Discover the benefits of unified communications, the ultimate solution for business owners seeking to optimize operations and boost long-term employee productivity.
Effective communication channels are essential for promoting cross-department collaboration and facilitating rapid exchange of ideas. While traditional phone systems may not meet these requirements, unified communications can help fill the gap. If you’re wondering what unified communications actually are, this article provides a comprehensive overview of the key concepts involved, and how you can leverage this approach to drive success in your business.
WHAT IS UNIFIED COMMUNICATIONS?
THE 5 FEATURES
FEATURE 1. MOBILITY
With unified communications, employees can stay connected from any location and at all times. Whether they’re working remotely from home, relaxing on a secluded island, or sitting in the office, they can still access essential features such as chat, call reception, and more.
FEATURE 2. UNIFIED MESSAGING
By providing a single tool for handling multiple message types, employees can easily switch between communication modes based on their requirements.
FEATURE 3. CONFERENCING
With unified communications, conferencing tools are readily available at your fingertips whenever you need them. You can easily facilitate video or audio communication between a group of teammates or external customers from different locations, irrespective of where you are.
FEATURE 4. FAX SUPPORT
Unified communications enables faxes to be received as email attachments, making it possible for users to access them on their desktops and smartphones.
FEATURE 5. PRESENCE
With this feature, users can view each other’s status, indicating whether they are online (Active), busy (Do Not Disturb), or away (Out of the Office).
WAYS UNIFIED COMMUNICATIONS BENEFIT BUSINESS LEADERS
So, what are the benefits of using unified communications in your business?
Let’s explore 6 of them below.
1 INCREASED TEAM PRODUCTIVITY
Boosting team productivity and eliminating bottlenecks is a key priority for business owners, and unified communications can help achieve this. This type of communication saves team members time on various tasks, including faster file sharing, receiving calls from any location, and receiving voicemails and faxes directly in their email. Single-click video meetings can also be initiated for emergencies, making teams more effective and helping to remove communication challenges.
2 LOWER COMMUNICATION COSTS
Traditional phone systems and on-site communication tools can often exceed a company’s IT budget. Unified communications rely on the internet for all activities, which reduces costs by using Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and eliminating the need for server and hardware infrastructure. Adding new users is easy through a user-friendly dashboard, and costs remain the same each month, avoiding budget surprises.
3 ENHANCED CUSTOMER SERVICE
The quality of customer service can make or break a business, and unified communications make it easier for employees to provide great customer service by allowing them to respond to client queries from any location. All chats, incoming calls, and emails are visible from any device, and CRM software can be integrated into the platform to provide all necessary information and notes related to a client, which helps solve issues faster.
4 EMPOWERING A REMOTE WORKFORCE
Unified communications support a remote workforce by including all communication aspects in a single platform. Remote workers need only a stable internet connection to access the network and all the features available to the rest of the team.
5 INCREASING ORGANIZATIONAL AGILITY
Increased team productivity drives organizational agility, which has a strategic value for unified communications. Enhanced business outcomes are a result of improved communication and workflow, which benefits the business as a whole.
6 ENHANCED SECURITY
Unified communications enhance business security by integrating all applications into a single platform, making it easier for the IT team to apply specific security policies across all apps, manage security patches, and comply with updates.
UNLEASHING THE POTENTIAL OF UNIFIED COMMUNICATIONS
Improving the overall performance of employees in an organization requires streamlining processes. This is where unified communications comes into play. By integrating your entire communication system into a single platform, you can boost your customer experience and make your team more efficient. Unified communications enables you and your team to make calls, host conferences, send emails, receive faxes, and chat from a single, unified space, making your job easier and more seamless. If you’re interested in learning more about implementing unified communications in your business, we are here to assist you. Reach out to us for a 10-15 minute conversation to discuss this topic further.
