GN NETCOM & COMMS DEALER ROUND TABLE
www.comms-dealer.com
HEADSET SHORT OF A
The expected surge in
demand for UC solutions
will call for fresh thinking
and creativity in your sales
approach, with a new
emphasis on quality headsets
as the vital component
for a truly beneficial UC
experience. So concluded
last month’s Comms Dealer
and GN Netcom round
table panel debate.
major cultural challenge is with UC. In order to
get the benefits over to users you need to do
an entire project on site to educate customers
about UC. Headsets are about user profiling.
You need to find a group of users that will
benefit from UC and headsets the most.”
For Steven McDonagh, CEO at Trinity Systems,
headsets are ‘by far the most popular way
to take calls’. He raised a key question:
“Do end customers really understand UC?
The sad point is that IP-enabled physical
devices have destroyed the value in UC. The
D
espite high optimism over the short of a complete solution, noted Andrew inherent value in UC is to liberate people
growing market for UC, the final Doyle, Sales Director at GN Netcom: “A big from the location dependent cultures they’ve
solution could falter unless a quality part of selling UC is highlighting the gains in been tied to for years. With a physical
end point takes centre stage efficiency and productivity, yet quite often handset users don’t benefit from the more
at the vanguard of the sale. James Rodd, the end point isn’t considered during the advanced features that let them connect
Director of Sales and Business Development at sales process until the very end,” he said. “In and collaborate with their colleagues
Modality Systems – a Unified Communications terms of overcoming cultural barriers, there wherever they are in the organisation.”
consultancy services practice – sees UC as is a challenge for the channel to educate
a strategy rather than a technology solution, customers about the benefits users are buying Selling headsets is an easy sale within a complex
and a key plank of his strategy is a quality into. There is also a misconception over the communications environment, highlighted
headset. “Around the audio and voice value of headsets – they are not low quality Sarah Gray, Channel Marketing Manager at
components of a UC solution you need a devices. The value of the product is high, up to GN Netcom. She commented: “Headsets are
quality end point,” he stated. “Headsets are £300 for example. In the last year our UC device an undisclosed secret. There are no barriers
important when you look at the consolidation growth has grown significantly. There’s definitely in selling headsets, with minimal training
of devices. As an organisation we’re very a step-change with people being more requirements and stock is always available.
much mobile and information workers, we accepting about wearing a headset, driven by Anyone can get into the headset market.
need to carry a laptop and mobiles. Headsets mobility and people using headsets in their car.” The key is to think of headsets as part of the
bridge the divide between those technologies. total solution rather than a separate device.
Don’t underestimate the importance of Picking up on the issue of cultural barriers Headsets should be considered up-front when
having a quality device when you are raised by Doyle, Robert Stanley, Solutions doing feasibility studies with customers for UC
demonstrating voice, video and audio.” Director at Dimension Data, commented: deployment. They should be part of the portfolio.
“You’ve sometimes got one shot at this. If It’s easy to incorporate them and provide a
Many organisations fail to realise the potential the experience isn’t right people don’t think complete UC solution. We’ve rationalised the
of UC because they are at least one headset headsets are going to work for them. But the GN portfolio, enabling resellers to keep the
SAVE 80% off recruitment agency fees!
“It’s Brilliant” “Great result” “It worked really well”
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46 COMMS DEALER OCTOBER 2009 www.comms-dealer.com
46-47round_table new.indd 1 6/10/09 08:46:30
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