Let’s talk about unified communications

Throughout history, communication has been absolutely essential to victory and success. Battles were won, nations formed, kings crowned—all based on their ability to effectively communicate with their people.

Today, things are no different. If you want your organization to hit its apex of success, it simply cannot be done without the ability to have rock solid, simple communication—regardless of circumstances.

This is where unified communications can step in and grant you that level of communication—both within your organization and to your clients.

A basic rundown of unified communications

Unified communications. It’s a phrase being thrown around more and more often these days, but many still don’t know exactly what it is.

To break it down, unified communications is essentially what it sounds like. A communication strategy that is unified over every available tool. Your business phone system, your email, your texting, conferencing, live chat, screen sharing—whatever you use to communicate both internally and externally within your business is instantly all available on one cohesive platform which can be accessed from any device.

Sound incredible? It really is. In fact, Nemertes Research’s Enterprise Technology Benchmark discovered that, even as early as 2014, 63% of companies had at least one UC app in the cloud, with Web conferencing as the most widely adopted product.

It’s one of those things you’ll use for a month or so, then look back and think, “How in the world did I ever get along without this?”

When you and your team can perform their jobs more easily—whether seated at their desks or on the go—not only does it cause productivity to rise, it also greatly increases employee satisfaction with their work.

Take your office with you

Up until as recently as ten years ago, the vast majority of business was performed within the confines of an office, with employees seated at a desk 8+ hours a day. If they had to leave or travel for any reason, their productivity virtually evaporated.

Gradually, business communications began to evolve. The mobile phone evolved into the smartphone. Wi-Fi allowed people to connect and work more often from remote locations. Unified communications is the next evolutionary step in the world of business communications. Today, according to Citrix, 61% of workers report working outside the office at least part of the time.

If you’re on the go, you can still access your business phone calls, your emails, your ability to chat with current and potential clients—all from your pocket.

If a client sends you a message requesting a video chat with yourself and another business in 15 minutes—and you’re across town—you can simply find a quiet spot, open up your UC app, and instantly, you’re in a video conference—forming relationships and ­closing deals. No longer do you have to ask for reschedulings because of where you are. With unified communications, do business wherever and whenever you need to.

Control how you communicate

While having total access to your communications mediums at all times is appealing, some worry their new communication abilities will prevent them from having any kind of personal life outside of work. If clients learn they can call or email you at any hour of the day, they will. This is likely why the annual American Time Use Survey found the average full-time employee in 2014 worked 8.57 hours on a given weekday, compared to the 8.46 hours worked in 2003.

Unified communications solves that balance problem with availability. When you take a lunch break, go to your son’s Christmas pageant, or have a dinner with an old friend—you can designate how (or if!) you can be reached. You can set your availability to only receive email and SMS notifications, or you could even make yourself completely “unavailable,” and check your messages later.

With unified communications, the user has the control. They work where and when they want to work, and they can “switch off” where and when they need to. Welcome to a great work/life balance.

Let DMS unify your communications

The sooner your office takes total control of the way they can communicate, the sooner your entire organization can enjoy the added productivity and effectiveness that comes with it.

In addition to unifying your office communications, DMS can also manage your technology, including your mobile devices, and even help you ensure your business will continue even in the face of a disaster. Let’s talk about all the ways we can help your business move a level up.