SPECIAL
“It’s easy to mute yourself, or keep the camera off when dialing into a call, but facial expression is key to
relationship-building.” Mayur Pitamber, Solutions Product Marketing Manager - 8x8
Consolidating
Communications
Back in March businesses were scrambling to get
themselves up and running remotely. The reports
back have indicated that although many UC vendors
stepped up with free offerings people were still
cobbling together apps from the consumer world to
get what they needed. In this piece we ask ‘what is the
hidden danger of using these types of apps?’
Flexibility is
the Key
In this short interview Mayur Pitamber, Solutions
Product Marketing Manager at 8x8, explains flexibility
is key for businesses in 2020 and beyond
CBM: How have you found
interacting with staff and
prospects remotely?
Mayur Pitamber (MP): Remote
workers should be encouraged
to interact just as they would in
the oce as much as possible.
is means not assuming
you know everything about
the person you’re talking to,
asking questions and not just
limiting conversation to work.
It’s important to build trust,
and talking about personal
life and showing personality
is key to this. It’s easy to mute
yourself, or keep the camera
o when dialing into a call,
but facial expression is key to
relationship-building. Being
camera-ready at all times is
part and parcel of this. You
wouldn’t walk around the
oce in your pyjamas, so you
shouldn’t do the same if you’re
working from home!
CBM: How has this changed
your approach?
MP: 8x8 has a broad base of
customers, from large multinationals
to public sector
organisations such as local
councils and government. All
are changing their working
practices, with businesses
across the board encouraging
people to work in a more
exible way. While face-to-face
meetings are still vital, the
role of technology is becoming
widely recognised. With
high-quality video, audio, and
screensharing, there’s no reason
remote workers can’t be as
ecient as oce-workers. e
prices of collaboration tools are
also on the decrease, making
the technology as accessible as
ever, which is a huge draw to
businesses too.
CBM: What have you seen
across the different markets
you service?
MP: More organisations are
catching on to the benets
of remote working and we’re
even seeing more traditional
industries, such as legal,
change the way they work.
Rigidity within the workplace
is no longer the norm;
employees from all walks of life
want more exible working,
and cloud communication
technology is key to driving
this. And as businesses
recognise that remote working
doesn’t signal a drop in
productivity, we’ll likely
continue to see widespread
uptake of exible working.
Paul Clarke, 3CX
“Whilst I can understand the temptation to switch to widely
available apps like whatsapp, we advise our customers against
it. Mass produced apps can lack the security of dedicated
solutions like 3CX and whilst encryption might exist to some
degree, you cannot control where company data is stored.
What’s more, consumer apps blur the lines between work and
private lives, making policy violations more likely.”
Justin Hamilton-Martin, UK Sales Director of Centile, Part
of Enreach
“Given the need to adopt collaboration and UC tools fast, it can be
tempting for businesses to go to consumer applications, but this is
a risky strategy for a couple of reasons. First, these apps are not
designed to integrate with each other, so users will end up with a
fragmented and unsupported environment. It is better to contact
the vast amount of knowledge that exists within the UC channel,
to access a platform of secure, integrated and enterprise-grade
digital workplace. Then businesses can focus on other priorities,
rather than having to become overnight experts in collaboration
and UC technologies.
Another reason to avoid depending on consumer apps is that
they lack business-quality features. For example, with MOBiiS app,
someone could see that their colleague is not available right now,
so send them a message saying ‘call me back when you are free’.
Also, consumer apps do not give the reporting and analytics which
many organisations require.”
Lee Fletcher, Channel Manager UK&I at snom
“I don’t see a danger but rather, an opportunity. At a time
when we’re all having to adapt, modern technology is
stepping up. It is highlighting the saying of ‘stand still and
die or move forward and survive.’ Can you use WhatsApp
video to check in with relatives, as well as making
international calls with customers? Absolutely!”
48 | Comms Business Magazine | May 2020 www.commsbusiness.co.uk
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