Unified Communications is something your business will need to adapt to the new normal with a streamlined, all-in-one communication platform.
If 2020 has taught us one lesson so far, it’s that everyone should be prepared for the unexpected. The global pandemic caught everyone by surprise, but luckily many businesses were able to adapt to working remotely.
However, working remotely has been met with its own set of challenges. Some of these include:
- Being unable to monitor employees from abroad.
- Using multiple tools to communicate (cumbersome and inefficient).
- A lack of communication tools (inefficiencies).
- A lack of face to face communication.
- The ability to forward calls to employees’ cell phones.
The solution to these is unified communications. Unified communications (UC) products — equipment, software, and services — provide and combine multiple enterprise communications channels such as voice, video, personal and team messaging, voicemail, and content sharing.
Companies have longed for a one-stop-shop for business communication tools. Technologies such as VoIP, chatting software, and video chat services contribute to greater efficiency and employee flexibility. However, using multiple tools has become cumbersome and can actually slow down efficiency.
A streamlined, all-in-one communication platform makes all the difference for both managers and employees. Managers can access reports from one system to view employee activity and employees can stay well-connected to their teams in a simple fashion.
Aline is a cloud-based, VoIP phone system that makes your business more efficient and easier to manage. Click here for a free quote from Aline!
The Present
In recent years, many VoIP companies are adapting their technology to be UCaaS. This stands for Unified Communications as a Service. Our new normal during COVID-19 means that more and more UC options are becoming available. Currently, VoIP has its advantages with tools such as:
1. Live dashboard for employee monitoring.
Do you wish you knew if an employee was available before you transferred an inbound phone call? A live dashboard is able to provide that ability, showing you if an employee is available. Plus, managers can monitor who is on a call and who isn’t.
2. Coaching and training tools.
Tools such as whisper coaching allow the supervisor to chime in on conversations and communicate with their employees without the client or prospect hearing. Another feature is call monitoring. This allows a supervisor to listen to a call without the employee knowing. Then, the supervisor can pinpoint where an employee is struggling and take action to improve his or her performance.
3. Mobile app.
A business cell phone app allows users to use their cell phones to send and receive calls through the app. The caller ID always shows the business number, so clients never know the user’s personal cell phone number.
4. Call Recordings.
When all calls are recorded, this does two things. One, it protects the business when there are customer disputes. Two, it allows managers to effectively keep employees accountable for quality control purposes. Plus, on the sales and customer service side, having access to call recordings helps with coaching one-on-one.
5. Instant Chat.
Instant chat through a desktop application allows an employee to chat with any staff member internally. Also, teams find group chats convenient for communication that involves multiple employees.
UCaaS
UCaaS streamlines all of the VoIP features listed above and combines them with features such as video chat, mobile chat, and texting.
Video chat can host a few attendees up to several hundred. This technology saves you time and money because you don’t have to meet with a client in person. Additionally, this personable feature allows for body language to become a part of the conversation. After all, studies show that body language dominates verbal communication. Users can even save the meeting recording for everyone to reference as needed.
Teams can be closer and stay connected on the go with mobile messaging. Many of these applications allow the user to send attachments, pictures, and even emojis. In the mobile world we live in, this flexibility drives communication efficiency in a way that’s never been seen before.
Unified Communications is also a cloud-based service and includes many VoIPs such as Aline Phone Systems. This means that IT teams don’t have to spend precious time working on updates to software or hardware. Like VoIP, UCaaS businesses can offer training on the solutions as well.
The Future
UC is the wave of the future occurring right now. Globally, the Unified communications market size is projected to be at 167.1 billion by 2025 with a 16.8% compound annual growth rate (CAGR).
Companies recognize the value of UC and are continuously implementing this technology. For businesses reluctant to adopt new technology, they could face a competitive disadvantage. Some of these disadvantages include:
- Not having access to reporting like call reports, chat history, and more. How can a business pinpoint inefficacy without accurate reporting?
- A lack of employee monitoring capabilities. This means that it’s more difficult to keep employees accountable.
- A lack of mobility. Employee flexibility increases retention rates. Mobile applications give employees the ability to work or access their customers from anywhere.
- The inability to have unlimited video conferencing. After COVID-19, customers will expect the option to have a video chat.
Note that these disadvantages are strikingly similar to some of the challenges that businesses are facing now with remote work. The reality is that these challenges won’t go away. Businesses that don’t adapt could be left behind by competitors who embrace technology.
To put UC in perspective, it can be compared to when the first iPhone was released. At first, only some people had it. Then, other companies started developing their own smartphone technologies. More and more people recognized the added value that smartphones provided and today, nearly everyone has one. One could argue that if you don’t have one, you’re somewhat disconnected from the rest of the world.
Aline is a cloud-based, VoIP phone system that makes your business more efficient and easier to manage. Click here for a free quote from Aline!
Conclusion
VoIP remains a competitive solution for businesses to integrate into their businesses. As more VoIPs become UCaaS providers, look for more vendor choices to be available. Consider the streamlined communication Unified communications can provide to organizations of all sizes and the problems it can solve.
To learn more about VoIP, Unified communications, and more, visit our website or click here to see how Aline Phone Systems works today!