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When it comes to adopting new cloud communications technology, it's not a stretch to think that the entire migration process, including deciding which platform to choose, falls on the shoulders of your IT department.
Are you surprised to hear that's actually not (or shouldn't be) the case? Sure, IT is integral to your company's technology-related actions, but cloud solutions take a village, as they say.
For one, there are stakeholders throughout your business whose input is invaluable for a successful outcome. Not to mention the importance of a trusted advisor/communications partner that can ensure you get the best platform for your needs, has a solid relationship with the vendors in the industry, and is there with you along the way, from planning through training, implementation, and ongoing support.
So, who is responsible for your cloud communication migration? Here are six basic steps to implementing a new solution and some of the key departments and collaborators (besides IT) that may be involved in each:
Step 1: Cloud Communication Discovery
If you want to know what a customer service center requires in a new cloud communications platform, just ask your contact center managers! Who better understands the end-users' needs than those using your current system?
They hold a plethora of information—after all, they hear about the good, bad, and ugly daily from their customer service reps—available for the asking. Likewise, department heads outside of the contact center can also provide a trove of insight.
With a starting point in mind, your communications partner should be able to delve into the important features and functionality based on that feedback and your business objectives, making recommendations for vendors that fit the bill.
Step 2: Cloud Communications Demos and Decisions
Once the field has been narrowed down to specific vendors, your communications advisor can set up customized demonstrations that focus on the features and functionality that are important to you.
Your leadership team may or may not attend the demonstrations, but key department heads could.
Regardless, your communications partner should provide an executive summary breaking down each of the options you've seen, plus pricing, timelines, deliverables, and deadlines. That document allows IT and other stakeholders to assist leadership in deciding which platform to adopt.
Step 3: Your Path to Cloud Communication Migration
Once you choose a new cloud communications solution, it's time to put a migration plan into action, which takes a lot of information gathering. Department heads, your current provider, and IT will all be necessary here.
Your communications partner may have a Technical Account Management (TAM) team to help gather the above records and create a timeline for your migration path. Our TAM team does just that, checking in with you at specified intervals to keep you on track and help smooth out any rough patches.
Step 4: Cloud Platform Pre-Testing
We recommend testing your new platform before your go-live date so your actual roll-out will be as disruption-free as possible. IT will play a large part here, working with your communication partner's engineering team to predict scenarios and outcomes regarding your new solution.
It's a good opportunity to see what may go wrong and change course, if need be, before your migration date so that you're as ready as you can be when that day arrives.
Step 5: Cloud System Training and Migration
We've written a lot about employees needing the proper tools to do their jobs to the best of their abilities and how that affects morale, engagement, and churn rate. Which in turn affects your customer's experience.
Modern technology can solve the above issues, but that doesn't mean it's an immediate resolution. Proper training of staff is necessary to ensure quick adoption rates and satisfaction with the platform. Your Human Resources department can identify training opportunities and work with your communications partner (our TAM team provides customized in-person and virtual training, for instance) to schedule the most effective education program, ultimately protecting your ROI.
Additionally, our TAM team and engineers are one of the few partners certified to perform a migration (or oversee it) on your behalf, making your move quicker, easier, and more cost-effective than going directly through the vendor.
Step 6: Ongoing Cloud Platform Support
One of the best things about cloud platforms is that the upkeep you deal with from a legacy PBX system is not an issue: no hardware to house or maintain, no security or feature updates. Your vendor takes care of that for you.
Additionally, your IT staff may act as an administrator of the system. Or, designated management may take that over as well since most functions—assigning phone numbers and adding or deleting users—can be performed with a click of a button from the dashboard of your platform app.
However, there could still be the need for ongoing cloud platform support. This is where your communications partner comes in again. They should offer a full scope of professional services if you need them for things like new feature additions, call flow and configuration changes, and additional training.
You'll also want to solicit end-user feedback to drive adjustments and get the most out of your new tools.
As you can see, it takes IT and many others on your team to make a cloud migration successful. Contact us if you have questions about how to get started with your move, we'd love to help.
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