Business and the market tend to develop rapidly, and business people always need to keep abreast of the latest trends in doing business. One of these is unified communications. In the modern pace of life, business communication often cannot keep up with the need to make decisions in real-time and, as a result, cannot cope with critical business needs. It is for solving such problems that unified communication services exist. Unified communications tools new levels of flexibility and control through multi-modal applications and their ability to provide an unprecedented level of connectivity for you and your workers.
What is Unified Communications?
The concept of unified communication implies easy access to various communication channels, regardless of where the employee is located (home, office, etc.) and the technical equipment they use (computer, tablet, smartphone). Also included in this concept is the interconnection of the various channels used in order to have all the necessary means of communication without multiplying the tools and the unification of synchronous (video-, audio-conference) and asynchronous (email, chats, etc.) communications.
Simply put, unified communications by UCtel can be described as a communication system that connects or uses different communication media to improve the productivity and profitability of your business.
Various Unified Communications Channels
Unified communication services combine different communication channels. These channels can thus be organized under a common interface, thanks to web-based solutions, and accessible from different devices. Communication channels that can be centralized can be grouped into the following categories:
- IP telephony;
- Video conferencing and audio conferencing.
- Written means of communication – email, SMS, instant messaging, or chat;
- Collaboration tools – project management software, solutions for managing and sharing documents, and a common agenda;
- Social networks, whether public or internal;
- Monitor attendance and occupancy in real-time.
Thus, unified communications begin by looking at four fundamental dimensions that are easy to understand: voice, messaging, conferencing, and video. And it’s no surprise that effective communication channels are critical to a company’s success.
Problems that unified communications are designed to solve
Unified communications go beyond a single form of technology or service, so hardware, software, service provider, and more must be carefully selected. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the purpose of the unified communications network, how end-users serve it, and how easy it is to adopt.
The need to improve business communication
Entrepreneurs now realise that they must respond quickly to change if they want to increase profitability by meeting the needs of their customers. Business communication has become more complex, and despite recent investments in technology such as instant messaging and handheld devices, businesses are still struggling to create an effective decision-making network.
To remain competitive and grow profitably, businesses must respond faster to employee and customer demands and avoid unnecessary delays in the communication process. The need to respond quickly to critical needs affects all industrial sectors: delays often have serious financial and communication consequences.
Delays in making internal decisions are negative for businesses
It has already become commonplace for many companies to have a large number of employees working outside the office, and it is higher than the number of those who work in the company. This increases the difficulty in communication, leading to delays caused by the time it takes to make a decision. In the enterprise, the situations described below occur very often.
- The inability to contact mobile or external employees slows down decision-making;
- Distributed workgroups cannot collaborate naturally;
- Employees may not have a clear idea of ??the presence of colleagues;
- Problems with organising joint working sessions.
The inability to collaborate the way you would like to influence high-priority projects and cause more internal movement within the company.
Communication delays increase business costs
Companies are often unaware of the high costs associated with communication delays, which are considered an integral part of the working day. This directly affects both business results and individual employee productivity. The cost to a company due to reporting delays can be significant.
Benefits that a company receives using unified communication
Improved corporate image
More productive and responsive employees will serve current and potential customers faster and more efficiently. In this way, they convey the image of an organised and professional company associated with an orderly relationship with the client.
Reduce costs and increase productivity and improve collaboration
Unified communications are necessary for the proper functioning and development of any business activity, regardless of its size and goals. Thanks to them, business teams significantly increase productivity and mobility.
All these advantages have won large companies and led them to the mass implementation of unified communications solutions. For SMBs, the end of traditional telephony and the mandatory transition to IP are key to having the tools to help manage company resources efficiently.
Improving the security of business processes
Remote work becomes a challenge when it comes to balancing functionality and security. When working remotely, employees need access to internal services, applications and information that they would normally use if they were working from the office. However, an organisation must also protect its systems and information, and telecommuting comes with its share of risks. Therefore, unified communication brings additional security measures to prevent attackers from exploiting any vulnerabilities in corporate systems.
Unified Communications as a competitive advantage
Medium and large enterprises spend millions of dollars a year on providing quality customer service and know that this is synonymous with a fundamental competitive advantage. For example, a textile manufacturer knows that competitive prices are not enough to compete in a crowded market.
Through unified communication services by UCtel, such a manufacturer can build customer loyalty by being more responsive to market conditions and accelerating service delivery by improving the flow of information throughout the organisation. If a customer complains about a defective product, thanks to the features of unified communication, constructive discussions in different parts of the world, with different time zones, can be initiated to solve this problem. With real-time connectivity, the technical team is able to resolve issues in a matter of hours, avoiding generic product returns.
