As we continue to deal with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the hybrid work model has emerged as a permanent fixture to the workforce landscape. Keeping employees distanced to provide safe and healthy workplaces is a key driver in this movement. Many organizations are now analyzing the solutions they put in place a year ago to see how effective they were for their staff, and many are finding that remaining connected with colleagues and customers is the one shortfall of their hybrid model. So how can employees stay top-of-mind while keeping their distance physically? How can your business use a unified communications (UCaaS) system to stay connected?
Over the last ten or so years, technology has moved forward to have your internet and phone systems operate under the same infrastructure. With this enhanced functionality, companies can find a wealth of features in their communications systems that can help their staff stay connected with UCaaS.
UCaaS encompasses several integrated services such as instant messaging, audio and video calling, mobile features, VoIP, desktop sharing and collaboration. All of these functions are operated using cloud-based solutions, making it easier to manage systems in one place, without the need for manual server upgrades. Together, UCaaS can significantly help enhance your business operations with hybrid and remote work teams. Below are four key benefits a UCaaS system can provide for your business.
- Reduce Costs
Most businesses are looking for ways to reduce costs because of the economic impact of COVID-19. With a unified communications solution, you can help consolidate various communication and technology platforms to work for your employees and customers from anywhere at any time. This means less money spent on travel for in-person meetings.
Unlike with traditional communications systems, UCaaS systems usually have minimal costs involved when upgrading telephones. This means that the once steep cost of configuring desktop phones and phone lines is eliminated as your telecommunications systems now rely on an internet connection instead of a phone line. This also allows employees the ease of taking their desktop phone with them when working from home.
2. Ease of Mobility
UCaaS solutions allow co-workers and clients to stay connected from anywhere at any time. Many UCaaS platforms include some form of mobile application that allows for easy access to audio and video calls, instant messaging and document sharing. This allows departments to collaborate easily and for customers to have multiple avenues of connecting with you. This flexibility gives employees freedom to handle business while not being tethered to a desk in an office. And because employees are able to handle things that were only once reserved for time out of the office through remote work, they can dedicate more time to their work without the danger of burnout. This makes for a much happier workforce.
3. Enhanced Reliability
When the pandemic began, many businesses looked to the first solution they could find to get employees up and running from home. This often meant piecing together functionality from various software programs to form some type of remote setup, and many times those pieces didn't work well together. With a UCaaS solution, your business has one system to address all of your communications needs. All of the components are part of the same solution and are built to work together seamlessly. Because your UCaaS solution is supported by a single vendor, software updates are easy and include the latest cybersecurity components to keep your data safe. So whether it's having a video conference, making a phone call from your computer or sending instant messages in collaborating with colleagues, all of these work together for a efficient user experience.
4. Continuity of Business
A UCaaS solution allows your business to continue to function in nearly all types of conditions. We've already shown how it can keep you running during a pandemic, but also consider things like weather issues or other disaster. Your UCaaS system takes into account internet and phone outages. Should your local network be down, UCaaS can give you an alternate approach for communicating, like upgrading devices to 4G for higher data speeds. Because of the interconnectivity of your communications functions, your business can continue to to operate whether in the office, in a hybrid model or fully remote. By working with one vendor for your UCaaS systems, as well as your other business technology, you can link systems so everything can work together easily.
With all of the benefits your business can realize with a UCaaS system, you may be wondering how you can get one up and running at your office. Fraser's Unified Voice and Unified Voice Plus programs provide UCaaS solutions such as our Elevate program for organizations looking to shift from a on-premise system to a cloud-based solution.
