We regularly tell prospective clients about the numerous advantages of having a trusted UCaaS partner at their side whenever evaluating new communications technologies. In most cases, the value we provide becomes clear as we work through our procurement process. But what happens when businesses choose to work with vendors directly? This is a cautionary tale of one such company in the agricultural sector.
We first started communicating with this business almost seven years ago as they sought to update their aging telecommunications platform. A casual relationship was established where conversations took place on and off for almost seven years, but the prospective client never saw the value in having a technology partner since they handled the majority of their IT needs in-house.
Earlier this year, this potential client decided to move to a Gartner Magic Quadrant UCaaS platform directly. They were offered a two-year agreement and the contract was closed in just a week’s time, with only the most basic of evaluations conducted for the client’s needs. The pricing given did not include installation or any compatible cloud hard-phones, and the client was told by the vendor that they’d be able to complete the installation themselves with the help of this UCaaS vendor’s support team.
However, the client quickly realized that there was a massive learning curve to complete the setup and programming for the UCaaS platform, and the support they were promised came from overseas call centers where language was a major barrier. Only three hours of training was provided from halfway around the globe, and this client quickly realized that he was in over his head. He reached out to Converged Technology Professionals for immediate guidance.
Although this technically was not our client when the contract was signed, Converged Technology Professionals intervened on his behalf and was able to solve the contractual obligations so they worked for both the UCaaS vendor and the client. We are now in the review process to perform a proper evaluation and ensure this client receives the ideal features and functionality for their everyday communication needs. The end result is a huge win for everyone involved.
What’s the lesson here? Buying direct from a UCaaS or CCaaS vendor is rarely the right answer. A cloud partner that understands these technologies and can guide you through the implementation or perform it on your behalf through professional services. That means no overseas language barriers and we also provide custom recorded training for your administration and staff members.
And if something does go wrong, we can always step in on your behalf to ensure the UCaaS vendor lives up to their promises.
Is your company is thinking about moving to a UCaaS or CCaaS platform in the next calendar year? If so, please reach out and let us guide you through the evaluation and review process, so you’ll know exactly what matters with guidance every step of the way.
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