Optimizing internal communications is a major challenge for organizations that want to increase their efficiency. To meet these basic needs, companies of all sizes are adopting unified communications solutions in large numbers. The deployment of a unified communication solution such as Skype For Business (ex Lync) in a company facilitates the sharing of information by the teams thanks to the optimal routing of all communications. This type of solution is primarily aimed at improving internal collaboration and accelerating decision-making processes. Ultimately, these solutions increase the productivity of the entire organization.
However, without proper training, users do not fully benefit from the multiple advantages built into Skype for Business type tools. In the age of the cloud, few employees are nostalgic for offices cluttered with handsets and static landlines.
For several months, Lucernys supported the deployment of Skype for Business at a service company with 9,000 employees in 220 locations. Feedback from Salma Berrada, project manager, on the integration of the solution on a very large scale.
A complete interface.
A unified communications solution enhances collaboration capabilities. It provides a common interface to all communication tools used daily by employees. Under a rather playful aspect, the interface offers telephony, instant messaging, document sharing, video conferencing, mobility with remote control, group chat, etc…
Virtuous benefits for the company.
A telephone number assigned to each employee now accompanies him or her on all trips. The mobile application
Skype For Business offers the same features as on PC. By facilitating mobility, unified communications solutions increase the flexibility of organizations.
The abandonment of the old telephone infrastructure in favor of Skype for Business, generates significant savings.
The expected savings from a substitution of a PSTN service to a Trunk SIP service is about 40%.
In the case of the integration of Skype for business on a large scale, the deployment of a TEM (Telecom Expense Management) solution allows to control the uses, the related consumptions and the billing. A TEM tool guarantees access to detailed measurement of savings, with monitoring of actual consumption and a global view of contracts for each operator. Dashboards make it easy to understand the evolution of telecom expense levels.
Upstream of the implementation.
The definition of the prerequisites during the preparation phase guarantees the right sizing of the infrastructure for the expected call volumes at each site.
The test phase on a pilot site is fundamental to demonstrate the feasibility of the deployment and to reassure all sites. The choice of pilot sites must be carefully made by the steering committee, taking into account the number of users and the diversity of the professions.
As with the deployment of the other sites, the pilot site testing phase requires the same level and type of preparation. The installation of the solution in the production environment involves loading the data history, configuring access for each user, setting up operational assistance, training users and supporting them over time.
The introduction of a unified communication solution such as Skype for business in an organization strongly modifies the working habits of the teams.
At first, this upheaval may be perceived negatively by employees.
This is why change management support is necessary before and during the deployment phase. A presentation to each site of all the functionalities offered, and a detailed demonstration of the use of the interface, greatly increases the level of understanding and satisfaction of the users. Some levels of management – the secretary’s office, for example – require a specific version of Skype for business that is much richer and more adapted to their needs. It also requires an adequate level of training.
For companies with multiple sites that we work with, we find that it takes a full quarter of use for teams to fully adopt the new communication habits.
Unquestionably, the magnitude of the change implies an incompressible learning and adoption time.
When fully used by its users, a communication solution such as Skype for business offers many advantages to facilitate and enhance teamwork.
