful distributed work transitions, including technology migrations such as UCaaS. Our process is well defined and can be tailored to meet your organization’s specific needs. The framework will help you plan your team and customer input, and ensure the outcome is aligned with your function, budget, and schedule objectives.
Pre-Engagement
No Charge Initial Consultation
Before any work begins, we like to meet with you in an online consultation to understand your needs and wants at a high level. This will help us understand your business together and identify how we can add value. We will then prepare a consulting fee proposal outlining how we will approach your migration project and what our fees will be. Our fees are typically spread across the live of the migration project.
Phase 1 - UCaaS Migration Stakeholder Engagement
Once we’ve joined your team, we will commence with our first and most important step - our Stakeholder Engagement meeting. In the initial stakeholder engagement we will take your team through a guided conversation that will explore what you’re looking to achieve, critical integrations, understand the structure of your team and identify opportunities for improvement and growth. In larger projects, this may include multiple stakeholder sessions.
Key Deliverable #1: Stakeholder Engagement Summary Report
Upon completion of these sessions we will prepare a Stakeholder Engagement Summary Document for your review and endorsement. This ensures alignment around function.
Phase 2: UCaaS Concept Development
After conducting the Stakeholder Engagement sessions and confirming the functional needs and wants of your business, our consulting team will go away and begin preparing a concept for UCaaS migration. The concept will typically include an alignment of your needs with several prospective vendors in the market, a highlight of key functionality priorities, a preliminary migration project schedule and early stage costing and budget parameters. We will then print this initial concept to the Stakeholder’s Group for discussion and feedback to inform our path forward.
Key Deliverable #2: UCaaS Concept Document
Upon completion of these sessions we will prepare a Stakeholder Engagement Summary Document for your review and endorsement. This ensures alignment around function.
Phase 3: UCaaS Vendor Exploration
After streamlining the conceptual requirements, your consultant will integrate feedback gathered from your stakeholder group and prepare a summary functionality document to begin the exploration of solutions from various vendors.
This process normally includes:
1. Development of a detailed needs summary that will be shared with interested vendors
2. Invitation for vendors to present their initial concepts to our consultants for the purposes of verification and shortlisting
3. Invitation for shortlisted vendors to present their solutions to the client stakeholder team
4. Our consultant will lead your stakeholder teams through a guided discussion with the aim to rank and shortlist prospective vendors
Key Deliverable #3: UCaaS Vendor Selection Table
Our Vendor Selection table provide a simple framework to capture which of the vendors your team prefers, and why. This will be an important written record of your choice and provide clear justification for all of your stakeholders.
Phase 4: UCaaS Vendor Negotiation
Once your stakeholder group has reviewed the information presented by various vendors, our consultant will ask your stakeholder group to provide guidance on your preferred vendor and rank between 1-3 vendors for final negotiations. Based upon your guidance, our consultant will work with one or more of the desired vendors to explore and negotiate pricing and terms. Because our consultants are expereinced on many projects, we bring a broader perspective to each negotiation and an ability to help you recognize opportunities for enhanced value. Ultimately all decision will remain yours, our role to facilitate the flow of information.
Key Deliverable #4: UCaaS Pricing/Value Matrix
Upon completion of the facilitated negotiation with the shortlisted vendors, we will summarize the final offers in a Pricing/Value matrix that allows your stakeholder group to compare various points of value and price in a simple format. At this point, you're are armed with the information you require to make a final purchasing decision. You will contract directly with the CCaaS vendors/service provider.
Phase 5: UCaaSds Implementation and Facilitation
Once you’ve made your selection for the vendor of your choice, your Forte consultant will lead the support and oversight to the implementation to ensure your best interests are respected. We continue to act as your owner’s representative on the process to allow your teams to focus on the work at hand. We will report back and facilitate discussions with your project stakeholder group at regular intervals.
Key Deliverable #5: UCaaS Migration Implementation Plan
Your Forte consultant will work with the selected vendor to develop a detailed implementation plan with clearly defined milestones, thresholds, key deliverables, and workflows to ensure that your project is implemented with optimal efficiency and schedule risk.