Think about how many times a day people mention “instant access.” It very well may be the marketing catchphrase of the decade. However, it’s almost always a talking point for consumer-facing products.
What about instant access for business? Imagine creating a business ecosystem that gives companies, their employees, and their customers instant access to the information they need immediately.
That’s the driving force behind Unified Communications.
The Real Need for Unified Communications
According to SIS International Research, a business with 100 employees could lose up to $524,569 a year due to communications barriers and misunderstandings or lack of collaboration. The potential for this hefty loss created panic among business leaders as far back as 2011, when The Holmes Report estimated that the total cost of employee communications gaps and lost time due to misunderstandings equaled $37 billion.
As an interconnected ecosystem of enterprise communication devices and applications, Unified Communications transforms your business into an agile enterprise, granting 24/7 access to all employees.
Of the many benefits Unified Communications provides, 4 stand out as contributors to improving the overall health of your business:
- Creating a Collaborative Environment
Unified Communications provides a number of ways to collaborate with other departments and teams, even if they’re scattered around the globe. Desktops, smartphones, and phone lines can all be linked together under one system, so every employee is looped into the conversation as it evolves, including through voice, email, text, instant messaging and video.
- Making the Workplace Flexible
The same tools that foster collaboration also make the workplace flexible. Employees can work from wherever there’s mobile or Wi-Fi service. That can be at home, in a hotel, at a café, and even in a park, at the grocery store, or on the beach.
Unified Communications facilitates remote work without the need for any or minimal setup from the IT department, saving both time and money. IT departments will also appreciate the removal of maintenance headaches and their associated fees.
- Boosting Customer Satisfaction
With Unified Communications, inbound calls can be transferred to whatever device an employee is using, wherever they are — whether that’s at the office on a desktop, on the go using mobile, or at home on the couch.
Furthermore, Unified Communications can confirm whether a particular person is available, helping to greatly reduce and often eliminate hold time. Voicemail and fax can be delivered via email, and support chats are also part of the ecosystem.
Less wait time and a faster solution results in better customer service.
- Diversifying Communications
Regardless of how employees want to communicate with each other, Unified Communications has the ability. IP telephony, web and video conferencing, desktop sharing, instant messaging, audio, voice mail – every tool your company uses for communication is now interlocked within a unified platform. Managers will appreciate never having to hear again that someone was unreachable.
Ready to Transform Your Business?
Experience the benefits of Unified Communications for your company. FirstLight’s Unified Communications service solutions can be custom-tailored to your business, integrating existing systems for a seamless transition.
Download our UCaaS Fact Sheet and contact a FirstLight Unified Communications expert for immediate assistance.
