The Fear:
Over the course of 7 years I’ve seen many companies still misunderstand the capabilities of Microsoft’s Enterprise voice solution purely because of the misinterpretation of exactly what Skype for business (formerly Lync) can do.
Spending capital funding:
Because of this we’ve seen companies spend hundreds of thousands of British pounds into a single voice solution for 50 users. Then inevitably look at collaboration solutions (Skype for Business) to fill the gap of the previous investment.
What organisations don’t realise is they’re actually implementing two Enterprise voice phone systems; and therefore having the overhead of maintaining both!
This misinterpretation comes back to knowing not only the capabilities of Skype for business but also the integration into other add-ons such as call recording, enhanced call routing, skills based routing, dashboards and many other contact centre features that are fully fledged, enriched and established. Rolling out contact centre solutions, even for traditional phones systems, will still require licences, servicing and maintenance regardless of vendor.
- See our apps. http://apps.skypeforbusiness.com/
- Portal to find partners: http://partnersolutions.skypeforbusiness.com/
Use existing investments. Be more flexible. Think of your users:
The Skype for business client can do many things from a single interface, however your organisation may still want desk phones or fax machines that they are still using. This can all be achieved.
Remember you don’t have to utilise and implement every function and feature in one go, but instead consider the adoption and training of your end users. We are here to help.
If you’re considering to replace or upgrade your existing telephony system, remember to not only consider your existing requirements but look more broadly into your business strategy. If for example you’ve already invested in Office 365 then doesn’t make sense to integrate what you already have?
Case Studies:
Have a look at just some of the case studies and comment below for any questions.
Healthcare
- Brighton & Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust (Stroke tele-medicine) http://enterprise.microsoft.com/en-gb/roles/it-leader/brighton-nhs-treats-stroke-patients-with-skype-for-business/
https://www.networks.nhs.uk/nhs-networks/innovation-south-central/documents/Improvement%20Story%20Telemedicine%20In%20Practice%20Surrey.pdf - Rotherham Doncaster and South Humberside foundation trust http://www.microsoft.com/danmark/cases/Microsoft-Lync-Server-2010/Rotherham-Doncaster-and-South-Humber-NHS-Foundation-Trust/NHS-Trust-Pilots-First-Online-Mental-Health-Therapy-Service-with-Unified-Communications/710000000884
- Belfast Hospital – FULL PBX replacement http://www.polycom.co.uk/global/en/customer-stories/belfast-hsc.html
International
- Hospital uses Lync to bring new-borns and mums together – Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ac_Xb6aM6ls
Local Government
- Camden Borough Council http://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/enterprise/it-trends/social-enterprise/articles/camden-council-gets-flexible-with-skype-for-business.aspx#fbid=FAdzjama3zX
- Argyle and Bute – http://www.microsoft.com/casestudies/Microsoft-Lync-Server-2010/Argyll-Bute-Council/Council-Meets-Budgetary-Challenges-Head-on-Through-Flexible-Working-Programme/710000000355
- South Ayrshire – http://www.exactive.co.uk/unified-communications/success-story/organisations/south-ayrshire-council
- Leicester City Council – http://www.risual.com/Case%20Studies/Leicester%20City%20Council%20April%202013.pdf
- Rochdale Met Council – Freedom Communications http://www.freedomcomms.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Rochdale-Metropolitan-Borough-Council-2014.pdf
Police and Fire and Rescue
- North Wales Police – https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/ukgovernment/2012/09/03/north-wales-police-deploy-lync-to-save-lives/
- Nottingham Fire and rescue – Risual – http://www.risual.com/Pages/FinalCaseStudies/CaseStudy.aspx?cstitle=Nottinghamshire+Fire+and+Rescue+-+Skype+for+Business+Enterprise+Voice
Others
Want to know more about Skype for Business: