5 Reasons Why Your Business Needs a Unified Communications Solution

In today’s business world, dependable and efficient communication is critical. Companies literally rise and fall off the back of their ability (or inability) to communicate effectively within the organization and with customers.

The reason for this is simple: your business cannot achieve its goals if team members are not constantly in sync. The only way to keep a team functioning at a high level and consistently hitting its targets is by clear and constant communication.

In the same vein, businesses need to be able to communicate their value proposition effectively to customers. They need clear, established channels that make it easy for customers to get in touch and find their way around the business.

One of the best ways to achieve near flawless communication in a company is by implementing a unified communications solution. A perfect system for the digital age, unified communications systems combine separate channels into a single digital connection. It takes all your business communication channels and provides a single point of access, making communication easy and mobile.

Every year, more and more businesses recognize the need for unified communications solutions. Data from Transparency Market Research indicates that the market for unified communications solutions hit $61.9 billion by 2018.

Whether the goal is to interact effectively with customers, or to ensure smooth communication between team members, businesses now recognize that reliable communications solutions are crucial. Here are 5 reasons why your business should too.

Cost reduction

You may recall a time when the telephone was still new. Businesses positively reveled in the ability to send instant messages to another office or another country entirely. They changed the way business was done because they made it less expensive to operate in the market.

These communication platforms have massively expanded today. Businesses can now rely on mobile phones, email and instant messaging. We can make video calls with people from all over the world, right from the comfort of the office.

However, the expansion of these communication platforms has made interaction more expensive. Landlines, computer systems for emails, mobile phones and other platforms must be managed independently. The limited integration of these devices means businesses are wasting a lot of time transferring from one to the other and are less efficient.

Unified communications solutions reduce the cost implication of so many communication platforms by integrating them flawlessly. It harmonizes both synchronous (audio/video calls) and asynchronous (emails) communication on the same platform, accessible through just one simple access point.

This saves on the time and money expended in maintaining other devices. It makes it unnecessary for businesses to acquire dedicated devices for team members for ease of communication. A unified solution allows for easy access to all communication platforms through a single device. This results in significant cost savings.

Connect with customers

A common complaint of customers is that businesses seem to be inaccessible when they need support services. This may be due to congestion of access points or the complexity involved in getting in touch with the company e.g. numerous business contact numbers.

Needless to say, companies that are perceived in this light by their customers rarely maintain those customers for long. Industries are witnessing increasing consumer dominance in the market, which is why smart businesses do their best to keep customers satisfied.

Unified communications solutions make it easier to coordinate contact center efforts and increase efficiency. Businesses can streamline all their incoming enquiries through a single point, making it easier to assign responses and track resolution.

Mobile, secure communication

Work should not necessarily end at the workstation. The hallmark of an agile business is the flexibility it integrates to ensure that work can still be done on the go. With the increasing uptick in remote workspaces, mobile communication and interfacing is becoming even more vital.

Unified communications solutions provide a single and integrated platform that connects mobile devices, desktop computers and your entire team. With the addition of call optimization features, you can house all your contact information in one place that is easily accessible. The streamlined nature of unified communications allows your business to run smoothly and helps your employees easily communicate with clients and each other, whether in the office or offsite.

Since unified solutions are also cloud-based, all your equipment can be stored offsite. Calls are made through an encrypted Internet connection, thus adding vital security to your business communication system.

Increase productivity

A great advantage to unified communications solutions is their fluid scalability. Whether you have a large or small business, your need for communications solutions will be unique.

A cloud-based unified communications solution can start at a size and price that works best for your business. With time, and as your business grows in size, you can then scale the service up as needed.

This gives you two advantages that result in increased productivity. First, the solution comes with incredibly simple logistics. You don’t have to purchase any hardware to modify your current technology. Your existing technology will be routed through a single cloud-based server that makes maintenance simple. So you can access more efficient communications, while cutting back on your maintenance efforts.

Second, due to their great scalability, unified communications solutions come in customized packages and piecemeal options that only provide what your business needs. This way, you can choose exactly what capabilities work for your business and leverage on only those. No need to waste time or funds trying to get the hang of redundant features.

Improved collaboration

You can say goodbye to the days when you have to pull everyone away from their desks or fly executives in for a meeting. Unified communications solutions now make it unnecessary to expend effort on maintaining several communication platforms at once.

Today’s business world, made possible by unified communications solutions, now lets you host video, web or telephone conferences on the fly, and at the drop of a pin. You can share concepts and ideas with team members in real-time, no matter where they are.

Employees can meet, share documents and work on projects, from anywhere and on any device; it’s all possible with the push of a button.

Conclusion

The market is already hard enough on businesses without throwing in the difficulty of opaque communications systems. A unified solution lets you bring clarity and ease of access to your system, outfitting your business for optimum growth and profit.

Iris Networks is a leader in developing unified communications solutions. More than 80 data centers and over 300 communities in Tennessee and beyond have utilized our fiber-based business solutions. We are trusted because we provide solutions that work.

We would be delighted to help your business get on the fast track to efficiency and sustainable growth. Let us help you add the advantage of ultra-high speed voice, data and internet solutions to your business. Contact us here to start a conversation today.