Why UC Implementations Fail

While most organizations are at least partially on the path to various forms of UC solutions, there are almost as many variations on the solutions as there are organizations. In fact, even the exact definition of "Unified Communications" will vary from organization to organization.

In this paper, Avaya offers a discussion of a number of reasons that UC implementations fail - or are sub-optimal to say the least. A lot boil down to setting reasonable expectations and offering the portions of UC that are most attractive to your organization.

For instance, being able to customize your approach is key. Just because there are a "gazillion" options doesn't mean that every option must be implemented. In fact, in some cases there may be so many options that users end up resisting using the capabilities due to the complexity.

Of course, in addition to pointing out the reasons for failure, the paper also offers suggestions as to how to avoid these pitfalls.

I would also add that there is lack of discovery on the interview as to the details of the customer requirements for the sale. I have reviewed many pre/post sales and the ability for any member of the team to state the customer requirements is often sputtered in sentence fragments. A good discovery will often lead to a more accurate sale and better customer experience. Know your customer needs.