Supercharge your technology with unified communications

Business communications have come a long way, as devices such as smart phones transform the way we live and work. But a unified communications strategy could raise your technology to the next level, improving productivity and increasing returns on your technology investment in the process.

Consider a sports analogy: As the team manager, you've signed all the top free agents to give you the richest talent pool in the league. Each player can do great things, but unless they work together strategically in games, there is no guarantee of team success.

In a business setting, that situation plays out something like this: Your business has put in place a solid assortment of communication technology solutions, and each one delivers as expected on its own. By adopting a unified communications solution that gets all the component parts working together, however, you gain all manner of strategic advantages that show up on the bottom line.

Multiple devices

Let's start by looking at unified communications and why it has become increasingly valuable in dynamic workplaces. First, it bears mentioning that today's modern workplace is a beehive of communications, with one study finding that the average organization uses 6.4 different communications devices to connect with all stakeholders. Furthermore, more than 90% of employees use more than one device in their daily work. Communications technology is an integral part of workplace environments. No surprise there.

The key then becomes how to streamline all that communications activity and get everyone pulling in the same direction. Indeed, a number of issues arise when communications are not unified. For example:

• Without smooth, reliable and on-time communications, productivity suffers.
• The inability to track down key individuals impedes decision-making and can cause delays in production.
• In some cases, failure to communicate in a timely way can cause work stoppages.

Unified communications eliminates these sorts of concerns while empowering staff to become more efficient.

In effect, a unified communications solution integrates voice, data and multimedia onto a single network, a change that delivers a wide range of benefits, including enhanced decision-making, strengthened customer relations, and improved productivity. For example, consider the scenario where, as a manager, you are needed to weigh in regularly on important decisions. With unified communications, you would have the comfort of knowing you can always be reached in a variety of ways, thereby preventing delays.

Always accessible

Here are some benefits of a unified communications solution in action:

• Colleagues are always accessible, thanks to having a single unified number; it doesn't matter if they are in the office or on the road.
• With one voicemail for several phones, and with voicemails coming to your inbox as emails, your ability to manage work is vastly enhanced.
• People can be reached in real time, as opposed to when they get around to checking messages. Annoyances such as telephone tag are dispensed with.
• Consultation among staff improves, thanks to virtual meetings that deliver seamless contact, even allowing staff to share files and other materials.
• Costs can be reduced in areas such as long distance charges and real estate expenses.
• Even in worst-case scenarios such as disaster or business interruption, communications can be sustained.

Of course, every organization has its unique communications requirements. It is the role of a service provider, such as Allstream, to sculpt a custom unified communications solution that will maximize productivity, efficiencies, and cost savings.