Succeeding with Skype for Business:

Selecting the Right Endpoints By Kevin Kieller, Co-Founder, EnableUC

Executive Summary Organizations looking for a competitive advantage are increasingly investing in Unified Communications (UC) as a way to optimize communications and improve business efficiency. Many of these organizations are opting to harness the power of Microsoft's latest UC platform, Skype for Business, to achieve these goals. As part of a successful transition to Skype for Business, selecting and deploying endpoints that best match user requirements is critically important.

Skype for Business: Overview Skype for Business, the sixth version of Microsoft’s UC platform, has garnered considerable attention since its introduction in November 2014. It is the culmination of a product evolution that began in late 2003 with Office Live Communication Server (LCS), which offered basic instant messaging and presence and replaced the Exchange Instant Message Service that was part of Exchange 2000. Over the years, Microsoft changed the name of its UC platform from LCS to Office Communication Server and finally to Skype for Business's direct predecessor, Lync 2013, all the while morphing the platform into a viable PBX replacement. Formally launched in April 2015, Skype for Business provides IM and presence, peer-to-peer audio, Enterprise Telephony, video, Web conferencing, and desktop sharing, along with multi-party audio, video, and Web conferencing. Skype for Business supports IP desk phones along with apps for Windows, Mac, mobile phones (iPhone, Android, Windows Phone), tablets (iPad, Android, Microsoft Surface), and virtual desktops. Skype for Business is available in an on-premises version and as part of the Office 365 cloud suite for use by organizations of all sizes.

Matching Technology to User Requirements Delivering a great user experience and achieving measurable and meaningful success with Skype for Business, or any other UC solution for that matter, requires correctly matching technology components with user requirements. Because users interact with Skype for Business primarily through selected endpoints, making the right choices is critical to ensuring adoption, driving usage, and achieving return on the UC investment. Organizations that express the highest satisfaction with their technology choices typically follow five best practices. They:

1. Directly interview or survey end users rather than relying on a “proxy” or intermediary to describe perceived end user requirements.

2. Document specific requirements of various end user groups, and create "use

case" or "persona" categories for the different sets of end user requirements discovered.

3. Ask end users to rank their priorities from most to least important when a group

has multiple requirements.

4. Evaluate multiple viable options for each set of requirements. Given the expansive Skype for Business ecosystem, when considering headsets or desk phones as endpoints evaluating a minimum of three vendors is advisable.

5. Transparently note the pros and cons of each option in relation to the documented requirements. This process sometimes leads to debate; however, organizations that make this effort are more likely to reach consensus than those that don't follow this best practice.

The output from this process should be a clear technology direction aligned to an organization’s specific, prioritized requirements.

Headsets Versus Desk Phones The increased emphasis on mobility, driven by what realistically can be categorized as a “mobile phone craze,” occasionally overshadows desk phone considerations. The objective, however, is always to select the most appropriate endpoints aligned to user and business requirements. Wired or wireless headsets may be the most appropriate endpoint choices for nomadic users who work from different locations depending on where they are each day or for users who have regular access to a laptop or tablet connected to a voice-optimized network. A Skype for Business-certified desk phone, on the other hand, may be a better choice in a variety of other user scenarios. Five such scenarios are:

1. Environments with unreliable wireless networks Many laptop users choose to connect to Skype for Business using a wireless network even where a wired network connection may be available. Doing so may lead to complaints of poor audio quality during Skype for Business calls because many companies have not designed their wireless networks to support real-time voice traffic. One potential solution is to deploy wired desk phones in key locations, such as huddle rooms, so users can leverage more reliable wired connections for important calls. Note that many of the newer laptop models do not have an Ethernet port (RJ45) and as such further encourage the use of wireless networks.

2. Common areas and meeting rooms Locations where visitors would expect to be able to make a call are often good candidates for desk phones. These include an office lobby, a conference room foyer, or a side table in a meeting room. Likewise, common areas such as cafeterias, wellness rooms, and fitness centers are good spots for desk phones, too, because internal users typically don't bring their laptops with them.

3. Locations where third parties may work for periods of time If an organization regularly employs contractors but doesn't provide those workers with corporate laptops, deploying desk phones where these individuals typically work can be a simple and secure solution. Similarly, if external parties (suppliers, partners, auditors, advisors, etc.) regularly work for periods of time from your offices, placing desk phones in certain areas may simplify accommodating these individuals.

4. As “loaner” devices

Even in organizations where the primary Skype for Business endpoint is a laptop or tablet, acquiring and pre-provisioning a number of “loaner” desk phones can provide great value in the case where a user laptop is in the need of repair or software upgrades. An organization also can use loaner phones to support temporary workers in a particular office.

5. Situations in which minimizing on-going cost is an important factor While the initial purchase price of headsets may be lower than some desk phones, the mobile nature of headsets combined with their smaller form factor often results in a headset replacement cycle that is two to five times more frequent than it is for desk phones. Companies need to replace most headsets, especially smaller, more expensive wireless headsets, every 24 months due to loss or damage. In contrast, most desk phones are fully functional for 10 years or more. Any business case or budgeting should reflect this reality. Today’s desk phones are effectively purpose-built communications computers. For specific user groups, desk phones can represent the most appropriate and reliable Skype for Business endpoint.

Important Desk Phone Considerations

As part of evaluating which desk phones best align to specific requirements, an organization needs to consider several areas:

1. The Display The screen resolution, size, and support for touch input play a key role in how users perceive and are able to interact with selected desk phones.

Larger screens allow some vendors to show more favorite contacts along with Skype for Business user photos (avatars) on their phone displays. Having a picture display along with the name of a caller is a feature many users appreciate. When evaluating phone displays, consider not only the number of contacts available on screen but also the flexibility users have in selecting which of their contacts appear.

2. The Sign-in Process In environments where multiple users share an office or workspace, the process by which a user signs into the phone is an especially important consideration. In these shared spaces, in order for a phone to receive calls or place calls using a particular user’s number, the user needs to sign into the phone. To sign in, a user would either enter his or her Active Directory (AD) credentials or the assigned number/extension and Skype for Business PIN. Entering AD credentials is easier to do from desk phones that have on-screen keyboards. Better Together over Ethernet (BToE), also known as pairing, is a mechanism that allows a user to more easily associate a laptop running Skype for Business with a desk phone. Once paired, calls for that user will ring on the desk phone, even when the laptop is not present, and outbound calls initiated from the desk phone will show the user’s caller ID. Besides the initial sign-in process, consider how much control a desk phone provides over how often a user must re-authenticate.

Figure 1: Snapshot of favorite contacts on Yealink T48G Skype for Business phone display

Figure 2: Snapshot of sign-in screen on Yealink T48G-2 Skype for Business phone

3. Call Handling/Ease-of-use Desk phone manufacturers implement call transfer and other call handling functions in different ways. Some manufacturers have streamlined the call transfer process to reduce the number of button presses required to transfer a call. Some phone user interfaces implement separate buttons for consultative versus blind transfers. These are optimizations that may be of value to specific user groups. For Skype for Business deployments, take into consideration that some desk phones feature a user interface that closely matches the Skype for Business interface. Selecting such a desk phone may help reduce training and improve adoption and usage of new endpoints.

4. Overall Ergonomics The overall size of a desk phone is important to consider relative to available desk space. Similarly, the general look and feel of a desk phone and specifically the phone handset can be open to a variety of opinions. Allowing end users to pilot test several desk phone models that meet technical requirements can assist in determining the best fit for different user groups. Finally, organizations that need wall-mounted phones will need to verify that selected models are available for use in this manner.

Figure 3: Snapshot of conferencing interface on Yealink T48G Skype for Business phone

Considering Non-functional Requirements Non-functional requirements focus on the overall deployment, operation, and maintenance of the selected desk phones as opposed to the individual end user experience. Several non-functional areas are important to consider when evaluating desk phones. They are:

1. Breadth of vendor product line Ideally a selected desk phone vendor would have makes and models that are good matches for each of an organization's different user scenarios. Ordering, training, and support is greatly simplified by minimizing the number of vendors engaged as part of a Skype for Business deployment.

2. Price Desk phone vendors provide Skype for Business-certified phones that vary in price from approximately US$119 to more than US$600 per endpoint. As such, selecting the optimal vendor and phone model could have a large impact on a Skype for Business project budget, especially for organizations needing to deploy hundreds or thousands of endpoints.

3. Ease of deployment Consider how long it takes from “unboxing” the phone until when it's usable for placing calls. Some desk phones may require a software upgrade.

4. Support Beyond the initial deployment, investigate the mechanisms the phone manufacturer provides for provisioning and updating phone configuration. For simplified configuration management, for example, Microsoft-certified vendors support Skype for Business in-band provisioning and auto-provisioning. Technical services vary by vendor as well, so be sure to assess the level of support you need and match up against available services. Does the vendor offer online self-help? Does it provide onsite support in your locations? Will it provide a dedicated single point of contact for issue resolution and regular reporting? Consider questions such as these in your evaluations.

Conclusion Matching the right desk phone to user requirements greatly improves the probability that a Skype for Business implementation will deliver measurable and meaningful business results. While properly evaluating multiple desk phone options requires an investment of time, the failure to conduct a proper evaluation puts your entire UC project investment at risk.

About Kevin Kieller Kevin Kieller is a co-founder of enableUC, a company dedicated to helping organizations and vendors succeed with unified communications, collaboration, and cloud technology. As a globally recognized expert, he helps organizations select, successfully implement, and drive usage and adoption for leading collaboration and communication technologies. Kevin has authored hundreds of articles, including the No Jitter “Success with Skype,” “Technically Lync,” and “Living with Lync” columns; hosts the acclaimed “Living with Lync” (now “Success with Skype”) sessions at the annual Enterprise Connect conference; and is a member of the elite UC Strategies team. Kevin and his team provide customized success coaching to large organizations and via the new SuccessWithSkype.com site.

About Yealink Yealink, the global leading unified communication terminal solution provider, helps businesses of all sizes make the most of their UC experience and embrace the power of “Easy Collaboration.” Yealink One-stop UC Terminal Solutions unify voice, video and data, and satisfy diverse customer needs and usage scenarios. The company’s comprehensive product portfolio includes video conferencing systems, conference phones, desk IP phones, wireless DECT phones and accessories. Customers from more than 100 countries enjoy Yealink’s reliable UC terminal solutions through its well-established global sales and service network. As a Microsoft Strategic Partner for Skype for Business endpoints, Yealink is committed to delivering a high-quality, seamless experience for business callers. Its Skype for Business portfolio includes endpoints that support high-definition voice conversations, feature pre-installed Skype for Business firmware that speeds time from unboxing to first phone call, and enable enhanced productivity with an intuitive Skype for Business user interface and tailored Skype for Business user experience. In addition, Yealink hosts a global service network for local, timely support and comprehensive management. For more information on the Skype for Business portfolio, please click here. Yealink also offers a Skype for Business IP Phone Partner Program for enterprise communications solutions providers. For more information on the program, please visit: http://connect.yealink.com/.