What is Unified Communications?
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Unified Communications: Integrating All Business Communications
128 Ways UC Improves Businesses
Modern office communications require connectivity, mobility, and unique features for a variety of users. And our Business Unified Communications (UC) brings all of these advanced capabilities and more.
Explore 128 ways that Unified Communications can improve businesses, from boosting user experience to cost savings.
Benefits of Unified Communications
- Improved efficiency
- Reduced costs
- Increased revenue
- Better customer service
Features of a Unified Communications System
Mobility
Mobility allows you to stay connected regardless of your location. Through your office extension, you can make and receive calls, chat, and more with softphone applications.
Web-Based User Interface
Some UC platforms offer web-based interfaces that provide full call control from web browsers, giving users the ability to customize phone settings, voicemail, and more.
Presence
Presence lets others know if a particular user is available to communicate. These indicators may include Do Not Disturb, Active, Out of the Office.
Unified Messaging
With unified messaging, users can manage many types of messages from a single application and switch communication modes on demand.
Fax Support
With unified communications, faxes are received by the system and then routed to the destination as an attachment to an email. This process is the same on desktop and mobile devices.
Conferencing
Conferencing gives a group of users the ability to meet and speak via voice and video from multiple locations. This option is also available to outside organizations, partners, or clients.
Collaboration
Unified communications expands communication capabilities and offers employees more flexible work options. Workers can enjoy greater levels of collaboration, which benefits the entire organization.
Advanced Notifications
Users can receive notifications in several ways, enhancing communication across the office. With advanced notifications, a voicemail can be sent via text message or email along with a copy of the recording.
Terms to Know When Looking at Unified Communications Solutions
Before you go out and start looking for a new UC solution for your business, there are a few things to know in order to avoid confusion when you’re talking to tech vendors. Understanding these basic industry terms is essential for evaluating your options and determining what your business really needs.
- Business phone system
- IVR
- Voicemail
- Instant message
- Chat
- Fax
- Conference call bridge
- Video conferencing
- And more...
- web applications
- social media
- Business tools like your customer relationship management (CRM) system.
A deployment method for delivering UC to organizations via the Cloud.
Traditionally, UCaaS has served mostly smaller businesses who have small or no IT departments. However, over time, UCaaS is beginning to be adopted by midsize businesses and enterprises.
UCaaS is considered by most to be the future of communications technology.
Interactive Voice Response, or IVR, might also be referred to as an “Automated Attendant,” and it’s one of the most popular phone system features today.
When you call a business and an automated attendant answers:
“Thank you for calling ABC Distributing. If you know your party’s extension, you may dial it at any time, or press “0” to speak to an operator.”
That’s an IVR.
This unified communications phone system feature saves you money by handling repetitive tasks that would otherwise take the time and attention of a human. Just think about how much you could increase office productivity simply by eliminating the need to answer and transfer calls.
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is the transmission of phone calls over the Internet, instead of using traditional telephone landlines.
VoIP (typically pronounced “voyp”) is more affordable, especially for international and other long-distance calls. It also allows businesses to reduce their IT infrastructure by eliminating the need to maintain separate voice and data networks.
Mobility is a term for integrating your fixed desk phone with your mobile phone. This creates a seamless communication experience whether you are at your desk or on the road.
Using one phone number, customers can ring you on your desk, mobile, or home phone based on how you set your call rules or preferences.
When you call a customer or vendor, your office phone number appears on their caller ID, regardless of the phone from which you are actually calling. This creates what is commonly referred to as a “unified” view of your business.
The term BYOD is slang term that has been modified to one of the hottest trends, and biggest IT challenges, in business communications.
Let’s say your company’s sales director is attached to his/her iPhone, but several of your engineers prefer using their Android phones – and they all want to use the devices for both personal and work use.
No problem! The days of issuing a dedicated corporate mobile device are over.
Modern UC solutions can securely operate across a variety of mobile platforms, tablets, and even home phones. This mobile flexibility enables your team to access business-critical applications from their preferred personal devices.
When you’re able to integrate with your team’s favorite gadgets, it helps work become more flexible and productivity goes up.
Plus, your employees will appreciate not having to carry around multiple cell phones or other devices, while you save on technology costs.
An Application Programming Interface (API) allows you to customize your unified communications phone system, and therefore may be one of the most important features to consider in your next phone system.
An API allows a software developer to extend the functionality of your phone system by integrating it with other third-party business applications, such as your preferred CRM software like Salesforce or SugarCRM.
Ultimately, this means you can increase employee productivity, improve customer service, and get more life out of your phone system investment.
How Can Sangoma Help?
Now that you can answer, “What is Unified Communications?”, we invite you to learn more. With Sangoma’s Switchvox, customers utilize their Unified Communications solution to solve business challenges. Sangoma is ready to help you select the right Unified Communications business phone system for your business.Related Articles
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