Description

This study is based on the findings of an online survey conducted in Q4 2018. The survey panel was comprised of U.S.-based companies’ IT and/or telecom decision makers and influencers.

The purpose of the survey was to gain a perspective from IT and telecom stakeholders on the adoption and effectiveness of UCaaS solutions, as well as the provider success factors in the U.S. UCaaS market. More specifically, the survey aimed to identify the following:
• What factors drive and restrain UCaaS adoption
• How extensive the UCaaS deployment within the organization is today and how it will change within the next two years
• Which UCaaS features decision makers find most valuable for their business or organization
• How successful the UCaaS deployment has been and what actual benefits it has delivered to the organization
• What prices businesses are paying for their UCaaS solutions and whether they consider them fair
• How businesses prefer to purchase their UCaaS solutions (e.g., bundles vs a-la-carte features/services)
• Which UCaaS providers decision makers are familiar with, which ones they are using and which ones they perceive as best in class
• Whether they plan to switch UCaaS providers, what are the primary factors to switch, and which providers they plan to switch to

The findings of the study can help existing UCaaS providers and future entrants into the burgeoning UCaaS market better understand customer requirements and develop sustainable growth strategies. The survey data demonstrate that UCaaS buyers are highly savvy and with high expectations of their UCaaS providers and services. They negotiate prices and are constantly looking to switch providers for lower prices, better service or specific features.

The market remains untapped with significant growth potential. Existing growth opportunities will continue to attract new market participants, which will create more competition and compel all providers to innovate faster and maintain affordable prices. Providers must continue to invest in customer education to ensure businesses are aware of their various options in a crowded and highly competitive market.

UCaaS providers must also strive to raise their brand recognition, improve service functionality, quality and reliability, diversify their overall solutions portfolio, and maintain competitive prices. They must remain acutely aware of the threat coming from Microsoft, Google and Amazon as well as preempt any customer desertion by offering creative packaging and pricing and paying close attention to specific customer needs. Besides overall brand strength, other factors may affect vendor reputation including service quality and reliability, and customer service and support. Vendor financial stability (e.g., revenue growth, profitability) and organizational activity (e.g., M&A, bankruptcy) could also affect vendor reputation.

Author: Elka Popova