The Ultimate Guide to Unified Communications for Businesses
Unified Communications is a system that brings together a number of communication tools including voice, video, messaging and collaboration tools.
This helps you run your business more efficiently and keeps team members connected no matter where they’re working from.
Core Features of Unified Communications (UC):
UC’s core features come together to make communication much more efficient.
- Instant Messaging: No need to send an email or make a call when you have a quick question! You can get an instant response from your co-workers this way.
- VoIP: Rather than using traditional phone lines, VoIP solutions allow voice calls to be made over the internet
- Video Conferencing: It doesn’t matter where your staff are in the world – everyone can connect in real-time through holding virtual meetings
- Presence Technology: Users can see if their colleagues are active on their devices before they try to establish contact with them
Benefits for Businesses
UC offers a range of “operational” advantages: in the first case, communication modes increase the speed of information flow and reduce IT costs as well as reduce costs associated with managing multiple separate tools.
In both cases UC is highly scalable and agile from a strategic perspective, enabling businesses to adapt their communications infrastructure quickly to meet changing business needs without significant capital outlay.
Choosing the Right UC System
When selecting a UC system organizations have to think about a variety of aspects. The reputation of the vendor is important because if they are not able to supply the necessary parts, your forklift will be out of service.
With their reputation, you get a closer look at their flexibility and scalability — which is highly important because this quality allows you to use your existing equipment without being forced into a complete revamp.
Implementation Strategies
Successfully deploying a UC system means you need planning to avoid common pitfalls. Best practices include testing before full deployment, and providing training for all users. By planning your migration, you ensure that interruptions are minimal and that the new system can be put to its full advantage from day one.
The Future of Unified Communications?
The landscape of Unified Communications, is ever changing with new technology like AI enhancements that automate and improve communication processes, or cloud based solutions which give you more flexibility and scalability. Knowing what these trends are, and implementing new technology can help keep your business at the top in terms of communication innovation.
Conclusion
As businesses continue to advance their digital transformation efforts, UC systems are a tactical initiative that can drive your organization further toward improved operational efficiency and market leadership.