A UCaaS solution delivers a comprehensive suite of communication tools in a single cloud-based platform. It’s ideal if your business operates in omni-channel environments and requires flexibility for hybrid work.
When evaluating a UCaaS provider, consider the user experience, performance, scalability, integration, security, value, and future-proofing capabilities. Examining the providers’ reliability, uptime, and support services is also essential.
Unified Communications
Unified Communication is the perfect solution to unify disparate business communication tools, stimulating collaboration and ensuring a seamless customer experience. It provides a single platform for all types of communications, including call management, unified messaging, team videoconferencing, and contact center applications.
Traditional working environments require multiple communication channels, which creates inefficiency and leads to a disjointed customer experience. Using carrier voice calls different IM platforms, and additional email providers results in lost information, overwhelming switching between systems, and higher costs for IT teams to manage.
UC offers an all-in-one inbox for fax, voice messages, email, SMS, instant messaging, and team videoconferencing. Employees can also choose to display their availability and work status so that colleagues know what to expect. For example, if an employee is in a meeting, they can set their presence to show that they are not available to answer customer questions, eliminating rounds of back-and-forth emails and phone. UCaaS solutions also offer AI and ML integrations to support employee productivity and collaboration, such as natural language processing, chatbots, and intelligent decision-making.
Collaboration
Businesses must collaborate across teams, departments, and locations to complete projects. It requires a communication platform that integrates many different tools, including instant messaging, calls, video, and data sharing, to ensure everyone is working from the same page and communicating effectively, whether in the office or remotely.
With UCaaS, all these tools are housed under one platform and work together seamlessly to facilitate collaboration – even across time zones. It enables team members to stay in the loop on what is happening and ensures that all necessary stakeholders are involved in meetings or conference calls.
This type of integration also reduces software duplication. A common issue in large organizations is duplicate software programs can result in spending unnecessary money or having redundant features that aren’t being used. UCaaS solves this problem by providing all the essential communications tools in a single solution, saving businesses time and money.
Mobility
UCaS solutions offer access to cloud-based features that enable employees to work remotely. Whether the pandemic led to a spike in remote work or businesses were already transitioning to a hybrid workplace, workers need effective communication and collaboration tools easily accessible from anywhere.
Some UCaaS providers have mobile apps that integrate their business calling features into a single application, which makes it easy for workers to place business calls from any device. It eliminates the need to install and manage multiple phone apps, which can lead to a higher cost of ownership and reduce productivity.
Some UCaS platforms also have integrated mobile communication software, which allows workers to communicate via text or other messaging applications from the same platform. Workers can use their preferred app to collaborate with teammates and keep up with ongoing projects without switching between multiple apps or losing productivity. It also reduces the need to maintain additional software and hardware, saving costs. It can make UCaS a less expensive solution over time than traditional communication systems.
High Availability
Unified communication as service solutions allows businesses to shift their working circumstances without dealing with the technical debt associated with legacy systems and processes. This flexibility helps to improve productivity by increasing the speed with which departments and teams can communicate and assisting them to achieve their objectives more efficiently.
IT teams often need help supporting legacy systems, but UCaaS offers an alternative way to manage and update technology in-house. It also takes the burden of managing individual apps, such as video conferencing, messaging, and webinar tools, off the IT team by providing them access to a comprehensive communications platform.
As a result, IT teams can spend less time troubleshooting and more time supporting business operations and helping employees grow and thrive. Many UCaaS platforms feature a range of monitoring tools that allow businesses to track critical metrics, such as adoption, employee engagement, and call quality. It helps ensure that brands get the maximum value from their investment. They can also rely on providers to provide close to 100 percent uptime, which is crucial for enabling communications supporting customer-facing roles.
Artificial Intelligence
If your business has ever experienced downtime or a breakdown in communications, you know how devastating it can be. With UCaaS, businesses can establish network redundancies to ensure consistent communication, even during a disaster.
Effective business communication ensures a positive work environment and builds healthy working relationships. It also helps to avoid misunderstandings that can result in wasted time and resources.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming business communication in many ways. AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants provide instant customer support, while data insights enable personalization of communications.
UCaaS solutions consolidate communication methods into one platform, making it easier for employees to work from anywhere without switching between multiple applications and devices. Additionally, UCaaS allows for advanced integration with other essential business tools, such as collaboration apps and productivity suites, to streamline workflows and increase efficiency. In addition, UCaaS provides a unified voice and video communication experience optimized for today’s hybrid workforce.