What is Unified Communications and Why Does it Matter?

Unified communication (UC) is defined as the integration of business communication technologies, such as phone systems, instant messaging, screen sharing, SMS, and more. Over the past twenty years, we have been overwhelmed by new devices and communication technology, and so unified communication exists to tie all these technologies together to allow seamless communication and effective collaboration.

In UC, all of these devices can be connected and controlled through a single user interface, which is accessible across devices. It allows you to reach individuals through the most suitable device at a given time, and you're only required to have one number. If you want to switch devices, you can do so with just one click.

Why is Unified Communications So Important?

The current pandemic has meant that unified communications has become even more important to businesses. Some recent research shows:

• Customer interest in UCaaS (unified communications as a service) spiked 86% in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic
• The UCaaS market size was $23 billion in 2019, and is projected to reach $60 billion by 2027
• Of $1m to $10m companies, 69% transitioned to UCaaS in 2021
• UCaaS monthly recurring revenue increased 29% in the 12-month period beginning April 2019
• In the Asia Pacific region where the virus was first reported, UCaaS provider Voxbone recorded double the number of online conference minutes on its network

Today, it is estimated that 42% of the US labor force is working remotely, and 55% expects to offer more remote working options once the Covid-19 pandemic is no longer a concern. Our own research showed that 74% of office-based companies currently have all of their staff working remotely, as opposed to just 7% before the pandemic. Furthermore, 82% expect more staff to request remote working once they return to the office, and 31% don’t intend to go back to the office at all, having seen the benefits of remote working.

This shift to the digital workforce has led companies to think more carefully about how they can best communicate with employees whilst everyone is working from different locations. For example, there was a sudden need for IP voice telephony, which aided in accelerating the growth of UC.

Businesses are diverse and complex. They are made up of various teams using differing technologies, information systems, and devices. One employee may have multiple different ways of contacting customers or collaborating with colleagues, including VoIP, instant messaging, emails, project management software, and document sharing.

This makes tracking communication with customers and keeping track of various projects and information difficult. This can lead to repeat work, and the delivery of poor customer service. Unified communications exists to make communication a whole lot more streamlined and interconnected.

To put it simply, rather than having a patchwork quilt of various technologies, unified communications allows you to have an all-in-one solution.

We spoke to two businesses about how UC has helped them:

Will Ward, CEO of ecommerce company Translation HQ, commented:

“Using a unified communications solution has been a huge factor in boosting our productivity while working from home. For remote teams, a good quality video conferencing tool is very important for collaboration. The virtual voicemail feature of the VoIP is helping us follow up on more sales leads. Our sales funnel mostly depends on a toll-free number that's posted on our website. The voicemail feature ensures that we get to follow up on many of these leads who call after business hours. The ease of having access to all these via a simple mobile app is the icing on the cake.”

Perry Toone of The xyz told us:

“Being able to ditch the office phone for a mobile app while keeping all the same features is a big plus. Working from home does not mean you need to disclose your personal phone number. Simply download the mobile app and your mobile phone becomes your office phone during specified working hours.

“There is an add-on app called Glip included with RingCentral. It allows for easy remote collaboration and chats with the whole team. Because it works with our phones system, it is nicely integrated into the existing workflow.

“We have had more spare time during the lockdown and it has allowed us to push forward projects that were due to be released much later on. Simplified communication really makes a lot of difference. We have email, SMS, and phone calls already, these channels are often very busy with existing client communications. Glip is kept just for internal chats and it keeps it easy to manage.”

Unified Communications as a Service

Commonly referred to as UCaaS, this refers to unified communications software that is hosted by an external provider on the cloud. This means you don’t have to set up your own technology infrastructure – instead it is installed by a specialist UCaaS provider. Many UCaaS providers also offer contact center capabilities, including call routing, auto attendant, and CRM integrations.

There are two main types of UCaaS:

1. Single tenancy

With single tenancy software, each user has their own custom UC package. This makes it more flexible to an individual’s needs, however it's usually more expensive.

2. Multi-tenancy

Multiple users still have their own secure login, but packages are the same across all users. This makes it a cheaper option, however it lacks the flexibility that single tenancy provides.

The Benefits of Unified Communications

Reduces Costs

Rather than having multiple technologies to deal with, all with varying costs, UC provides an all-in-one service. Additionally, it allows your employees to easily work remotely, reducing the need for office space. UCaaS solutions also reduce operational costs and the manpower needed for maintenance.

Enhances Collaboration and Teamwork

UC allows teams to collaborate more easily, which breaks down silos. Employees have access to each other and the same software across the organisation, no matter where they are based. This makes sharing and staying in touch easier, and gives employees greater flexibility.

Increases Productivity

UC simplifies communication and streamlines processes, which allows teams to accomplish more than before within the same timeframe.

Improves Customer Engagement

With UC, businesses can solve customer problems faster, and in turn improve their business’s reputation.

Gives Greater Mobility

UC gives people more freedom to work as they choose, which increases business mobility.

Easy to Set Up

UCaaS setup can be done by a provider and so doesn’t require vast I.T. knowledge. It can simply be migrated to your existing infrastructure. This also reduces the need for maintenance staff.

Good for Businesses of All Sizes

UCaaS allows you to have bespoke features, so you can pay only for what you need – whether you’re a company with a thousand employees or 50.

The Features of Unified Communications Technologies

UcaaS offers hundreds of different features, and the flexibility of the offerings means that you can get a bespoke package for your company. Here are just some of the most popular features:

Email/Instant Messaging

One inbox for all

You can get your voice messages, fax, emails and regular text messages sent to a single mailbox that can be accessed either with a telephone or a regular email.

Telephones

Presence

Presence allows you to know the availability of other users, whether they are online, offline, or away.

Click-to-dial

Simply refers to calling someone at the click of a button or text. These connections can occur via phone call, SMS or VoIP.

Voicemail to email

Tried to call a client but they won’t pick up? Instead of leaving an awkward voicemail on their phone, voicemail to email converts the audio into text and gets sent via an email.

Find me, follow me

This refers to technology that enables incoming phone calls to be received at different locations, meaning you don’t need multiple numbers for different devices – instead using a one-number-for-all solution.

Call control

Call control simply refers to telecom networks monitoring and maintaining connections once they have been established.

Speech recognition

Speech recognition can be used as an effective way of gaining customer requirements and complete identification and verification before being automatically routed. It can also aid in caller sentiment analysis. Although speech recognition is never 100% accurate, it continually learns from callers to improve its success rate of automatic recognition. If the caller is not understood, the call can be sent to a person without the caller knowing.

Screen pops

A screen pop simply refers to a window or dialogue box that automatically displays all relevant caller and account information on your screen during a call.

Disaster recovery

Calls can be re-routed to other locations to ensure no call is missed, and data can still be accessed so that opportunities aren't lost.

Call reporting and analytics

Some unified communication systems include analytics solutions, allowing you to gain insights into call duration, call conversion rate, and more.

Cell phone twinning

Cell phone twinning refers to connecting your cell phone to your business desk extension, meaning any call to the desk extension will result in both phones ringing.

Auto-attendant

Allows callers to be automatically transferred to an extension without the intervention of an operator or receptionist.

Call routing

Ensures the call goes to the most appropriate person through pre-established criteria.

Productivity/Connectivity

CRM integrations

Having the right CRM alongside, or integrated into, your UC system is essential. Integrating the two means you don’t have to look up the same customer separately in both your CRM and billing software. This reduces the time spent looking for customer information.

Calendar Sync

This allows you to see when your colleagues or clients are available, so you don’t double book them into any calls.

File sharing

Often, unified communication technologies will include the ability to share documents and work on them simultaneously. These can be annotated on by those they're shared with.

Meetings/Events

Virtual meeting room

A virtual meeting room is a collaborative space that is hosted on the cloud. It's always open, so you don’t need to set anything up. Virtual meeting rooms are perfect for spontaneous calls with three or more participants, weekly team meetings, or customer meetings.

Video conferencing

Video conferencing is available across devices, allowing you to share presentations with remote teams.

Challenges in Unified Communications

Adoption

Persuading people to change the way they work and adopt more technologies can be a challenge. Companies using UC will need to give training to ensure that uptake is high, and employees properly understand the benefits of this new approach and that it will actually allow for more flexibility. Thankfully, UC is easy to use and adapt to.

Security Risks

When you move your UC to external controls, you are no longer responsible for protecting the sensitive data contained within. However, UCaaS providers understand these risks, and so are ensuring best security measures that utilize session border controllers (SBC), an imperative aspect of UCaaS protection.

SBCs can perform encryption and are needed for UC cloud services where firewalls are ineffective, as they don’t understand caller IDs and temporary sessions. All service providers should have an SBC, but it's worth asking to make sure, and to be sure it's compatible with your own.

Data Encryption

All data that passes through your UC provider's network should be encrypted – not just in storage, but also in transit. Voice traffic needs to be encrypted to prevent hacking during the flow of data.

Secure Data Center

A UC provider should have its own technology infrastructure with strong protections, redundant power and cooling, remote backups, disaster recovery, and secured entry, and its security should be backed by independent certifications. Find out whether the platform is kept continuously secure through frequent updates.

The Risk of Using Personal Devices

There are risks associated with employees using their personal devices for work, such as data leakage. Furthermore, it is difficult to apply updates on personal devices in a centralized way, as different devices require different data encryption.

The Reliability of the Connection

A key consideration is network connection. UC depends heavily on reliable internet connections, and therefore a local ISP won’t be efficient. It may result in a low quality phone line and slow connections, rendering the purpose of UCaaS ineffective. Ensure your UCaaS provider offers fiber-optic internet connectivity.

Customer Renewal Rate

Looking at (or asking for) a provider’s customer renewal rate can give a clearer indication of how satisfied customers are with the service.

What Will the ‘Future Office’ Look Like?

Remote working: If this year has demonstrated anything, it’s that most office-based companies can do just fine with a remote workforce. With employees getting a good taste for home working, it’s likely many more will request it when returning to the office. It’s predicted that 30% of people will work from home multiple days per week post-Covid.

The physical office: The office space will have to adapt to limited physical interaction. Furthermore, more companies are looking for smaller or more flexible office spaces, ditching the permanent office – 73% of business leaders predict downsizing their office. Other likely trends include staggered working hours, one-way systems, compulsory mask usage, sanitization points, increased cleaning, and fewer large gatherings.

Technology: Zoom’s revenue increased by 169% this year, and other communications platforms like Slack, Teams, and Skype have seen similar increases. Consumer interest in UC spiked 86%, leading to a growth of virtual office and contact centers.

The home office: 2020 saw a vast increase in the purchasing of home office equipment. More than seven million people (41%) have bought new office equipment during lockdown, forking out £233 on average to make their home suitable for work. And it seems that home offices are here to stay.

Virtual offices and contact centers: Nowadays, you could call a company as a customer and be speaking to someone who's sitting at home in their living room. The call is simply allocated across a network of remote employees, based on who is available at the time and who is most suitable for taking the call. This has largely reduced the need for physical contact offices.

But will we lose the office completely?

Remote spaces certainly do have downfalls – you may be reliant on your personal internet connection, working in unsuitable or busy work spaces, and facing a lack of instant support and collaboration with colleagues. For this reason, it seems unlikely we will see the total death of the office, but greater flexibility and choice of where to work from is sure to continue.

Overall, unified communications can provide a more seamless and collaborative way of working that allows your employees to work from anywhere, and remain as productive as before. As remote working becomes more common worldwide, the shift to making communication and collaboration easy will become more and more key going forward.