Why Unified Communications Matter More Than Ever
While the switchboards and operators are long gone, having fast and effective communication is still a staple in any business. And with the growing social media space and ever-changing technology, having a complete and adaptive platform to manage all communication methods is critical. They must ensure that anyone interacting with their business receives the same professional and accurate response no matter what method they use to make contact.
Let’s consider some key aspects to consider when looking for and choosing a new system for your operation. Obviously the first is being able to place and receive phone calls, but is handling calls a simple matter in today’s time. Do you have different departments that specific calls need to be routed to? Do you have after-hours or on-call needs to manage? Do you need to keep recordings of the calls for posterity and validation should an issue arise? All of this can be handled by a modern Phone System.
Beyond calls, what else can a Phone System handle? An increasingly critical aspect of modern communication that needs to be considered and included is SMS/MMS Messaging, more commonly known as text messages. This method of communicating has become the default go-to for most people in their day to day lives for most interactions, and the modern operation needs to add this to their toolbox to stay relevant. And this is even more important because it can be used for both employees and clients and allows them to interact as it is convenient to them.
Now, let’s consider the last aspect for a modern system? Beyond just phone calls and conventional text messages, what else is there? How about other chat methods in the social media space like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger? Everyone knows the importance of having their social media presence but are you actively managing the chat messages you are receiving from those pages and profiles or are you leaving those potential clients hanging with your “phone off the hook.”
One last communication tool to consider is seeing decreasing use, but still has an important need for those that do use it is the fax machine. While this is an old school technology, it doesn’t have to be old school hardware. When someone sends you a fax, would it be more useful if that incoming message was routed to an email account you specify, or maybe even a file share on your computer network?
How about sending a fax to someone else? Would having the ability to send the fax directly from your computer without having to print a paper copy and load in a fax machine be useful? Handling your fax needs by using an eFax platform that is built-in to your Phone System will accomplish all of this and more.
If all of this sounds good, then you need to know how to look for a platform to check all these boxes. As you are searching, the best term to describe this is Unified Communications (UC). There are many options that will take evaluation and consideration to find the best fit, and since every situation is different, we can’t give a single answer that works for every installation. That is where having a competent partner that can help evaluate your specific use-case and make an objective recommendation is important.
So, what are some other considerations you need to look at? The biggest one that will determine which options are possible is the installation location of the system. While old school systems all rely on being an “on-premises” install with the core hardware residing at your office, this has some limitations with modern environments. The other alternative is to use a “Cloud” based system, and while this might be new for your network, it is a well proven installation method.
The advantages of a Cloud based system would make an already powerful tool for your business even better. Do you frequently have staff that need to access the system outside of the office, such as management or key personnel working “on-call” for specific shifts? Having a cloud-based system makes giving them access in and out of the office an easy and straight-forward process, including giving them access with an app on their smartphone to interact with the system just like they are sitting in the office, complete with all the records and information like call logs and call recordings.
The other key aspect to cloud based is it doesn’t rely on your office network specifically and will continue to operate even if you have a problem locally. You can use the apps on the smartphones to continue operating even if local access like a desk phone or softphone on office computers cannot connect.
And even if you don’t have access over any method, the UC System will still be “answering” calls and allowing your customers to interact with you before allowing them to leave a message after not being answered. While answering the call is the best option, capturing that potential call in the logs, or better yet a voicemail, will allow you to follow up after you are back operating.
