Good communication is central to the success of any organization. Employees that understand a company’s mission and goals are much more likely to work toward achieving those goals than those who are left in the dark. Recent advancements in technology have created new capabilities and channels for communication.
Millennials, the biggest generation since the Baby Boomers, are wielding their influence in the marketplace, and businesses are updating their technology to appeal to this new generation of consumers and employees. These consumers and workers have grown up with technology, and they have high expectations when it comes to business communications.
Unified communications platforms give businesses the means to expand their communications capabilities to include text, video conferencing, file-sharing, and chat – all revered by tech-savvy Millennials.
Here are 5 concrete ways that unified communications can help you transform your business, keep pace with technology, and increase your profitability.
Improve Productivity
The number of virtual workers increases every year. Statistically speaking, chances are quite high that some percentage of your company’s workforce either travels or works remotely.
Unified communications platforms allow employees to share files and collaborate on projects, no matter where they are located. They can also use chat and video conferencing features to discuss projects and brainstorm ideas. Cloud-based file-sharing systems improve productivity by removing barriers and friction from workflows, like limited file-access, few communication channels, or geographical constraints.
Enhance Internal and External Business Communication
One of the traits of a successful business is its leadership’s ability to effectively communicate the organization’s vision and mission to all employees.
By using unified communications tools, like audio and video chat, no one ever needs to miss a company meeting. With a unified communications platform, you can offer a continuous global connection to your employees and customers.
Facilitate Collaboration
Strong collaboration and teamwork are key to most business projects. A solid unified communications platform will offer several features that support collaboration, like file-sharing, audio and video conferencing, office productivity tools, and project-management tools.
With these communication tools at their disposal, employees can easily meet, plan projects, and work together. They can use project management tools to view and allocate resources, such as production hours, or plan client meetings with collaborative scheduling tools.
Unified communications platforms also make it easy for employees to access important business collateral, such as client proposals, custom reports, or planning documents.
Increase Deployment Speed
The availability of high-tech tools and capabilities is decreasing the amount of time that it takes to plan, develop, and deploy new products or services. Unified communications platforms give businesses the ability to use remote workforces for continuous production and speed up research and development with tools designed for fast planning, communication, and product improvement.
Disseminate Organizational Knowledge
As the pace of doing business continues to accelerate, employees will need to update their skills more often. Some employees’ roles will shift significantly every 2-3 years to keep up with technological changes.
To make sure that employees have access to organizational knowledge and the resources to learn new skills, employee-to-employee communication is a must. Employees with more experience can use communication tools like video conferencing to share knowledge with newer, less-experienced employees. Sessions can be recorded and used to create an organizational knowledge base.
Signs It’s Time to Switch to Unified Communications
Unified communications can help you transform and improve your business operations in several ways, including faster deployments of products and services, better collaboration, and improved internal communications.
Here are 3 indications it’s time for your business to switch to a unified communications platform:
- Your employees and customers have asked you for communication features and capabilities you don’t have, like video-conferencing or file-sharing.
- Your company is facing increased pressure from technologically-savvy competitors.
- Communication is a challenge for your organization.
If you are ready to discuss the potential of unified communications for your business, reach out to a UC expert from FirstLight.
