The quarterly publication of the International Legal Technology Association
Issue link: https://epubs.iltanet.org/i/448505
This is an example of unified communications (UC) at work. UC is the combination of telephony, IM/chat, audio/ video/Web conferencing, email/voicemail and document-sharing, enabled by presence (the availability and willingness to communicate), all connected in a simple app that works similarly on mobile devices, tablets and PCs. UC is a way of collaborating efficiently regardless of location, device or time of day in order to develop a competitive advantage. Some of the things that encourage firms to create UC networks include tangible changes such as outfitting new office locations or refreshing old phone systems. Sometimes the decision is born out of a desire to save travel costs or optimize circuits and networks. The need to enable mobile distributed teams or telework and the ever- present issue of customer retention are also drivers in utilizing unified communications. Here is how some firms have successfully adopted and implemented UC in their environments and how you can succeed in your own communication and collaboration initiatives. Set the Course With UC, you need to know where you are going before you begin. A unified communications implementation should not be approached like other IT projects. Instead, think of it as a journey. Aside from the products and the technical rollout, it is imperative to address the people and process changes that will come from using and supporting the new tools. Develop a road map that defines prerequisite projects and what functionality will be rolled out to whom and when. Overlay user communication and training in the plan to make the timeline realistic. Do not assume that rolling out by site is necessary. A UC solution is not an all-or-nothing proposition. It is often more effective to roll out by workgroup so collaboration can happen across teams, independent of location. Mind Your (IM)anners Five years ago, the CIO of a self-described "conservative" firm needed to replace their aging phone system. He adamantly stated that his firm would never use instant messaging or presence. Five years later, that firm has moved all but one office site to a complete unified communications platform, and now those functions are vital. Another CIO, Jen Rous from Whiteford Taylor Preston in Baltimore, wisely let her migration spread out from Gen X/Y early adopters in their property management law practice. Now, its use is spreading into more conservative parts of the firm. "Physical distance has been overcome," says Rous. "We still use email but are moving lots of conversations into IM chats." This is a great way to help ease the adoption curve in more conservative parts of your firm, where presence and instant messaging might be viewed as intrusive. If you have attorneys who otherwise might turn the tools off, set expectations up front about how the firm expects them to be used. Personal sharing and group training can help bridge generational gaps and enable a consistent corporate (or workgroup) IM etiquette. Consider Reactions Sometimes administrative assistants present a challenging case for the changing uses and methods of communications in legal settings since they have specific responsibilities regarding the voice and email communications of their attorneys. Spend time with them to understand and ensure that their needs are met with any new system. Showing what is in it for users is important. In one firm, several hundred users were happy with the UC tools and performance, but one admin was dissatisfied with voice quality. She had only seen the change, not how this would help her, and therefore had her guard up. Had she been made excited by the way she could use the new (albeit, different) tools, she likely would have been more accepting. Downplay the technology behind the scenes. One global firm stopped referring to employees' new "VoIP phones" and just called them "phones" after they found users to be more skeptical of voice quality when they knew calls were going over their data network. Go Slowly, but Get Going! Sometimes IT leaders think, "We have no current use for these tools," and then soon find that business demands push them to get the tools in place right away. To avoid that panic, plant the seeds early. While getting NYC's Epstein Becker Green's UC strategy off the ground, Prem Rajendran's approach was initially to offer IM and click-to-call tools as an option, to WWW.ILTANET.ORG 47 About the Author Christian Stegh is the Vice President of Strategy at Enabling Technologies. He leads the partnerships and strategic decisions of the company, works with key customers on their UC road maps and represents Enabling within the UC industry. He's overseen over 700 integrations of existing Cisco and Avaya PBXs, Lync, OCS and Exchange Unified Messaging. The results led Enabling to be named Microsoft's Unified Communications Partner of the Year for 2009, 2010 and 2012. Chris is a subject-matter expert on UC, SIP, messaging, SOA and VoIP security, and he likes to write and speak publicly on the topics. Contact him at cstegh@enablingtechcorp.com. It is often more effective to roll out by workgroup so collaboration can happen across teams, independent of location.