The essential goal of communication is to break down barriers. Whether it’s through a phone call, instant messaging or even social media, breaking down barriers is essential. In today’s society, we want to be able to communicate anytime, from anyplace, from any device. This is even more important with business communication. Better communication with your customers means a better customer experience, ultimately increasing your bottom line. Unified Communications (UC) takes our ability to communicate effectively to the next level and can substantially increase productivity. Here are a couple of ways Unified Communications can increase collaboration and productivity in your workplace:
The mobility of a business line
Have you ever been expecting an important business phone call? A phone call that’s so important that you cannot leave your desk until you get it no matter what the circumstances are? These types of situations can cause stress in employees, reducing morale and decreasing productivity. Unified Communications gives you the flexibility to move about your office, attend off-site appointments with clients, travel anywhere or simply just have your business phone with you at all times on your mobile device.
Unified Communications solutions typically have mobile applications, tablet applications or desktop applications for laptops that allow you to log-in with your business line. These are over-the-top (OTT) applications similar to email/Facebook/etc. that present you with a dialing pad, contact integration, visual voicemail and more. This mobility allows you to take calls from clients anywhere, and allows you to still focus on doing your job effectively. There is no more being restricted to your desk. For me, personally, the mobility of my business line has allowed me to be more flexibility than ever before in the ever-changing environment of a high-paced office.
Collaboration through IM, file sharing and video conferencing
Collaboration is an integral part of a successful team. Whether you’re a startup or part of a large enterprise, UC gives you the ability to be a part of a productive environment through collaboration. Imagine if you were able to communicate by instant messaging with your team members, wherever you are. Imagine if you were able to share files with your team members instantaneously wherever you are. Imagine if you were able to have a high-definition video conference with your team, regardless of location, and regardless if they are on a mobile application, laptop or desktop PC. Sure, you may be able to get these options through multiple avenues, but a good Unified Communications solution will give you all of these options on one platform.
Giving employees access to these forms of communication will allow your business to run smoothly, allow your employees to be more efficient, increase your overall productivity, and enable better collaboration. Unified Communications solutions may be a fairly new to the game, but giving your workforce the tools and resources to communicate it a way that best suits their needs will pay big dividends down the road.