The popularity of Web conferencing, instant messaging, and other collaborative tools has increased dramatically over the past five years as companies invest in the portfolio of services known as Unified Communications. Although IT organizations are increasingly purchasing these services, actual usage has lagged and few customers have achieved the intended benefits that justified the initial investment. In most enterprise organizations, the majority of actual usage occurs in limited pockets by a small minority of users

As a result of the lackluster adoption and usage of collaboration solutions, companies that have made the investment are forgoing tens of millions of dollars in potential annual productivity gains. The promised enterprise benefits of faster decision-making, improved communications, and reduced travel expense are stalled as most users continue conducting their business communications without the use of these solutions.

Most companies who invest in Unified Communications technologies do not invest in the successful implementation of those technologies. The number of individuals adopting the solutions often falls below expectations. This whitepaper discusses the three most typical factors inhibiting widespread adoption of a technology in a company as well as the five stages of the collaborative adoption process.