Issue link: https://epubs.iltanet.org/i/58400
Look Before You Lync: Contemplating Lync for Law UC package. My position on operating expenses (OPEX) versus CAPEX isn't popular; the lure of saving cash outlays in favor of paying a higher fixed known monthly amount for a bundle is popular. Know That There Is No Magic Bullet The other architectural premise that I want to address is best-of-breed versus single-source solutions. Best-of- breed design can be challenging and even more costly. Single-source solutions can equate to compromises but deliver on lower costs and be very easy to manage. So any thinking that Microsoft is the best fit just because it's Microsoft is myopic. It's better to evaluate each alternative and design practice and then determine the fit with the most benefits for your firm. We've evaluated both and have found benefits to each, but when applied to a specific customer, we've seen just the opposite because of something they've identified (known or unknown) as being key to their business. In individual practices, we consistently hear reservations about deploying anything IP for voice because their voice services are considered revenue streams. When clients think about voice services, they normally don't think in terms of cost or revenue. This remains another difference in medium to large enterprise thinking because it does matter. A cost such as a customer service call center is weighed differently than a reservation call center or one taking orders for products and services. Revenue streams must remain highly available and reliable, which is why there is resistance with SIP trunking and other alternatives. While I am a proponent of SIP, UC and Lync, the question is how much tolerance does the client have, and will the chosen technology play out? Unfortunately, there is no magic bullet. Law firms must do due diligence in mapping out their needs, call paths, communications and collaboration processes and even their communications weaknesses. Identifying key areas to improve a process and then delivering the return on the investment are challenging. During the last two quarters of 2011 and all of this year, a resounding concern for "productivity" is what we hear from customers. They are seeking to do more with less, and they want to improve what they are doing — all while reducing costs. Look Before You Lync My intention isn't to qualify or disqualify Lync for law firms or any other profession. Lync, like any other solution, may or may not be a good fit. Most of the effort in achieving payback occurs in what the legal industry calls the "discovery process." Build your cases and thoroughly review key areas of improvement. Focus on the top one, two or even three changes that bring the most return and value to the firm. Then — in another borrowed bit of legal wisdom — have a meeting of the minds, or don't proceed. Lync may or may not be the PBX killer and it really depends upon those key areas of improvement specific to your firm. Without a needs assessment and an evaluation of available solutions, don't expect Lync to benefit your firm. My last piece of advice is to try before you buy. Buying into a solution without driving it first and experiencing it is akin to malpractice. Solutions must compete side-by-side, and usually one significant detail is identified as being a value or operational need that best fits the customer. Whatever the reason for implementing Lync or any other UC or voice solution, it really needs to focus on the realization of hard benefits, operational value and communications-enabled business process. Soft dollar and productivity benefits tend to get noticed less, even if unfairly so. Still, the business case must be made, and the upfront investment in time will pay dividends later. ILTA White Paper 43