Workplace dynamics are also shifting quickly, particularly among Millennials - who bring different expectations in the form of flexible working hours, remote working options, and virtual work solutions that promote greater productivity and well-being for employees.
What Is Unified Communications?
Unified Communications solutions (UCs) consist of various tools designed to facilitate efficient internal and external communications between internal channels and external ones, including instant messaging, email, voice over IP (VOIP), IPT video chats, as well as many others.
All types of communication services may be integrated into Unified Communication. At an enterprise level, these can include digital signage and Internet Protocol Television (IPTV).
Unified Communications (UC) provides an innovative communication framework designed to optimize business processes, increase user productivity and give workforce members more freedom and flexibility - with seamless user experiences providing the added boost.
Any effective UC solution must provide both audio and visual functionality. As recently, 93% of internal communications professionals thought video calls were essential to communication - yet these experts did not know that other communication tools existed to supplement them.
Sometimes Unified Communications and Unified Messaging can become confused; At the same time, both services offer messaging functions; Unified Communications goes a step further by including real-time and nonreal-time delivery mechanisms in its offerings.
Businesses often look for solutions that offer Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS). Organizations of any size can benefit from cloud-based solutions tailored to their budget and needs.
Planning an effective UC Strategy entails multiple key elements.
User Experience
Start with your team. Determine what users will primarily do with the UC platform: management teams may require video conferencing capabilities, while call center agents in the UK need visibility through SMS messages, emails, and social media posts. Consider which tools may enhance UX for these scenarios.
Staff Training
Adopting Unified Communications takes time. This is especially true for large enterprises with many employees. Users will require expert skills in using the UC Interface; otherwise, things won't get completed correctly, and any time spent troubleshooting becomes wasted.
Ideally, large companies should implement Unified Communications gradually so as not to overwhelm IT teams during implementation. Spending more time getting it right from the beginning may pay dividends later.
Before implementing a UC system, it is imperative to determine its compatibility with your current operations. This may mean considering whether hardware like desktops, telephones, or legacy software already on company computers is compatible.
Can Your Network Support Increase Traffic or Meet Cloud Unified Communications Requirements? To be ready for cloud-unified communications services, your infrastructure may require major adjustments before becoming compatible with this approach.
Future-proofing
No matter which UC solution is right for your business, be prepared to adapt to industry changes as technology quickly develops and markets grow. Choose a system that is adaptable according to the size and needs of your organization.
Interoperability is also key; companies must respond more swiftly when faced with increased client demands or resource strain. Private/hybrid cloud flexibility may also be desirable for your organization and can enable its UC Framework to grow with it over time.
Unified Communication For Digital Workers
Digital workforce growth has exploded in size and significance, with increasing numbers of employees prioritizing flexible working arrangements as they advance in their career paths.
Recent survey findings demonstrate people's willingness to trade lower pay for greater flexibility. Not just millennials favor flexible schedules and collaboration - effective and robust workplace communication can bring all generations of workers closer together.
Global events will accelerate businesses' move away from physical offices. According to a recent study, 34% of companies now utilize UCaaS, up from 19% at its inception.
Digital Workforce Challenges
There are numerous advantages to both employees and employers of digital, hybrid, or remote working arrangements; however, some potential pain points associated with remote working could present obstacles for which Unified Communications could offer solutions.
What Is The Best Communication Channel?
Managers and team leaders often struggle with knowing when or how to connect with their remote employees, especially since communication occurs via a Unified Communications platform, and any messages will arrive instantly when employees log onto it.
What Is The Availability Of People Right Now?
Digital workers may lack a physical presence that facilitates business communications. Team members and coworkers may find it challenging to ascertain when someone online receives messages in real time; this process is simplified using a UC platform since all communications take place from within one central location.
Coworkers will always have access to recipients, no matter which device or location they may use, and can reach them in real-time using any contact method that suits their preference.
Encourage Camaraderie
An increasingly virtual workplace makes building community difficult; by contrast, creating connections in a Unified Communications (UC) environment may prove far simpler.
Virtual meetings, both 1-on-1s and conferences with HD audio/video capabilities, can offer all the same advantages of in-person meetings; face-to-face meetings allow everyone to see who stands behind an organization; you could implement social team chats for nonwork communications and fun team activities.
Communication And Collaboration Are Unified
Unified communication simplifies collaboration processes to meet an organization's communications needs more efficiently and reliably, encouraging greater teamwork and promoting greater understanding among workers.
Take, for instance, Unified Communication and Collaboration Technology (UC&C). A UC&C model adds collaboration tools such as screen sharing or real-time document editing/creation in groups to a UC model, making this hybrid solution much more practical.
Your digital workforce requires virtual collaboration. A UC&C system can assist businesses in several ways.
Productivity Increases
Employees equipped with the appropriate tools can maximize their time more effectively. Communication and collaboration occur via one interface, saving time by not needing to switch devices or apps between conversations and projects. Users also benefit from accessing any relevant data at their fingertips while working collaboratively on collaborative efforts.
Small businesses will experience an average increase of 52% in productivity while employees become happier due to team collaboration tools increasing efficiency by up to 20%; 40% of employees reported they'd even pay extra if it simplifies their life more easily.
Team Responsiveness
Team members should have access to each other at all times and from anywhere, making response times to inquiries faster than ever when available. A timely reply to external communications, such as sales inquiries or customer questions, should always be expected. This sets an excellent first impression for prospective purchasers or those needing help solving an issue, but many responses require internal communications solutions.
Cost Reductions For Business
Businesses that can boost productivity also save time and money, with UC helping companies to accomplish this feat by eliminating unnecessary communication routes or switching apps. Utilizing just one service for UC&C also reduces costs significantly as businesses only pay for what services are needed - freeing up valuable resources that could be put toward important aspects of an organization, such as critical functions.
Greater Collaboration
Communication simplifies collaboration on projects and tasks, so UC&C facilitates this and provides tools that enable it across departments.
Successful interactions and services must make sense to their members and visitors at virtual workplaces. Tools like screen sharing and whiteboarding make participation in team meetings much simpler for virtual employees.
Uc&C Tools And Integrations
All UC&C software provides several key features to promote teamwork in any organization.
Communication In Real-Time
Unified communication solutions should offer real-time communication channels to meet user preferences - whether they choose texting, chatter, or telephone conversations.
Email Integration
Most organizations provide their employees with work email accounts; some use these messages as communication tools and integrate various email services with Unified Communication systems if available; there may even be platform-based email providers offering these features.
Email can provide multiple benefits when linking UC&C systems together, including instantaneously emailing the transcript of a meeting right after it concludes and turning voicemail messages into text files for another coworker to read.
Calls
UC&C calls can easily be initiated from one platform, giving team members access to conferences from anywhere around the globe and with multiple channels as long as both participants have internet connectivity.
Calls between video calls/group chats can seamlessly transition to voice calls for optimal communication flexibility among teams and staff members. This gives everyone an increased degree of freedom in communicating.
Calendars and Scheduling
UC&C systems can easily integrate with employees' work calendars or scheduling tools. Employees typically have several calendar apps that sync automatically with Google Calendar for real-time scheduling purposes, making UC&C integration seamless.
Employees receive SMS or email notification when meetings have been canceled, with their calendars automatically updating in the background to save them having to manually clear it themselves - eliminating awkward miscommunication due to forgotten memos and schedule conflicts.
Dashboards And Data Reporting
Users can access any feature of a UC&C solution via its main dashboard, with typically several customization and viewing options for easy navigation.
With just a few clicks, employers and managers can gain instantaneous access to live reporting and analytics pinned directly onto their dashboards - providing immediate access to critical data points.
Read More: Guidelines for Managing Your Remote Software Development Team
Platform For Unified Communication
Businesses of all kinds have long used unified communication platforms; recent global events, however, have created remote working opportunities for small and mid-sized companies.
All businesses strive to enhance internal and external communication, increasingly turning to Unified Communication platforms as workforces become distributed.
Disruptions have led to an increasing need for improved communications solutions; cloud solutions have grown increasingly popular as smartphone usage approaches its predicted global total of 6.1 billion and overtake desktop traffic by 2023 - and organizations are trending toward Bring Your Device policies as part of these solutions.
The adoption of Unified Communications platforms has increased significantly due to these factors. Over recent years, UCaaS' global market has witnessed consistent annual gains between 20%-30%; by 2027, it is projected to expand from its current $22,97 billion level to more than $59.15 billion.
Many players compete to capture a slice of this dynamic market, spurring innovation while rapidly evolving UCaaS technologies create difficulties finding solutions suitable to your budget. With all this competition for dominance in such an expansive sector, finding what suits you may sometimes be difficult.
Prioritizing needs will differ according to each company's size, nature, and operations; any worthwhile UCaaS solution must come equipped with certain features that cannot be compromised.
Essential Unified Communication Platform Features
The core features of an effective UC solution will support your digital workforce and contribute to business success.
Team Chat Is A Flexible Way To Communicate With Your Team
Communication between team members must be convenient. SMS and IM channels should be readily available on smartphones and laptops via web browser, VoIP Browser, or Developer Support App for maximum accessibility - keeping everyone in sync at any moment! Your team can stay in contact no matter their physical location!
Integrating The Internet
An ideal UC platform should seamlessly integrate with the software and apps your business already uses, whether that is legacy business software like Lotus Notes or calendaring services such as Outlook/iCalendar etc. Do not switch systems without good reason, as native app connectivity helps prevent potential new issues from arising.
Meetings Via Video Conference
Face-to-face meetings are essential in today's digital workforce; be sure your UCaaS provides HD audio and video conferencing.
Your service should be able to accommodate a sufficient number of users for your business, ideally with collaborative tools that foster creativity, such as meeting whiteboards or screen sharing during meetings as well as real-time chat during these encounters.
Calls
Sometimes nothing beats an old-school phone call, so choose a UC solution that allows users to easily make voice calls - the VoIP platform being ideal as users can make them with any device!
The Ultimate In Ease Of Use
Business owners seek UC platforms with features designed for ease of use.
Business SMS
Businesses require an accessible central hub where employees can send text messages. The customer service team and sales staff must be able to easily interact with customers via real-time SMS messaging using existing phone numbers; cloud-based texting enables staff members to simultaneously send SMS from any number of devices.
Faxing Digitally
Even as businesses transition towards digital, you still require the capability of sending out faxes for customer and employee use, particularly to comply with national or local regulations requiring hard copies in these instances.
Digital faxing makes this task effortless: with just the click of a button, remote employees can send documents directly to any department they require; in turn, UC&C allows users to view, print and share documents easily.
Incorporates Productivity
Organizations looking to increase productivity will find a UC solution tailored to this task.
Audio And Video In High-Definition
People tend to embrace new technologies more readily when they function effectively. Communication-wise, high-quality audio and video streaming is of particular significance: employee usage compliance only marks one aspect; clear connections can also be established through high-quality streaming.
Your employees will appreciate not wasting so much time setting up calls or deciphering garbled messages, and management will save time in meetings by having better, more productive discussions.
Screen Sharing
Sharing screens during audio or video conferences is extremely useful, particularly with visual aids like PowerPoint slides, which attract participants' attention and make communicating your message simpler and clearer.
Whiteboarding can also be invaluable when training staff or conducting demonstrations - this can even take place live during team meetings using one shared whiteboard!
Share Files
At a minimum, every UC&C system should include some type of file sharing functionality - whether that means simply dragging documents onto chat threads from each team member's desktop PCs or having access to centralized storage - in which all important documents and files will remain at one convenient place within one central repository on one major platform that remains available from any location at all times.
Best Practices For Unified Communications Technology
Once you have identified an ideal UC solution, best collaboration practices must be implemented.
Implement Company-Wide Data Security
All correspondence must take place through your UC platform for maximum encryption levels, and the main advantage of UC is centralizing communications under one umbrella. Data security needs should remain consistent across devices using the latest OSs and browsers that correspond with your company policies on UC usage, even for BYOD scenarios.
Enable User Profile Management
At large companies, not everyone requires access to all tools. User profiles can help ensure each employee receives only those tools which pertain to them - making a system more likely to be adopted when employees can see an interface that only includes what they require.
Create A Communication Policy
Create a communication policy that guides your team on when and how they should utilize various channels, providing options for flexible working arrangements for employees located remotely.
Telepresence allows non-real-time communication with those not at work, similar to emails and instant messenger (IMs). However, recipients should wait until they can work before opening messages sent through this system. It would be best to set up channels for nonwork, team, project, and company communications.
Incentivize Positive Collaboration
Encourage communication and teamwork by holding weekly or monthly competitions using analytics of UC platforms as tools. You can track data such as use rate or how many contributors contributed to an article or document; incentives could even be provided if employees maximize their tools with small rewards.
Last Thought
UC isn't some futuristic concept - it has long been part of business communications systems. It will likely already exist if your workforce includes remote employees or digital-only workers. Without one in place, companies would quickly fall behind their competition.
Your company could miss an opportunity to reduce costs and boost employee productivity if it did not use UC's benefits effectively, potentially losing its competitive edge when recruiting talent and losing employees who would stay with it longer.
Utilize Unified Communications technology to increase workplace flexibility in the future. By improving efficiency across your processes and planning, UC can enhance process effectiveness while strengthening and unifying remote teams; your employees will appreciate this and increase output from using this solution.
