When it comes right down to it, everyone in any business organization is working to serve customers in one way or another. But, the reality of today’s digital economy is that the definition of customer service has changed.
Expectations about customer service are higher than they ever have been.
In today’s hyper-connected, mobile world, consumers are no longer content to work within a company’s set business hours. They expect to connect at any time of day or night. They expect the freedom to choose how they interact from a variety of communication channels. And, they expect to receive instant answers to their queries through seamless digital interactions.
To retain customers and extend market reach in this new environment, businesses have to adapt their customer experience strategies to meet consumer expectations.
Communication channels between a consumer and an organization have to evolve from the basic toll-free connection to a single, uniform experience that allows customers to ..

Last Week in Business Communications is a weekly post where we cover some of the notable articles and happenings in the business communication world from the week before. Check back each Monday for your news fix.
Cloud computing will impact $1 trillion of IT spending decisions – Gartner
On Business Cloud NewsAnalyst firm Gartner has predicted more than $1 trillion in IT spending will be directly or indirectly impacted by the transition to cloud computing by 2020. Read the article >
SaaS for SMBs: The main meal, not the side salad
On Business Cloud NewsWe know that telcos are well-placed to sell cloud services to small and medium-sized businesses. Even if they don't always know it yet, the business customers they provide telecoms services to need to embrace digital services to succeed, and telecoms providers are trusted to deliver technology that meets their stated needs. Read the article >
The cloud computing effect: Better security for all
On Info WorldIT's paranoia about t..

In the seemingly distant days of the twentieth century, communications and collaboration were something you wouldn’t talk about. That is, you had to be at your desk to communicate by phone, or around a table to collaborate with colleagues— essentially spending eight hours a day stooped over a big hunk of wood. With email and the mobile phone came sweet freedom, or so we thought. Instead, we simply became chained to our Internet connections, wireless reception and work-authorized devices (Blackberries, laptops, etc.).
The first step to freedom
4G/LTE has broken many of those chains for employees. We can count on a mobile broadband connection most of the time and have the freedom to choose our own devices for work, whether it’s an iPhone, Chromebook or Galaxy tablet. In the data center, however, it’s often a different story, as many IT departments are still chained to premises-based PBX systems that deliver the core, mission-critical communications—but not the mobile collaboration—that..

Pokémon GO is a hot topic. It seems you can’t escape it—in the news, on social media, or in your day-to-day life as you see people of all ages hunched over their phones, walking around outside. This wildly popular application has spurred discussions across a variety of topics—health, social interaction, marketing, gamification, pedestrian safety, and more.
There’s another lesson to learn from Pokémon GO: the value of a single, comprehensive application to enable team and project collaboration.
Observing strangers collaborate through this application can open your eyes to the potential potency (and potential shortcomings) of a business application that can foster teamwork in your business.
Setting the stage: the prologue For those who aren’t sure how Pokémon GO works, it’s a real-time application in which you can catch Pokémon while walking around. With geo-tracking and real-time updates, players all experience the same interface—provided they’re in similar areas. The same creatures..

Last Week in Business Communications is a weekly post where we cover some of the notable articles and happenings in the business communication world from the week before. Check back each Monday for your news fix.
Don't ignore these 3 major considerations when justifying a cloud effort
On Info WorldYou want to justify some IT spending for cloud-based platforms. Your CEO or board has asked for a business case, and you've been scrambling to create one. Of course, you'll include obvious items like capex versus opex. Read the article >
IoT security suffers from a lack of awareness
On Network WorldGaining awareness of devices residing on corporate networks is the first step to building a viable security architecture for the internet of things. The problem? Most CIOs don’t know what’s on those networks. Read the article >
Rio de Janeiro faces 4G challenge at 2016 Olympic Games
On Computer WeeklyWith the 2016 Olympics just days away, are mobile operators prepared for a deluge o..

Relationships and communications go hand in hand, but when the relationship with your cloud communications provider sours, things can get ugly fast—from unanswered phone calls to long periods of soul-searching as you wonder whether or not you’ve made the right decision. Before you put your cloud provider on a pedestal they don’t deserve, here are five signs that they may be playing games with your mission-critical communications. Because you deserve a provider who really cares about you and meets your business’s needs.
Sign #1 – They’ve got a fear of commitment Cloud communications providers talk a good game, but some balk when it comes to signing a service level agreement (known as an “SLA” in the business) that puts a hard number to their systems uptime. If your cloud provider is afraid to guarantee their system’s uptime in writing, take their fear of commitment as a lack of confidence in their own ability to deliver a reliable 24/7/365 experience.
Pro tip: With MiCloud, you get fo..

In the communications-centric world in which we live, interconnectivity is not a nicety; it’s a necessity. You rely on your business communications to run your operations. If a phone system or conferencing service becomes unavailable, your operations may be impaired or come to a sudden halt. It’s important to have a solution that is reliable to support your mission-critical business systems and minimize any chance of disruption. Unfortunately, not all data centers are alike and not all clouds are created equal. Finding the “silver lining” in a cloud communications provider with the right data center support will enable you to meet your requirements for flexibility, reliability, security and more. And that is golden.
Who’s Worthy of Your Data? Consider these five important factors as you pursue the right cloud communications solution for your business.
#1 | Scale enables everything Cloud service providers have the ability and flexibility to add capacity quickly and efficiently to its ..

Last Week in Business Communications is a weekly post where we cover some of the notable articles and happenings in the business communication world from the week before. Check back each Monday for your news fix.
Slow broadband causes widespread stress, campaigners claim
On Computer WeeklyA report compiled for the ISP-led Fix Britain’s Internet campaign has said that millions of people are experiencing stress and anxiety because of slow and unreliable broadband. Read the article >
4 tips for buying cloud management software
On Network WorldCloud management software is a still maturing market, so there are a number of factors to consider before buying one. Read the article >
Are Corporate Data Centers Obsolete In The Cloud Era?
On ForbesTen years ago one of the most disruptive modern threats to the corporate data center formally debuted: Amazon Web Services officially launched, first offering S3 and then launching EC2 in August 2006. Read the article >

It's no secret that mobility has transformed the world of business communications and will continue to do so as the adoption of mobile technologies and cloud communications grows.
Enterprise mobility is the business practice that allows employees to work in diverse locations using mobile devices, applications, and cloud communications technologies. But how are enterprise mobility practices working at large companies? What’s not working? Where are there gaps?
To find out, we teamed up with leading experts Webtorials to survey IT professionals at 231 enterprises and analyzed the impact of ineffective enterprise mobility practices on productivity, time and costs.
Check out our free webinar that explores the essential reasons why businesses must adopt mobility to thrive.
The state of the market for mobility and the high cost of delaying adoption
Watch the free on-demand webinar > What you’ll learn:
Why those that lag in the adoption of enterprise mobility are losing up to $12,00..

Each industry has its specific trends and expectations for the future. In the mobile telecom community, there is a constant discussion about the value that an in-country network carrier brings, with OTT players like Google, Apple, Facebook and WhatsApp rapidly bringing new services to market in an efficient, global service approach.
While some mobile carriers are quietly concerned about the risk of becoming a data dump pipe, others are already changing the game and competitive landscape with new subscriber services.
Measuring mobile carriers with the “Connect Test” In Germany, this competition is fierce with three carriers fighting for consumers: Telekom (part of T-Mobile), Vodafone and O2. In this type of competitive climate, consumers are in the driver’s seat, and in Germany, many are consulting and considering the performance scores of each network before choosing a provider. The leading report for this data is published in the IT magazine “Connect” and is commonly referred to as ..