The business communications market is in flux, with lines blurring between unified communications, call and contact centres, VoIP, and collaboration solutions. This specialist supplement will explore convergence and divergence in the market, as well as the integrations that are coming to the fore. We will also discuss how these solutions are driving benefits across productivity, flexible working, and customer experience.
Deadline for submissions: Friday 26th April 2024
Please email all submissions to: charlotte.hathway@markallengroup.com
We will be including articles around the below themes and are looking to written responses to the outlined questions. Please note, these questions are just a starting point, and we are also keen to receive commentary from stakeholders from across the Channel on other topics that the spokesperson feels is important but has not been covered by our initial questions.
ARTICLE ONE: The state of the market
This feature will discuss the current business communications landscape. We are looking for comment and data to help us build an understanding of adoption trends, the factors that are driving change, and the opportunities available to channel companies.
• How are organisations across the UK adopting unified communications, call and contact centres, VoIP, and collaboration solutions?
• How will the ongoing shift to all-IP telephony change things?
• What are the other key drivers impacting the business communications market?
• What do partners want out of a business communications proposition? Sticky product, margin rich, solid network uptime, all of the above, or something else?
ARTICLE TWO: The move to all-IP
This article will look to establish the timings channel companies should bear in mind in preparing for an all-IP future, as well as how to prepare for change.
We will ask:
• What does the end of WLR and the PSTN mean for the channel?
• How can channel companies adapt their offerings to continue to succeed in an all-IP future?
• What does this mean for the business communications market in the UK?
ARTICLE THREE: Seamless communications
This article will discuss increased appetite for breaking down the siloes between unified communications, call and contact centre, VoIP, and collaboration solutions. We will discuss why seamless communications are in demand, with insight into the integrations that are coming to the fore.
We will ask:
• Why are integrations increasingly important? What integrations are in demand?
• How can channel companies help their customers unlock seamless communications across their organisation?
• What can vendors do to help their channel partners make the most of these opportunities?
ARTICLE FOUR: Selling the benefits
This article will discuss how UC, CC, VoIP, and collaboration solutions are driving benefits across productivity, flexible working, and customer experience.
We will ask:
• What benefits can businesses and organisations unlock in this new era of business communications?
• Can it be a good sales strategy to focus on those benefits rather than features?
• What new benefits are on the horizon as these solutions evolve?
ARTICLE FIVE: Building powerful offerings
This article will examine how partners can build powerful offerings, including how to differentiate offerings to stand out in a crowded market. We will look at value-adds for partners and the factors they should consider before choosing a supplier.
We are looking for comments on:
• Service and support – The support partners offer to their customers can vary widely, what do customers expect? What should partners consider including in their service and support offering?
• The right portfolio – How can channel companies ensure they have the right portfolio to ensure they can win deals? Is a multi-vendor strategy important? What else can channel companies do?
• Sales models – How can partners ensure they are providing their customers long-term advice and support? Or is this market more about short-term gains? What sales models should partners be working with?
• Integrations and interoperability – What integrations are available in the market now? How important is interoperability? What is being done to help organisations consolidate their third-party applications?
• Anything else channel companies should consider?
ARTICLE SIX: The future
This article will discuss how the business communications market might evolve.
We will ask:
• What business communications solutions do you expect to be at the forefront of the market in the coming years?
• What features matter to end users? And how do you anticipate this to evolve?
• How will AI change the market?
See the the 2023 issue here.
Friday 26th April 2024
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14th May 2024
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Mat Swift
Tel: 07919 177099
Email: mat.swift@markallengroup.com
Moh Lalani
Tel: 07766 081822
Email moh.lalani@markallengroup.com
