Boost Employee Productivity, Collaboration with UCaaS
UCaaS (unified communications as a service) puts communication and collaboration tools within reach of any size business.
UC is a popular technology solution that allows teams to more easily share information and collaborate, regardless of whether they’re working on PCs in the office, their smartphones while traveling, or their laptops or tablets while working at home or in remote locations. UC makes it possible for your employees to connect to each other and to business applications via phone, videoconferencing, screen sharing, email, messaging and other applications.
Until recently, this technology was affordable primarily for enterprises that could budget for the capital expense required for on-site infrastructure and support labor. UCaaS, however, is changing that paradigm and making UC affordable for nearly any business.
How UCaaS Differs From UC
UCaaS offers a number of advantages to your business over on-premises systems, including:
- Lower upfront costs. UCaaS providers deliver communication and collaboration solutions through the cloud. Companies pay a monthly, per-user fee, which eliminates the upfront capital expense (i.e., CapEx) of infrastructure required to support UC on premises. The subscription includes the standard tools you need, without having to purchase solutions individually.
- No infrastructure maintenance costs. Eliminating the need for on-site communications infrastructure also eliminates the maintenance and service costs related to it. This can be an especially significant cost savings for organizations without in-house IT resources.
- Always updated. Because these services are delivered through the cloud, you always have the latest version of the software, updated with security patches and the ability to support new application features, without having to pay for software upgrades.
- Reliability. Your provider will guarantee a level of uptime and will monitor and maintain your system to ensure it, minimizing disruption to business due to, for example, email outages or subpar videoconferencing performance.
- Integration options. Some UCaaS platforms, such as Cisco Spark, feature open APIs that also allow integration with your current business applications.
UCaaS Also Has Customer Benefits
For your employees who are part of collaborative teams, UCaaS offers the ability to work from any location, provided they have a desktop or mobile device that can connect to your network. This cloud-based solution connects field workers with your office and keeps employees connected when traveling. Also, with more employees opting to work from home, UCaaS enables them to continue to collaborate with coworkers and access the data and applications they need to do their jobs efficiently.
UCaaS may also remove impediments that exist with your current communications system. Using collaboration tools becomes easier with all team members working on one platform—they won’t struggle to connect for a conference or to share calendars, saving time and frustration. With the right UCaaS platform, videoconferencing and screen sharing don’t require advanced setup. Moreover, browser-based UCaaS platforms don’t require downloading software onto employee devices—they can simply access the tools they need by logging on to the business network.
The gains in efficiency and productivity with UCaaS can be substantial. Research shows unified communications solutions save users an average of 30 to 55 minutes per day.
UCaaS also benefits communications outside your organization, enabling seamless interaction with customers and partners, and providing a reliable way to share information. The advantages of UC are within reach to businesses of almost any size through UCaaS. If better collaboration is a goal for your company, why not evaluate your current communications system to see if moving to UCaaS can improve your organization’s efficiency, productivity and customer service capabilities, and help your business grow?
Adam Davis, CEO, Next Dimension Inc