Introduction: The Risk Isn’t Just Technical - It’s Business

Unified communications (UC) migrations are happening everywhere. Organisations are moving from legacy phone systems and isolated tools to cloud-based platforms that support collaboration, mobility, analytics, and customer experience.

But here’s the uncomfortable truth: many partners who should be leading these migrations instead watch customers drift away during the process.

It’s not always because of technology capability. Often, it’s because the migration conversation wasn’t steered strategically, customer relationships weren’t protected, or partners failed to speak the language buyers care about.

In this article, we explore the common ways partners lose customers during UC migrations and - perhaps more importantly - how you can prevent it, positioning your business as the trusted advisor your customers need.

The Customer Expectation Shift

Modern businesses now view communications as a critical business system, not just a phone service.

According to Gartner, by 2026, more than 70% of enterprises will have moved to cloud-based unified communications (UCaaS) - up from around 40% in 2022. This shift is about agility, remote work enablement, cost predictability, and integration - not just voice functionality.

Customers are evaluating UC migrations through a business outcome lens, not purely a technical one:

• Will this improve employee productivity?
• Can it support hybrid work?
• Will it reduce operating costs?
• Will it integrate with other cloud business systems?

Because of this, the partner who understands business outcomes often wins over the partner who understands technology details.

Common Mistakes Partners Make (And How They Lose Customers)

1. Waiting for Customers to Ask

Many partners take a reactive posture: “We’ll wait until the customer asks for a cloud migration.”

But customers rarely ask directly. Instead they signal through behaviour - delayed refreshes, questions about remote work features, complaints about disparate tools.

Consequence: You’re late to the conversation, and competitors fill the gap.

Prevention

• Proactively engage established customers with migration insights
• Use business-centric language (not product jargon)
• Share data on industry migration trends and risks

2. Focusing on Technology Over Business Outcomes

If your pitch revolves primarily around technology stacks or feature comparisons, you miss the buyer’s priorities.

Customers care about:

• Productivity, collaboration, and hybrid work enablement
• Predictable OpEx vs CapEx budgeting
• Security and compliance
• Integration with business systems

Consequence: The customer tunes out; the competitor speaks business value and wins.

Prevention

• Speak in terms of outcomes, not specs
• Link communications features to measurable business benefits
  • fewer meetings lost due to poor connectivity
  • lower support costs
  • better customer service responsiveness

3. Allowing Others to Own the Cloud Narrative

When partners fail to lead, someone else - often a vendor, competitor, or procurement team - takes the narrative. Customers inundated with cloud messaging may gravitate to the loudest voice, not the most trusted one.

Consequence: Your customer is “owned” by someone else post-migration.

Prevention

• Lead the roadmap discussion early
• Own the migration milestones
• Be transparent about risks and mitigations

This strengthens trust and reinforces your value.

4. Ignoring Existing Relationships During Migration

It’s ironic but true: partners sometimes let the migration process erode the very relationship they’re trying to preserve.

How?

• Passing the customer directly to vendor support
• Minimising involvement once the deal is signed
• Focusing on implementation over engagement

Consequence: The partner becomes a transaction, not a trusted advisor.

Prevention

• Stay involved at every step
• Own the customer relationship even when vendors are operationally active
• Use defined service and communication touchpoints

A Partner-Led Migration Model That Works

To avoid these pitfalls, consider a partner-first approach to UC migrations.

1. Lead with Planning, Not Products

Start the conversation with:

• Discovery sessions on business goals
• Pain points tied to current systems
• Desired outcomes post-migration

This positions you as a strategic advisor, not a vendor.

2. Protect the Relationship Across Touchpoints

Customers value continuity. They want:

• A single point of accountability
• A partner who understands their history
• A roadmap that respects their business cycles

Structure your migration model to keep you central to the relationship.

3. Use a Framework That Encourages Collaboration

Cloud migrations are complex - but they can be structured:

Pre-Migration

• Readiness assessment
• Business outcomes mapping

Migration

• Pilot deployments
• Change management
• Stakeholder engagement

Post-Migration

• Support agreements
• Upsell pathways (analytics, contact centre, AI)
• Performance tracking

Customers appreciate clarity - and partners who provide it.

Why Customers Reward Partner Leadership

Customers want:

• Confidence that their investment delivers value
• A migration that doesn’t disrupt operations
• A partner who stays involved, even after cutover

When you lead with business outcomes and manage customer expectations, you deepen trust. Trust leads to:

• Repeat business
• Referrals
• Higher lifetime customer value

These are the durable benefits of leadership - not salesmanship.

Conclusion: Don’t Let Migration Be a Turning Point for Losing Customers

UC migrations are a crossroads. They are not merely technical upgrades - they’re opportunities to:

• Reassert your role as trusted advisor
• Elevate the value you bring to your customer
• Capture more recurring revenue
• Strengthen long-term business relationships

The partners who guide migrations with structure, business focus, and engagement will not only retain their customers - they’ll expand with them.

Final Thought

Migration should strengthen the partner–customer bond - not fracture it.

Your customers may be ready to move to cloud. But they’re even more ready to move with a partner who understands their business. Position yourself as that partner, and migrations become milestones in your customer’s success story - not their exit strategy.

Ready to help your customers migrate - and keep them with you?

Discover how the NEC UC Channel Partner Program enables partner-led migration success.