Key Takeaways

  • Peer learning beats vendor pitches: Customer communities, like the Mitel USer Group, provide practical, real-world solutions based on actual experience, while vendor conversations often remain theoretical
  • Roadmap visibility drives strategic planning: User groups offer critical transparency into product development, transforming customers from reactive problem-solvers to proactive strategic partners
  • Community delayed = opportunity lost: Parnassia Groep operated for 13 years without knowing about the Mitel User Group, highlighting how vendors often fail to communicate the value of their customer communities
  • Local + global = winning formula: The most effective user groups balance region-specific discussions with access to global resources and infrastructure
  • Simple features, major impact: Sometimes the biggest business value comes from elegantly simple solutions—like hot desking—that solve everyday frustrations
  • Collaboration over complaints: Well-run user groups create virtuous cycles where authentic customer feedback drives product development aligned with real needs

 

In the complex world of enterprise communications, technology vendors often focus on features and functionality. But there’s a critical element that doesn’t get nearly enough attention: the power of user-led communities, like the Mitel User Group, to drive real business value.

I recently sat down with Roberto Hanique, a telecom networking administrator at Parnassia Groep in the Netherlands, to discuss his experience with the Mitel User Group (MUG). What emerged from our conversation was a compelling case study in how peer communities can transform the customer experience and accelerate organizational success.

Watch the full video:

The Discovery That Changed Everything

Parnassia Groep is one of the largest mental healthcare providers in the Netherlands, operating over 200 sites nationwide with a five-person team managing the entire telephony environment. They’ve been a Mitel customer since 2010, but here’s the surprising part: they didn’t discover the Mitel User Group until 2023.

This revelation highlights a critical gap in how vendors communicate the value of their customer communities. For over a decade, Parnassia Groep operated without access to peer insights, shared experiences, and collective problem-solving that could have accelerated their success.

Practical Wisdom Over Theoretical Solutions

When I asked Roberto about the primary value of the user group, his answer was illuminating. “When we talk to other customers at the user group, we hear practical examples and use cases of communication challenges that we face,” he explained. “When we talk to a vendor, we often get solutions offered that are more theoretical without practical use cases.”

This distinction matters enormously. Vendors, no matter how well-intentioned, can’t replicate the authentic voice of a peer who has wrestled with the same challenges in the real world. Customer communities create safe spaces where members share not just their successes, but their failures—and those failure stories often provide the most valuable learning opportunities.

The Indirect Value That Drives Direct Results

While Roberto noted that the user group hasn’t directly solved specific technical problems, the indirect value has been substantial. Through MUG events held twice yearly, Parnassia Groep gains critical visibility into Mitel’s product roadmap, enabling better strategic planning. “Without the user group, we are kind of a black box,” Roberto said. “We didn’t know what they were developing on.”

This roadmap transparency allows organizations to make informed decisions about technology investments, resource allocation, and long-term planning. It transforms the relationship from reactive problem-solving to proactive strategic partnership.

Local Connections, Global Benefits

The Mitel User Group demonstrates how to balance local relevance with global scale effectively. Dutch user group events focus on region-specific issues like compliance, reliability, and local use cases. Yet behind these local gatherings sits a global infrastructure providing tools, learning resources, and broader community support.

This hybrid approach — meeting locally while benefiting from global resources — mirrors the hybrid work environments most organizations now navigate.

Collaboration, Not Confrontation

Some vendors view user groups warily, concerned they’ll become complaint forums. Roberto’s experience suggests otherwise. “It is very collaborative,” he emphasized. “Mitel uses user group events to inform their customers and hear feedback and experience on their products.”

This collaborative dynamic creates a virtuous cycle: customers provide authentic feedback based on real-world usage, vendors gain insights they can’t get from focus groups or surveys, and product development becomes more aligned with actual customer needs.

Mitel User Group and Real Business Impact

Beyond networking and roadmap discussions, Mitel has delivered tangible business value for Parnassia Groep. A simple feature called “hot desking” transformed their operations. Previously, employees working across multiple sites had different phone numbers at each location, creating communication friction. Hot desking allows employees to log in with their personal number on any phone, regardless of location.

“It made our employees more flexible and efficient because they didn’t have to keep track of multiple lines or rely on call forwarding,” Roberto explained. Sometimes the most impactful innovations are elegantly simple solutions to everyday frustrations.

The Path Forward

Looking ahead, Roberto identified two priorities: improving remote work capabilities with feature parity to desk phones, particularly for ACD systems, and enhanced performance reporting for teams using the Mitel Business Console. These requests illustrate how user communities can drive product innovation by articulating real-world needs.

The Bottom Line

My conversation with Roberto reinforced a fundamental truth: in enterprise technology, the ecosystem matters as much as the product. User-led communities create peer networks where customers learn from each other’s experiences, influence product direction, and make better decisions for their organizations.

For organizations navigating the complexity of hybrid unified communications environments — whether in healthcare, manufacturing, financial services, or beyond — community and partnership approaches can make all the difference. The real power isn’t just in the technology; it’s in the collective wisdom of customers, partners, and vendors working together toward shared success.

If you’re a Mitel customer not yet engaged with the user group, Roberto’s advice is simple: “Do it. Join the user group. The value comes from being part of a community that truly understands your challenges.”

Read more of my coverage:

Why User-Led Communities Matter: A Conversation with BPI’s Cas Rangel

 

This article was originally published on LinkedIn.