Guide To Implementing Unified Communications
Unified communications offer the latest go-to solution for business owners looking to streamline their businesses and increase employee productivity in the long term. Considering it’s the next great frontier in business communications, investigation is warranted.
Creating high-quality communication channels is crucial for any company. After all, doing so promotes cross-department collaboration and quicker idea exchange and expansion.
Since phones alone often don’t always work in today’s world, many business owners turn to unified communications.
So, what exactly is unified communication?
We hope to answer that here. Keep reading to discover the main concepts of the UC approach and how you can use it to help your business blossom.
WHAT IS UNIFIED COMMUNICATIONS
Unified communications is the term for an all-in-one platform that utilizes phone, video, screen sharing, chat, and file management into a single space. UC platforms offer a ready-to-use system that allows for seamless communication in numerous ways.
The system runs over the cloud, making access easy for all team members with Internet connections.
But, given training and onboarding costs, why should any company consider switching to unified communications?
There are several reasons for and against, of course, but the most crucial is that business leaders who choose UC can to impact their business every day to a much greater degree. UC also makes employee interaction seamless.
With that in mind, we’ll list 5 key features of the UC concept to help better understand how it helps scale your business.
THE 5 FEATURES
FEATURE #1. MOBILITY
When using unified communications, all team members can stay connected at all times and from all locations. Whether they’re working from home, vacationing on a remote island, or sitting in the office, they’ll still be able to chat, receive calls, and more.
FEATURE #2. UNIFIED MESSAGING
Unified messaging allows staff members to communicate with different message types using a single tool. They can then easily switch modes of communication, depending on their needs.
FEATURE #3. CONFERENCING
Whenever teleconferencing is the best method, staff has flexible options in the palm their hands. A group of teammates or even staff and customers from outside your organization can connect and speak via video or audio from different locations.
FEATURE #4. FAX SUPPORT
Faxes coming through UC appear as email attachments. By converting faxes to emails, users can also receive faxes on their desktops and smartphones instead of being tied to the fax machine.
FEATURE #5. PRESENCE
This UC feature allows users to see each other’s status. That means anyone in the office can see when someone is online (Active), busy (Do Not Disturb), or away (Out of the Office).
HOW UNIFIED COMMUNICATIONS HELP BUSINESS LEADERS
So, instead of the features, what are the benefits of using unified communications in your business? How can this help you?
Let’s explore 6 of them below.
BENEFIT #1. HIGHER TEAM PRODUCTIVITY
Business owners must boost their team’s workflow and eliminate bottlenecks to stay competitive. Once they get to do so, productivity will drastically improve.
UC does this easily, with less issues and less micromanagement.
This type of communication saves time for team members on various tasks, including:
⦁ Faster file sharing that eliminates long email threads for teamwork
⦁ Ability to receive calls from any location, allowing more flexibility
⦁ Ability to receive voicemails and faxes directly in the email, eliminating distractions
⦁ Single-click video meetings for emergencies
UC technologies empower employees to work effectively and get more tasks done in a single day. It also helps eliminate communication challenges.
BENEFIT #2. LOWER COMMUNICATION COSTS
Legacy phones and on-site communication servers usually cost more than most IT budgets allow.
By contrast, unified communication relies on internet connections for all its activities. Using the Internet and cloud capability means your phone system runs over Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and integrates easily with the rest of the tools. This approach eliminates the need for onsite server and hardware infrastructure creation and maintenance.
Unified communications interfaces make it super easy to add new users. Authorized people simply do so via an easy-to-use dashboard without having to make service calls.
Finally, the cost of unified communications is the same every month. No surprises to your budget, which makes business planning much easier.
BENEFIT #3. ENHANCED CUSTOMER SERVICE
Company success greatly depends on the quality of its customer service.
With unified communications, your employees can provide smooth, great customer service. After all, they can respond to client queries regardless of their location. Holdups in communication because someone is away from the desk becomes a thing of the past. All chats, incoming calls, and emails are visible from any device.
You can also integrate all your CRM software on the platform for added workflow smoothness.
For instance, whenever a current or potential client contacts your business, the customer service representative can see all the necessary information and notes related to that client. Due to the ease of record access, they can help them solve issues faster.
BENEFIT #4. EMPOWERING A REMOTE WORKFORCE
Thousands of companies have enabled remote and hybrid work over the past few years. This transition started due to necessity, but plenty of benefits showed up on the heels of it.
However, a constant concern of remote and hybrid work is ensuring that remote workers have and understand all the tools they need for effective work.
Thanks to unified communications, all communication for any given user can be accessed through a single platform from any location. All remote and hybrid workers need is a stable internet connection and an appropriate work device to get access to the company network and all the features, just like the rest of the team.
BENEFIT #5. INCREASING ORGANIZATIONAL AGILITY
When each team’s productivity increases, the entire organization follows. Increased organizational agility reflects the strategic value of UC. The results you achieve impact your business as a whole as the communication systems upgrades from bottom to top.
To grasp how this approach benefits the company as a whole, executives must view unified communications from the management side as well.
Sure, communication infrastructure is seen as a utilitarian role for management. But when that communication drives productivity, streamlines workflow, enhances collaboration and leads to enhanced business outcomes, that’s when its value shines.
BENEFIT #6. ENHANCED SECURITY
Security is crucial for every business. As data privacy and protection laws multiply, it’ll become ever more important. Unified communications enhance the security of a business’s data by integrating all applications into a single platform. Less logins, less passwords, and easier IT department access make the system much more secure.
As a result, it becomes straightforward for the IT team to apply specific security policies, such as two factor authentication, across all apps. Managing security patches and compliance updates also gets simpler since all applications share the same protocols.
REALIZING THE POWER OF UNIFIED COMMUNICATIONS
Streamlining the processes within an organization improves the overall performance of its employees. Unified communications allows companies to do just that.
With it, you can improve your customer experience and streamline your team by integrating all communications systems into a single platform.
Unified communications allows everyone in the company to make calls, host conferences, send emails, receive faxes, and chat from a single, unified space to make work and collaboration easier.
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