Top 4 UC&C problems - and how to solve them
Even the solutions can cause problems
Unified communications and collaboration (UC&C) is an important tool in the modern workplace - but it's not without its drawbacks.
UC&C is complex, with an array of service providers and products to choose from. Get it right, and your business benefits from massive increases in flexibility and scalability - but get it wrong and it becomes difficult to even place a telephone call.
We've heard from UC&C company NetScout on the most common problems affecting the market, and what can be done to solve them.
- Poor quality
Degraded call and/or video quality is one of the most common UC&C problems, but is also one of the most difficult to solve: there are so many issues that might affect the service.
The network is the first place to look. The most common type of call quality problems comes from misconfigured Quality of Service (QoS) in the network. Low bandwidth is another potential cause, which could be because the company doesn't have enough to support UC&C, or because a rogue application is hogging resources.
Other than network issues, look to areas including the call server, gateway or session border controls; or the third-party service provider (SIP trunk, PSTN, etc).
If all of the above pass muster, look at your endpoints: is there a poor WiFi link? Is there a component failure in a headset? Even user error, like trying to use a speakerphone in a location with lots of ambient noise, could be to blame.
- Multivendor environments
Most companies use UC&C solutions from a variety of sources; maybe because of a merger or acquisition, or because of a phased rollout. It could also be down to switching preferred vendor due to budget constraints or technology changes.
This puts more pressure on staff to make their way around tools used to support the UC&C environment, and means that they may need to talk to multiple companies before finding the solution to their problem.
Top 4 UC&C problems - and how to solve them
Even the solutions can cause problems
3. Multiple vendor tools make troubleshooting a problem in itself
Multiple vendors means multiple devices; and, as we saw above, there can be multiple possible points of failure.
Ironically, the separate monitoring and maintenance tools used for each device and application cause a problem by themselves, as staff need to be trained in the deployment and handling of each one. They also need to know how to collect data from each one, and compare it to information from other tools to see if they are getting multiple alerts about the same problem. Integration between tools can cause a real headache for IT managers.
- Ignorance of key features
There is little more disheartening than rolling out a brand new tool and finding that it's not being used to its full potential. Staff might simply not have time to learn how to use all of the features that an app can deliver, in which case training can solve the problem. They might also have privacy concerns over presence and video apps, which is down to the vendor to provide reassurance on.
Sometimes, features aren't used because of a bad experience in the past. Users might have had to use grainy video calls, or static-filled VoIP connections. These ingrained attitudes are more difficult to change, and continued use of the application over time is often the best way around the problem. Staff might sometimes turn to other applications or even their own devices if the company-supplied software is not meeting their needs, introducing security concerns for IT departments.
Monitoring is key
Building monitoring in to your UC&C solution from the start can pre-empt many issues. Using this you can establish a baseline using your existing system, and quantify the benefits you expect to see from moving to UC&C. Monitoring the system as it is rolled out will also highlight potential problems before a full-scale launch.
A holistic monitoring tool is often the most convenient solution, as it can keep track of every piece of the UC&C environment. Rather than managing multiple tools from multiple vendors, a holistic monitoring solution shows exactly where problems are occurring under a single unified view.
NetScout also published a whitepaper on this topic last year, which deals with some of the common problems affecting unified communications networks in particular.