Good communication is paramount to the seamless functioning of any organization. Without it, the business and the employees will likely struggle to realize their full potential. Unified communication is a trend that is fast catching up in the world of business due to the host of benefits it offers. Let’s take a look at what it means and how it benefits businesses.
Meaning of unified communications
Unified Communications integrate diverse communication tools, such as – voice, video, IP Telephony calling, and text messaging. Traditional voice-centric PBX systems are being augmented or replaced by unified communications solutions to improve employee productivity, collaboration, and support BYOD (Bring your own device) initiatives.
A well-known example of the Unified Communication system is Google Voice, which focuses on voice communications.
Common challenges that many businesses encounter when implementing Unified Communication Solutions
Combining the existing communications platforms to Unified Communication Solutions isn’t always straightforward. There are some challenges involved:
- Complexity: The amount of technology and human interactions required is ten times higher than other forms of communication, like phone conferences. It sometimes requires a major overhaul of the communications platforms.
- Cost: Sometimes, the cost of implementing a new platform can be too expensive for a company. Traditional ISDN-based PBX systems especially come with a higher cost.
- Concerns Regarding agility: Companies need agile communication solutions that grow with them. So, when implementing Unified communications, they have concerns about the agility of the new platform.
- Legacy Infrastructure: Sometimes, companies face difficulty phasing out legacy infrastructure.
- Lack of support in the case of small enterprises: Implementation may be difficult for SMEs, who may not have an in-house tech team or support to implement and support UC solutions.
Top Benefits offered by unified communications
Depending on the specific business and technology use, Unified communications offer the following benefits:
- Better communication– It is fundamental for streamlining processes and bettering communications.
- Mobility – With the help of Unified Communication Solutions, employees are able to perform their jobs from anywhere, enabling time to be efficiently used. UC solutions were particularly very useful after the Covid-19 outbreak when the entire world was under lockdown.
- Flexibility – Multiple systems, multiple business locations, and workers can be unified under one system. The companies that have offices in international locations and have many workers working remotely can greatly benefit from it.
- Scalability – As UC systems are often hosted on the cloud, businesses and their communications can grow without buying additional infrastructure and gaining additional maintenance costs.
- Better Customer Interaction – Failed videos and dropped calls can give a bad impression to customers and clients. UC enables better customer interaction. Additionally, UC facilitates customer service processes, which is a must for keeping the customers happy. [Also Read: How to use technology to better serve clients in 2021]
- Financial simplicity – If an organization is using unified communication solutions, instead of paying to multiple providers, they just have to pay one monthly bill to one provider. As a result, the organizations are able to manage their expenditure better.
- Seamless Integration of Multiple Devices – UC allows for seamless integration of multiple devices, like – desk phones, computers, and mobiles, supported by messaging, cloud faxing, chat, and CRM integration.
- Beneficial for sales and marketing teams – Through optimized team collaboration, UC helps ensure efficient CRM and presents the business in the best technological way. It enables real-time dialogue between the sales and marketing teams and makes business and customer service processes quicker and better.
Wrap-Up
By switching from traditional communications tools to unified business communications, organizations can achieve a host of benefits, such as – better customer service, cost savings, higher productivity, improved mobility, and better coordination among workers. As organizations develop innovative approaches to better work processes and improve customer experiences, unified communication solutions will have a vital role to play.
