We live in a world connected by technology and digital infrastructure. Advances in technology have given people innumerable ways to contact one another. Unified communications systems are a way to integrate digital communication and collaboration tools into a single platform. So today, the team at Succurri is here to tell you everything you need to know about unified communications services.
What Is Unified Communications?
As digital technologies and communication grow, businesses need to connect those systems to create a seamless communication platform for critical tasks. Unified communications (US) systems allow a high level of communication between business departments and customers to improve workflows and streamline interactions.
More generally, a unified communications solution includes:
- Voice/Video calls
- Messaging
- Meetings
- Collaboration channels
- File sharing
- Screen sharing
- Integrated apps
The point of such a system is to combine all communication networks into one.
Objectives
The main objectives of UC systems are to simplify work and streamline communication between team members. Other objectives include improving workflows and training staff on how to most effectively use communication systems.
How It Works
Unified communications platforms combine all aspects of communications channels into a single platform. Most of the time, UC platforms are customizable and allow you to integrate several third-party applications.
What UC Brings to the Digital Workforce
The main benefit UC systems bring to the workplace is a streamlined seamless way to switch between communication methods and keep tabs on what other team members are doing. Between messaging and file-sharing capabilities, a UC system greatly improves connections and strengthens communications between individual team members.
Communication Vs Collaboration
It is important to understand the difference between communication and collaboration in the context of UC systems. Communication is the simple exchange of information. Team members communicate with one another to understand one another.
Collaboration, on the other hand, is about exchanging information to meet a specific collaborative goal. Collaboration involves more than just communication and requires employees to work together to meet company goals.
What Are the 3 Main Components of Unified Communications
The three main components of a UC system are presence, user interface, and voice integration. Presence refers to the ability of platform users to locate and identify if others are available and where they can contact them.
User interface defines how easy it is for the user to interact with the system. A smoother user interface improves user experience and makes it more intuitive to use the platform. Voice integration allows you to communicate via voice over diverse communication channels.
Key Benefits of Unified Communications
A UC system can bring innumerable benefits to the workplace. Below are just a few examples of how unified communications as a service can benefit the workplace.
Increased Productivity
Above all, a unified communication system can greatly increase productivity. Allowing streamlined communication between individuals reduces the risks of miscommunication and also allows for faster responses. With a UC system, you can avoid bottlenecks in communications and minimize redundancies in your workflow structure.
Reduced Costs
UC systems can also reduce daily operating costs. UC systems have higher traits per line and lower long-distance costs. Also, combining communications protocols into a single platform reduces downtime and also saves on other infrastructure costs.
Better Performance
UC systems also facilitate better performance, both from a business and technical standpointUnifying communications apps into a single platform prevents time wastage from managing different apps and also reduces the total amount of time it takes to actually communicate.
Quality User Experience
Last but not least, unified communications systems benefit from a higher quality user experience. Instead of dealing with several different interfaces on different communication platforms, you can combine them all into a single user-friendly interface that allows you to use all of them at once.
Features of a Unified Communication System
Unified communications systems can contain several types of digital communication channels, depending on your business needs. Below is a list of some of the most common features of a unified communication system.
Advanced Notifications
Advanced notifications notify team members when they have messages or calls waiting for them. You can tailor notifications for specific circumstances.
Conferencing
Conferencing tools allow multiple people to join a single call and discuss all at once. Conference tools are perfect for businesses that have a virtual work environment and need to loop in remote workers on a regular basis.
Collaboration
Collaboration tools include a wide range of features that allow teams to coordinate action and share information. Examples of collaboration that unified communications allow include shared calendars, chat platforms, file sharing, cloud storage, and video conferencing.
Fax Support
Many businesses still work with physical documentation, so fax support may be necessary. Fax support allows people to send physical images over telecommunications, which is less prone to hacking.
Mobility
Unified communications are the perfect solution for a remote workplace. It allows workers to be on the move and still have access to all important company documents and information. Unified communications and collaboration are the key to work in a fast-paced globalized world.
Presence
Presence indicators tell you who is online and available for real-time communications. They can tell you who you can contact and automatically can route communications based on an individual user’s current presence on the network.
Unified Messaging
Unified messaging stores text, SMS, and internet chat logs on a single location so everyone can access them in real time. Team members always have access to communications in a single place, where they can search and find what they need.
Web-Based Use Interface
A web-based user interface allows workers to log in and access company information over a secure connection. Web-based interfaces allow a user-friendly experience and streamline accessing different apps and network features.
Our Unified Communication Solutions
Our unified communication solutions are the best in the business. We have the integrative solution your business needs to increase its productivity and streamline business operations.
Streamline Your Office and Save Some Trees
Integrating communications allows you to cut down on hardware usage and reduce paper usage. If you want to eliminate paper from your business’s supply chain, then a unified communication system is one of the best options to lower your environmental impact.
Things like emails and digital faxes reduce paper usage by sending messages directly to your inbox. You also won’t have to invest in costly hardware for daily operations.
The Tactical Push Toward BYOD
Another benefit of unified communications solutions is it lowers the overhead by removing a significant part of the need to buy new hardware. UC systems can work with your existing smart devices and allow employees to add their own devices to the network. Employees are more comfortable using their own mobile device and are more productive when they don’t have to rely on company computers.
VoIP Communication Is Built for Business
VoIP is the modern standard for communications protocols in the business world. VoIP solutions rely on your high-speed internet connection. VoIP systems allow crisp, clean communications on a variety of devices, without the extra installation costs of a traditional landline phone system for business. Unified communications include VoIP functionality to provide a scalable communication infrastructure that can grow with your business.
Get Communication Right & Everything Follows
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