Migrating to enterprise voice: A strategic approach for modern businesses

The shift to hybrid work has pushed organizations to rely on a combination of phone systems, VoIP services, and various communication apps to keep their teams connected. This strategy can lead to integration challenges, however, leading to inefficiencies that hinder productivity and performance. These issues disrupt seamless communication between remote and in-office environments, making it difficult for companies to maintain smooth operations and effective collaboration.

Issues like these are more than just an inconvenience – they have costly consequences, too. According to a recent study, poor communication – such as bad voice connections or confusing emails, costs businesses an estimated $1.2 trillion annually (£904.7 billion) due to lost productivity, increased operational costs, and misunderstandings. To mitigate problems caused by disjointed communications systems, organizations are transitioning to cloud-based enterprise voice solutions. 

What is enterprise voice? 

Enterprise voice is a comprehensive, unified communication system that integrates various voice communication tools and services within an organization. It typically includes VoIP, call management, conferencing, voicemail, and mobile integration. These solutions have been around for years, but capabilities and adoption have drastically evolved to support the collaboration and operating needs of modern hybrid work environments. 

Enterprise voice solutions provide a consistent and reliable communication experience that enhances collaboration, productivity, and operational efficiency. Companies considering adopting cloud-based enterprise voice should follow several best practices for evaluating solutions and preparing to migrate these critical voice communications. 

Challenges of enterprise communication and hybrid work environments

Managing a workforce across various locations requires multiple communication tools, but disparate voice platforms often need more integration to create a truly cohesive experience. Compatibility issues between different systems can cause communication breakdowns, frustrate employees, and disrupt workflows. 

For example, a company using separate systems or collaboration tools for remote workers and office staff might experience issues with call quality, synchronization problems, and increased administrative overhead, ultimately hindering effective collaboration and reducing overall productivity. While enterprise-level voice solutions have been around for years, research shows that many enterprise organizations still have not made the move to a cloud-based phone system to power their business interactions. 

The reason for the reluctance varies by business and industry but is often due to the complexity of integrating different systems, high maintenance costs, and potential business disruptions during the transition. Additionally, businesses may hesitate to change because they have already invested substantial amounts into existing systems, making it challenging to justify the switch to modern solutions.

Businesses need integrated communication systems that support real-time collaboration – ensuring workers can connect to clients, customers, and coworkers without disruption. A unified enterprise voice solution can meet these demands, providing a streamlined and efficient communication framework supporting flexible work arrangements and business growth. 

In addition, partnering with a reputable UCaaS provider can deliver enterprise-grade features like remote call forwarding, call transfer, and phone number management, among others, further enhancing the communication system’s capabilities and effectiveness.  In addition, choosing a reliable, comprehensive UCC platform that can deliver enterprise-grade features such as chat, video meetings, file sharing, and intelligent voice call management further enhances the effectiveness of an organization’s communications strategy. 

Understanding your organization’s current communications challenges

Before transitioning to enterprise voice, businesses should conduct a comprehensive assessment of their existing communication infrastructure. This step involves auditing your current systems to understand what works well and where gaps or inefficiencies exist. Knowing this will help tailor the migration plan to address specific needs and improve overall communication capabilities.

For instance, some companies might find that their current setup leads to missed messages, a lack of real-time presence, or a lack of a consistent dial plan, including the ability to do extension dialing or have all employees in a single directory. Furthermore, others might experience issues connecting remote workers to in-office meetings. During this evaluation, enterprises should also verify that their existing hardware and software are compatible with the new enterprise voice solution and replace or upgrade equipment as needed.

Evaluating solutions and providers 

Developing, implementing and maintaining communication infrastructure in-house can be costly. Businesses should assess enterprise voice providers and solutions that can help them avoid potential operational and cost roadblocks. When evaluating modern voice providers, important factors to consider are the solution’s reliability, scalability, security features, and support services. 

Choosing a provider that includes professional services and specialized experts ensures a smooth and efficient transition from the start. For example, a leading education institution partnered with an enterprise voice provider to upgrade from outdated systems to a modern, cloud-based solution, enhancing its communication capabilities and supporting a hybrid work model. This successful migration demonstrates the benefits of choosing a provider with a proven track record in cloud-based solutions. Their expertise in migrating from PBX and UCC to platforms like Microsoft Teams and Cisco is evident.

Once a provider and solution are selected, it’s time to implement the transition. Companies should work with their IT teams and selected providers to develop a detailed migration plan with clear timelines, responsibilities, and milestones.

Five best practices for successful enterprise voice migrations 

Businesses can follow several best practices to make the transition to enterprise voice as smooth as possible. These guidelines help streamline the migration process, reduce disruptions, and maximize the benefits of the modern enterprise voice system.

Address department-specific requirements

Each department may have unique needs, such as call transfer, recording, and integration with CRM software.  In addition, you need to decide how your requirements for real-time presence, having all employees in a single directory, file sharing strategy, and preferences for video meetings, and if you want to have AI tools, such as Copilot and Teams, integrated into your environment. Understanding these requirements ensures the new voice solution supports all necessary features and enhances departmental productivity. By considering these specific needs, you can ensure a seamless transition that meets each team’s functional demands.

Develop a detailed migration plan

Create a comprehensive migration plan for your organization’s unique requirements and future growth. By integrating scalability into the design, the system can grow with your business, preventing the need for frequent overhauls. In addition, developing a migration plan tailored to the organization’s size and needs is crucial. While migrating all at once may be feasible for small teams, large enterprises benefit from a rolling approach that allows for a systematic, phased integration.

Test and pilot

Set up test environments to ensure proper configuration and to familiarize your IT team with new features. Conducting pilot tests with a subset of users helps identify potential issues before full-scale deployment. This phase allows for adjustments based on real-world usage and feedback, ensuring a smoother transition when the system goes live. Leveraging expertise from a specialized provider can help your IT team thoroughly test the system and conduct an organized pilot.

Track progress with timelines and milestones

Set clear timelines and milestones to keep the migration on track and ensure each phase is completed on schedule. Regularly review progress against these milestones to allow for timely adjustments and maintain momentum. A structured timeline helps manage resources efficiently and keeps the project aligned with business objectives.

Collaborate with a trusted enterprise voice provider

Partner with a seasoned voice provider to ensure your system is reliable, secure, and scalable. A trusted provider can handle network management, offer 24/7 support, and provide advanced features without requiring a dedicated in-house team. This collaboration ensures a hassle-free transition and ongoing optimization of your voice communication systems.

Helping businesses overcome collaboration challenges

Migrating to enterprise voice offers significant benefits by unifying communication platforms and streamlining operations. Despite the long-standing availability of cloud-based solutions, many enterprises hesitate to transition from legacy systems due to the perceived complexities. However, embracing this change is essential for enhancing connectivity, collaboration, and efficiency.

With a strategic approach and the right partners, businesses can overcome these challenges and seamlessly implement modern enterprise voice solutions, transforming into a more connected, productive, and competitive environment.