6 Reasons You Should Consider Hosted Unified Communications

Post by Tom Collins
March 15, 2017

6 Reasons You Should Consider Hosted Unified Communications

One by one, your competitors are moving to a hosted unified communications system. Organizations from every industry have become convinced of the value of UCaaS.

Typically, smaller companies adopted UCaaS systems because they tend to be early adopters and there were several companies that offered a convenient and affordable bundled package to smaller businesses. Larger enterprises, or businesses with large multi-building campuses, were forced to find specialty providers or cobble together hybrid solutions.

Today, advances in telecom technology have made unifying communications easier and more convenient for these businesses. In this article, we're going to talk about a few scenarios that showcase the power and benefit of having a hosted unified communications setup for your business.

6 Reasons to Consider Unified Communications

1. Cost Savings of Hosted Unified Communications

The ongoing equipment, maintenance, and service costs of expensive PRI and analog service are much higher than typical scalable and streamlined cloud systems. With a unified communications provider, you are very likely to save money.

Here's why: Large enterprises with multiple sites tend to rely on different legacy PBX systems, requiring on-site management. UCaaS offers consistent management of phone systems no matter how many sites there are. The reduction in hardware, software maintenance, and upgrades provides major savings.

Smaller organizations, without in-house experts, experience the same savings, along with greater peace of mind, reliability, and security. The move to hosted unified communications shifts responsibility to the experts at your UCaaS service provider, which reduces your personnel costs.

Additionally, the move to cloud-based systems makes adding new sites and users much easier and less time-consuming. No more physical labor, phones lines, or calling in outside assistance. It can all happen by pointing and clicking using a browser and one log-in.

2. Adopt New Technology

Taking business to the cloud provides access to innovative new communications technologies. These powerful and collaborative technologies empower employees to be more productive in their jobs through a variety of ways including:

Data and file sharing with ease and speed
Increased collaboration via targeted conversations using video technology and group chat
Improved call center operations
Increased speed of messaging vs. phone calls
Availability awareness means less missed & unanswered calls

Your workforce is on the move. Choosing a system that can easily serve mobile users and can move with them streamlines every aspect of communications.

3. Retire Expensive Hardware

ILEC's such as Verizon, AT&T, and CenturyLink are retiring their legacy phone networks, making it obsolete for some organizations. Retiring the outdated hardware that goes with it removes a considerable chunk of overhead costs.

4. Better Serve Your Workforce

You've heard all about the millennial workforce. They've grown up on the cloud and prefer messaging to phone conversations. UCaaS provides this "instant" lifestyle, through instant messaging and presence capabilities.

The truth is, IM&P, as it's known, is not just for millennials. Staff members of all ages consider the ability to use this technology to empower mobility and remote work a major benefit.

However, it's not all about staff needs.

Think of the needs of your clients and partners. Presence detection capabilities keep unanswered calls and questions to a minimum, which benefits everyone. Additionally, empowering your mobile workforce to handle calls, messages, and communications from anywhere in the world makes your employees more effective and efficient.

5. Converge Networks

Wouldn't it be nice to have one consolidated bill every month for all of your communications?

Organizations on hosted, unified communications systems can more fully converge voice and data networks, which not only reduces costs, improves reliability, and security but also makes monthly billing much easier to understand and quick to decipher.

6. Gain Competitive Edge

What does a lower cost, better performing system really lead to? When fully embraced by the workforce and organizational culture, the move to UCaaS can shift the paradigm of success. Your organization will be moving faster and more efficiently, leading to a big competitive edge over the competition. Employing the latest in technology also offers a branding opportunity. Partners and clients will recognize the commitment to quality, communications, and cutting edge technology.

Is Hosted Unified Communications Right for your Business?

For most people, the benefits of moving to a UCaaS provider is an exciting and convenient solution to a lot of their telecom needs. But, knowing where to start and how to manage a seamless transition to unified communications can seem like an overwhelming task.

We recommend speaking to one of our customer success experts before getting too far into your decision-making process. They will be able to help you understand your technical needs, and the best ways to implement a transition without causing yourself a lot of headaches.