The pandemic has triggered an accelerated transition to homeworking and digital collaboration. Combined with the emergence of technologies such as 5G, XaaS models and artificial intelligence, this has led to a significant shift in the way businesses communicate and operate.

This shift has significantly increased the demand for integrated communication solutions such as calling through applications like Microsoft Teams, Zoom and Slack, blurring the traditional separation between IT and telecom services. [1]

For IT service providers, this poses unique challenges, as the clear separation between IT and telecom services is becoming increasingly blurred for customers and demand is ever increasing. Naturally, they want to provide good service to customers but the blurring of that separation will make that more difficult (in the future). This development raises questions for IT service providers such as: How do they deal with support questions that fall outside their standard service package because the phone services go through third parties? How do they manage the increased network load as calling via apps becomes more common? What are the risks associated with third-party modifications to phone configurations? Is it wise to outsource crucial aspects of phone services or is it better to keep this "in house"? Where are these developments leading?

This research will offer insights into how IT service providers are approaching this integration. The results will provide valuable information for strategic decision-making and practical guidance for qualitatively serving customers in both IT and telecom issues.

[1] Cavell Cloud Communications Market Report 2023