Reasons Why Unified Communications Is So Important for Your Business

Businesses' time and productivity gains as a result of Unified Communications not only have a direct impact on operational efficiency but also provide better business outcomes by allowing organizations to make critical decisions more quickly.

Fremont, CA: In its most basic form, Unified Communications connects all of a company's communication channels. It typically includes voice, email, SMS, instant messaging, video conferencing, and audio.

The term unified communications first appeared in the mid-1990s, when capabilities were limited. However, UC rapidly evolved when businesses began to introduce IP networks into their environments, allowing them to transmit voice, which became known as VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol). VoIP solutions enabled businesses to move away from wired PBX handsets (remember those?), and toward a software-driven solution that quickly evolved into some of the popular platforms we see today, such as Microsoft Teams.

Why are Unified Communications so important for business?

Better Efficiency

Unified Communications can increase the efficiency of your teams and operations while reducing downtime by up to 14.6 percent. According to a Forrester report, a UC solution that allows employees to collaborate, share information, and hold more efficient meetings can save employees 1.1 to 8.0 hours per week. It was also discovered that decision-makers who used Microsoft Teams were able to improve their time-to-decision by up to 17.7 percent because information and resources were far more readily available to them.

Businesses' time and productivity gains as a result of Unified Communications not only have a direct impact on operational efficiency but also provide better business outcomes by allowing organizations to make critical decisions more quickly.

More Streamlined Communications

Employee communication becomes more streamlined when everything is combined within a single interface. Users can change channels without having to repeat themselves. According to a recent report, information workers save 15 minutes per day by having all features in one easy-to-use interface, which eliminates the need for them to leave the application.

Optimizing Cost

Combining your communication channels and using one integrated platform may appear to be expensive, but managing businesses with fewer services and physical equipment can significantly reduce costs. The majority of Unified Communication systems are cloud-based, which eliminates the need to maintain servers and legacy handsets.

Improved Human Experiences

We have seen firsthand the importance of face-to-face communication over the last year. With social distancing still in place, the ability to connect with people via video call has become a top priority for many businesses. Unified Communication platforms provide high-speed video conferencing as well as chat features that provide users with a more human-like experience.