Most people have heard of unified communications (UC), but they may not know exactly what it is. UC is a term used to describe a broad range of communication tools and services that allow people to connect with each other and access the information they need from anywhere in the world. UC can be used in businesses of all sizes, and it has a number of benefits that can help your employees work more efficiently.

In this article, we’ll discuss why you should consider using UC for your business if you haven’t already and the benefits it can provide.

What are unified communications?

Unified communications (UC) is a term used to describe a broad range of communication tools and services that allow people to connect with each other and access the information they need from anywhere in the world. UC can be used in businesses of all sizes, and it has a number of benefits that can help your employees work more efficiently.

According to a study by Global Market Insights, the UC market is expected to reach a value of $100 billion by 2028. This growth is being driven by the increasing demand for cloud-based solutions in our hybrid world.

The way we work has changed dramatically in recent years, and unified communications are playing a major role in this transformation. Tools such as Microsoft Teams, can help employees connect with each other, accessing the tools they need to do their jobs from anywhere in the world. Couple this with a carrier provider and contact centre capabilities, this can easily be your company’s communication superpower.

If you’re not yet using UC for your business, now is the time to consider it.

What are the benefits for businesses?

More and more businesses are adopting unified communications as a way to save money on office spaces. Because the tool is at your fingertips,  it’s easier to manage your workforce and a in turn, track their performance no matter where they are. Here are some other notable benefits:

1. Increased productivity: Employees can connect with each other and access the tools they need to do their jobs easily. This allows them to be more productive and gives them greater flexibility to work from home or on the go.
2. Improved communication and collaboration: Easier for employees to work together on projects and documents leading to better teamwork and improved collaboration.
3. Reduced costs: With an OpEx model businesses can move away from having to spend any upfront costs as well as reducing and other costs in providing staff with corporate mobile phones.
4. Greater flexibility: Provides businesses with greater flexibility to manage their workforce. Employees can be located anywhere in the world, and businesses can add or remove employees as needed.
5. Improved customer service: Can improve customer service by allowing businesses to respond faster to customer inquiries where some solutions integrate into a CRM, providing instant background information prior to the call.

How do you choose the right unified communications system for your business?

There are many different unified communications systems available, so it’s important to choose one that meets the needs of your business. When choosing a UC system, you should consider factors such as:

1. The size of your business: The system you choose should be able to accommodate the size of your business and how it operates. If your business is small or if your call flow design isn’t overly complex then have a solution designed accordingly.
2. The type of business: Cater to what is appropriate for the type of business you have. For example, if you have a customer service-oriented business, you’ll want to choose a system that includes features such as call recording and automatic call distribution.
3. Your budget: Should be affordable and within your budget. Based on the budget you have, systems and plans can be designed so that it provides the value you’re after.

How unified communications can help remote workers be more productive

If you have employees who work remotely, unified communications can help them be more productive by giving them the ability to connect with each other and access the tools they need to better collaborate. With UC, remote workers can:

1. Make and receive phone calls both internally and externally: Employees can make and receive phone calls, just as if they were in the office.
2. Collaborate and access files and documents with ease: Employees can access files and documents, just as if they were in the office which can be integrated within one platform.
3. Meetings: Employees can conduct virtual meetings with ease and share screens with ease when and if working on documents together, all within one platform.

Conclusion

By having a well-designed unified communication solution in place, employees will be able to collaborate with each other and access the tools and documents they need to do their jobs from anywhere in the world. Additionally, unified communications can help businesses save money by reducing their need for additional corporate devices coupled with the benefits of BYOD.

The future of unified communications is exciting with technology making it easier for businesses to save time, and money whilst improving collaboration and cohesion within teams.

If you’d like to know more about how you can get going with this for your business, feel free to get in touch.