The 2023 Gartner report, “Critical Capabilities for Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS),” has highlighted significant shifts in the UCaaS landscape, driven by changes in communication culture, the rise of cloud office collaboration tools, and reduced reliance on premise-based telephony. The report evaluates 11 leading UCaaS vendors across nine critical capabilities and six use cases to guide infrastructure and operations leaders in their selection processes.

 Key highlights of the report

1. Disruptive Changes and Cloud Dominance: “Collaboration platforms with meetings and messaging capabilities and/or mobile devices have replaced a significant amount of internal and external communication needs. Therefore, organizations increasingly see up to 60% of their knowledge workers not requiring full-featured telephony service, along with PSTN connectivity, except in some telephony-critical industries such as healthcare, retail, education and legal.”
2. AI and Innovation: “Vendors mostly differentiate around innovating with AI for sales and marketing roles, integrated contact center support, advancing their admin portal and self-service tools, and customer support.” 
3. Strategic Planning Assumptions: “By 2026, 70% of enterprise users will prioritize collaboration tools and mobile devices over UC telephony, up from 30% in 2023.”

RingCentral’s evaluation

RingCentral was recognized in three use case categories: UC with Integrated Contact Center Use Case, Midsize Enterprise Use Case, and Telephony Centric/Heavy Organizations Use Case. Here’s a breakdown of how RingCentral fared in key areas:

1. Telephony-centric/Heavy Organizations: RingCentral scored highest in the use case. We feel this makes it an ideal choice for organizations that still rely heavily on traditional telephony but are looking for reliable, feature rich communications. 
2. Midsize Enterprise Use Case: For midsize enterprises, RingCentral’s RingEX offers a robust, integrated UCaaS solution that supports a wide range of communication needs. With its strong telephony features, innovative AI capabilities, and recent enhancements in SMS and workflow automation, RingCentral is well-positioned to meet the dynamic requirements of midsize businesses.
3. UC with Integrated Contact Center Use Case: RingCentral offers a dual approach with its newly released RingCX solution for simpler use cases and the more advanced RingCentral Contact Center.. This flexibility allows businesses to choose a solution that best fits their specific needs. 

Strategic recommendations

For I&O leaders and digital workplace decision-makers, the report offers several strategic recommendations:

1. “Create a communications strategy and select the vendor accordingly by focusing on hybrid work styles, communication and collaboration, while keeping the minimal focus on telephony features and functionality as required.”
2. “Reduce risk by evaluating UCaaS solutions with the aid of proof-of-concept (POC) trials that match your organization’s UC use cases. POCs should run for four to eight weeks and, typically, focus on functional aspects of the solution such as telephony and collaboration features, rather than availability or performance.”
3. “Reevaluate your UCaaS/UC on-premises maintenance contract coming up for renewal in the next six to 12 months by determining opportunities to consolidate tools that have minimal overlap. It’s favorable to use a telephony-centric UC platform for specific users who need more advanced and traditional telephony and a collaboration platform for general use.” 

Conclusion

RingCentral’s recognition in the Gartner Critical Capabilities for UCaaS report, we feel, underscores its position as a leading provider of cloud communications solutions. With its emphasis on AI-driven innovation, robust telephony features, and seamless integration of collaboration tools, RingCentral is well-equipped to meet the evolving needs of modern businesses.

As the UCaaS landscape continues to evolve, organizations looking to enhance their communication and collaboration capabilities should consider RingCentral as a top contender. Whether you’re a midsize enterprise or a large multinational organization, RingCentral offers the flexibility, reliability, and advanced features needed to stay ahead in today’s dynamic business environment.

Read the full report here.

Explore RingCentral’s comprehensive UCaaS solutions and see how they can transform your organization’s communications strategy.

Gartner, Critical Capabilities for Unified Communications as a Service, By Pankil Sheth, Megan Fernandez, Rafael Benitez, Christopher Trueman, 30 November 2023

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Originally published Sep 18, 2024