Introduction
Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) is a cloud-based solution that integrates communication features, applications, and services into one cohesive platform. By moving to a UCaaS platform, businesses can utilize the cloud’s mobility and scalability while reducing costs and increasing productivity. This article will go over what Unified Communications as a Service really means (and why it matters).
What is UCaaS
UCaaS is a term that refers to unified communications as a service. It’s an umbrella term for different communications services, including video conferencing and collaboration tools such as SangomaMeet and TeamHub.
Businesses can utilize
the cloud’s mobility and scalability by moving away from legacy components such as on-premise PBX systems. Additionally, most UCaaS systems enable your business phone number to be used by your smartphone and your laptop, enabling employees to work remotely very effectively. By moving to a UCaaS platform, companies can save on upfront costs by deploying a pay-as-you-go approach to their business communications. The monthly cost of a UCaaS platform is usually lower than the monthly maintenance and service costs associated with on-premise systems, and there is no capital expenditure required for hardware or software purchases.
Furthermore, with UCaaS, you don’t need to worry about purchasing new hardware or software every time you want to add new features; instead, you simply upgrade your subscription plan to gain access to new capabilities!
Features of a UCaaS Platform
A UCaaS platform has several features that make it stand out from other types of business phone systems. Let’s look at a few of the most important ones:
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- Presence: This feature allows you to see which users are currently logged into the system and where they’re located in relation to your office, so you can call them when needed. It also displays indicators, such as, Do Not Disturb, Active, and Out of the Office.
- Mobility: The mobility feature allows you to stay connected regardless of your location. Through your office extension, you can make and receive calls, chat, and more with a softphone application on any device with an internet connection—a smartphone or tablet, for example—no matter where they are located as long as they have an internet connection. So you can work from home or from a remote location and still be able to use your office phone number!
- Collaboration: Collaboration tools are designed specifically for sharing information among team members within one organization; these include chat rooms where people can type messages back-and-forth using text whenever needed instead of calling each other individually over the phone.
- Unified Messaging: With unified messaging, users can manage many types of messages from a single application and switch communication modes on demand.
- Video Conferencing: Stay connected with multiple users with conferencing. Conferencing allows a group of users to meet and speak via voice and/or video from multiple locations. This option is also available to outside organizations, partners, or clients.
UCaaS Benefits
UCaaS offers a competitive advantage to businesses by reducing the number of independent tools, platforms, and solutions. It can streamline communications for organizations, regardless of size or industry. Because UCaaS integrates and optimizes all interactions, team collaboration and productivity are significantly improved, and the engagement of sales prospects, vendors, and customers. UCaaS facilitates:
- Increased collaboration between teams and departments
- Improved security through centralized management of various communications devices and apps
- Reduced costs due to the consolidation of messaging platforms into one centralized service
- Reduced IT overhead since the cloud subscription enables security and other updates to be done by the cloud service, not by you.
Why it Matters
Businesses rely on communication tools to stay productive and competitive, and when it comes to motivating employees and increasing productivity, integrating communication tools empowers workers to handle multiple tasks quickly and efficiently. By integrating communications into one platform, companies can improve team collaboration and productivity while reducing costs. Brighten your future and improve your business communications with Sangoma’s UCaaS solutions and full-suite communication suite: (list products here?)
