At its core, unified communications is a term used to describe a comprehensive framework used to bring what were formerly real-time – but very separate – communications tools together. When you and your employees are still reliant on legacy systems, they’re probably dealing with a lot of inefficiency and redundancy every time they reach out to someone else.
If they want to make a traditional phone call, that’s one system and one device. If they want to engage in a video conference, that’s another. Email, instant messaging, file sharing – all separate tasks that require separate applications to set up, maintain and engage in an activity that should be fluid and natural in the first place.
Therein lies the beauty of unified communications: it doesn’t describe any one particular technology, but many, bringing them all together to form the synchronous and instant communication platform that allows everyone involved to communicate smarter, not harder, likely for the very first time.
The Power of Unified Communications
One of the many ways that unified communications will be a revelation for any business has to do with the ways in which it can help benefit your existing processes. Think about all the time your employees spend managing countless communication applications. Now, think about all the time and effort that would be saved if these were all one in the same.
Do you need to make an important business call but don’t happen to be in the office? Don’t worry – you can do so from any device with an active Internet connection using VoIP. Do you want to be able to start one conversation with a client on your computer and continue it on your laptop? Now, finally, you can do so. Do you constantly worry about all the productivity that would be lost if you lose telephone service due to a major storm? So long as you’ve got an Internet connection, you’re covered – from any device, anywhere, at any time.
By distilling all of these disparate concepts down into one easy-to-manage platform, you’re also going a long way towards empowering productivity as meaningfully as possible. Employees who wish to collaborate with one another can now choose the right communications tool for the right task at exactly the right time, cutting down on wasted effort and time spent spinning their wheels.
This also extends into the world of working remotely – something that more and more employees are doing on a regular basis. Not only can people now be just as productive at home as they are in the office, but they can communicate and collaborate with one another just as easily. Working from home no longer means dealing with an artificial productivity handicap – everyone has access to exactly the same applications and can see each other’s statuses, allowing them to collaborate in real-time from absolutely anywhere.
In the end, it’s important to understand that an investment in unified communications is about more than just buying into “the latest” that modern technology has to offer for the sake of it. It’s about allowing all of your communications channels to come together to form the cohesive, powerful whole that they were meant to be. It’s a way to save money, yes. But it’s also a way to improve collaboration, empower productivity and forge newer and stronger relationships with your clients – all at the same time.
Suddenly, ANYWHERE on Earth with an Internet connection becomes not just a mobile office, but “your office, period.” Rest assured, this is a very powerful position to be in.
Think about it like this: if you’re going to be able to run the type of organization you always dreamed of, your employees need to come together to form the unified front that they were meant to. Unified communications therefore become one of the best opportunities that you have to truly make that happen.
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