Choosing the Right UC Provider

By Michelle Accardi-Petersen

With the unified communications (UC) market projected to grow to an upwards of $16.9 billion by 2018, it should come as no surprise that the number of vendors entering the UC game is skyrocketing. With so many vying for your business, finding the right provider that meets the unique needs of you and your end user can be a real challenge.

Communication technology is the lifeblood of your business, meaning you need a vendor that has the industry experience and know-how to take your customers business to the next level. But how do you choose the right UC vendor? Start by considering the following:

1. Commitment to Industry Standards and Innovation: You need a vendor that is not only committed to industry standards, but also dedicated to innovation. While industry standards ensure a level of compatibility and simplify the integration process, they often fall behind the curve. To remain on the cutting edge, you need a vendor that offers superior technology that supports emerging consumer platforms and is ahead of the curve.

2. First-Class Support and Reliability: Lets face it there are times when customers need a little help. You need a vendor that offers a reliable, high-quality system that automatically monitors itself and boasts a dedicated 24-hour customer support center to quell issues whenever they arise night or day.

3. Consistent User Experience: A robust UC solution offers a wide range of features including video conferencing, instant messaging, find me/follow me call forwarding and much more. However, with so many moving parts, inconsistency can often occur. You need a vendor that offers a full range of options that adapt to every environment and workload.

Michelle Accardi-Petersen is the chief marketing officer of

Star2Star Communications
, a provider of cloud-based unified communications. She previously spent 16 years at CA Technologies. The author of “Agile Marketing,” Acardi-Petersen was named to the Gulf Coast Business Review’s 40 Under 40 and has been recognized by the South Florida Business Journal as Woman Who Means Business for South Florida.