Why Should You Care About Unified Communications & Collaboration?

Before knowing why you should care about unified communications (UC), you probably want to know exactly what it is first. 

Unified communications ties together different forms of communication for your company. From voice services to instant messaging (IM) to video conferencing and much more, communication services are brought together in one cohesive environment to improve how your company does its thing.

What Can Unified Communications Merge?

Unified communications technology essentially merges all forms of collaboration tools into one platform, so you can get more capabilities with fewer tools. While that includes the obvious like email, chat, video conferencing, and voice calling, it also includes file-sharing and other productivity tools, scheduling, AI tools, advanced analytics, and much more. 

There’s one UC capability in particular that is frequently underrated, but amazingly helpful — presence. It makes it very easy to see who’s available and who isn’t. True, some chat tools offer the same capability, but with all tools merged, you can now see which colleagues can field a quick question, take an impromptu meeting, or receive a client call — regardless of where they’re located or what smart device they’re using. Presence can also help employees preserve work-life balance and set healthy boundaries, which can be especially helpful for team members who work from home.

Why Unified Communications Is So Important

A lot of people like to assume that in-person communication is always better than anything technology has to offer, but UC platforms are starting to bust that myth. 

Adopting unified communications can potentially help you save money on your tech stack, but as it turns out, merging communication tools into one solid platform also helps employees save quite a bit of time each and every day. 

Here’s how UC tools can transform fast-paced workplaces: 

• Having all conversations happen in one place means nothing gets missed, and it’s easier to find past discussions
• Presence capabilities mean your clients get reliable answers much faster, even when key personnel are out of the office
• Scheduling and chat tools can reduce the need to type (or read) long email threads 
• UC allows all of your staff to access your communications tools from anywhere through the smart device that works best for them
• Teleconferencing solution tools help reduce hierarchies and make it easier for everyone to be heard
• Merging all tools into one eliminates the need to learn multiple communication platforms or have too many tabs open at once 
• UC tools tend to solve common collaboration frustrations, like being able to see who contributed which ideas and where bottlenecks are occurring
• UC platforms offer helpful integrations with CRM platforms and other project management tools

Why You Should Care

We all know that good communication is important — theoretically. But let’s put some real numbers behind it: 

• Poor communication is responsible for 70% of corporate errors
• Teams who communicate effectively can see a 25% increase in their productivity
• 80% of US employees say ineffective company communication causes anxiety
• Around 70% of employees said they’d be more likely to share insights with management if they could use a web-based platform

Essentially, bad communication causes big problems. However, if collaboration is a frequent source of stress or frustration at your workplace, you might not have a widespread and complex communication problem. You might just be using the wrong tools. 

Today's business world is hectic. Business processes always seem to be under pressure to meet deadlines, and your ability to find data and communicate it with the right people at the right time can make or break your business. UC platforms make it easier to provide a better experience for your employees as well as your customers, while potentially saving you money on your tech stack. 

Now, if you could only find the right one … 

Why Consider Unified Communications With Cisco?

Teams and Webex by Cisco are both solid UC platforms, and we are happy to help our clients get the best possible deal on either one. However, for most small to mid-sized businesses, adopting an entirely new communication system can come with a few implementation, management, and ongoing maintenance challenges. 

Unified communications as a service (UCaaS) — where your UC platform is managed and maintained by a third-party provider — makes it easy to access cutting-edge tools and robust platforms without being responsible for all the training and legwork that goes along with implementation.  

We’ve designed our UCaaS offering around Webex for a few reasons. It features 300+ app integrations, including OneDrive, Microsoft Office, and Salesforce, it offers a more seamless user experience with more flexibility, it’s easier to manage and add features, and it also offers voice optimization, real-time translation, and custom layout options. And that’s not just Marco talking. Webex is consistently featured as a leader in the Gartner Magic Quadrant. 

That said, you’ve got options! Explore them — and the deals you can get through Marco — through the link below.