What to look for in a UCaaS provider: Questions to ask and more

Many businesses are turning to Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) to improve the way their employees and customers connect. UCaaS is an excellent tool for enhancing productivity, collaboration, and employee visibility and addresses many common pain points businesses experience.

These services offer plenty of features that help organizations unify the communications experience, like dedicated VoIP technologies, file transfers, or better visibility for employee availability.

But finding the right UCaaS provider is no easy task. With so many options are on the market, and countless features to choose from, what exactly should you search for, and what questions should you ask?

Question #1: Is their UCaaS platform known for reliability?

A UCaaS platform is more than just a basic messaging service. It facilitates essential communications for your business... provided you choose the right partner — one that delivers on all its promises.

To avoid unnecessary downtime, your provider should have a solid offering optimized for performance and security.

A proven provider should also have a long history in the communications industry which extends beyond UCaaS. This helps ensure the platform functions efficiently and that the company is making the necessary improvements to keep up with the needs of its customers, the industry as a whole, and evolving communications requirements.

Question #2: Does it offer an advanced toolset?

Basic features like VoIP and presence are important, but those are only two examples of the many things your company will use daily. A reliable UCaaS platform should have a varied feature set your company can customize to create the exact platform it needs.

For instance, the service provider might offer several packages with different tiers of features, or it may allow its clients to pick and choose through an “à-la-carte” model.

Another option is the white-label or private-label approach, where you can customize a platform with your own company branding to cement your brand awareness and identity. These solutions are great for boosting business credibility as they make you appear in control of your own communications.

Question #3: How good is the user experience?

70% of enterprise CEOs agree usability should be the number one consideration. Your company can’t afford to provide a service that doesn’t meet customer or employee expectations.

The right UCaaS provider will understand the importance of the user experience and ensure features seamlessly integrate with each other. For example, this means users can connect over VoIP to discuss the details of a project, quickly share files, and check the status of another employee.

The idea is to streamline communications by providing access to a platform which houses them all in one location. Simple and convenient!

In short, look for a UCaaS provider who designs its products to empower your business and helps you make communication and collaboration smoother, without constant app switching.

Question #4: Can the UCaaS platform be integrated?

Although a UCaaS solution may combine several services you’re already using, not all companies do so. Be ready to select third-party solutions to work with your UCaaS platform. Because UCaaS platforms should be designed with collaboration in mind, the right provider will allow your company to integrate existing third-party apps into your workflows.

The goal is to empower your employees and users, not inhibit them.

Well-established UCaaS services will also have a large resource hub to help you overcome potential integration issues. Smaller providers, however, may lack this critical asset.

Question #5: What level of security does it offer?

With digital fraud on the rise, keeping communications secure and in the right hands is more vital than ever before.

A proven UCaaS provider will have up-to-date security and encryption systems in place, protecting your data against today’s biggest threats and avoiding you costly fines and violations.

Sinch uses high-end encryption like SIP over TLS to solve authentication, confidentiality, and integrity problems. We also use SRTP to ensure confidentiality, integrity, replay protection, and message authentication.

Security should always be a top priority — ask any UCaaS provider you’re considering what kind of encryption they offer.

Question #6: Does it have front-end and back-end solutions?

You have to consider both the front-end and back-end when deploying a UCaaS platform. All complex communications require a reliable back-end system to function while the front-end plays a key role in making the experience visually appealing.

Most UCaaS solution providers on the market only offer one of these facets and rely on other third parties to complete the loop. Sinch delivers on both of these needs.

With our back-end capabilities and incorporated cloud softphone solution, you can implement a complete UCaaS solution more quickly than ever. Both of our offerings are compatible and seamlessly integrated to offer you a complete experience.

Question #7: Is there dedicated customer service?

Sometimes a knowledge base isn’t enough. UCaaS and VoIP platforms are complex and an on-demand support team is often necessary to help troubleshoot technical issues quickly and efficiently.

The right UCaaS provider will have a dedicated support team you can turn to if you need help configuring settings, provisioning your platform, and more. Having access to a technical support team whenever you need it is crucial when running into issues that impact your company’s communications.

Sinch’s technical support teams are available 24×7, ensuring your company is taken care of whenever you need it most.

Sinch: Communicate more effectively with a proven UCaaS provider

Finding the ideal UCaaS service doesn’t have to be difficult when you know what questions to ask. Remember, a reliable company should have the following:

• · Years of industry expertise
• · A proven track record of satisfied clients
• · A platform packed with features and built for third-party integration
• · The necessary resources to provide effective and ongoing support

As the leading UCaaS provider, Sinch can help your business accelerate its digital transformation with a complete, proven solution. Get in touch with a member of our team today to learn more.