Unified communication and UCaaS – Pros and Cons Find out about the benefits and drawbacks of a unified communication vs UCaaS approach, to see what would be best for your firm. Many businesses are turning towards unified communication-as-a-service solutions, or UCaaS, and as an organisation it might be hard to decide if that is the right option for your own business. “UCaaS” is a blanket term which refers to Cloud-based software integrations for communication services such as emails, videoconferencing, phone calls and more. It is true that there are many forms and features within services such as these that might not be applicable for every company, but there are also likely many integrations that can adapt to your team’s workflow and improve your employees’ efficiency. By looking at what an overall solution can achieve, you can empower your organisation with the ability to revolutionise the way your business communicates, which can help engage with customers and improve your teams’ productivity. The greatest benefits when choosing “as-a-service” solutions are that, because of the entirely cloud-based implementation that these run on, it is immediately compatible with employees’ work or personal devices, and requires little setup time. Whereas some unified communications services require some time to lay the groundwork and install hardware, UCaaS tools and features are easily downloaded off the Internet and immediately ready to go. An easy user interface, powerful software integrations and simple licencing will ensure that your employees can seamlessly transition from a plethora of communication platforms to one expansive work hub. The software-based approach means that no new computers, servers or other equipment needs to be purchased at cost to the company, and ongoing tech support will ensure that the program is working smoothly and kept updated to the latest in technological capabilities. UCaaS affords a freedom and flexibility to employees, as it actively facilitates modern work practices such as flexible time, work-from-home and hotdesking. The tools available encourage employees to communicate and collaborate more. By combining services such as calls, videoconferencing, VoIP and even CRM
integrations, UCaaS takes the administrative hassle out of teamwork and frees up your employees’ time to focus on growing the company. This is particularly effective for smaller businesses, as an ongoing payment plan for the service can be much cheaper than installing the necessary hardware for an in-house unified communications system. That being said, some firms may still prefer to choose a non-cloud based unified communications package, if they prefer to operate with certain hardware such as PBX systems, or their own internal server. This approach tends to work better with larger, more established companies which still like to maintain an office environment. However, unified communications will need to be continually maintained and updated to keep up with advances in firmware, whereas UCaaS is always kept up to date automatically due to its cloud-based nature. Whether your firm chooses unified communications or a cloud-based service solution, it is important to recognise just how much time and money can be saved through the streamlining of business processes through one of these approaches. Reliance Communications is all about making work procedures more efficient, reducing redundant tasks and taking the administrative stress out of the work day. We hope that UCaaS can revitalise your company’s workflow and strengthen your business’s bottom line.
Reliance Communications Pty Ltd Level 26, 44 Market St. Sydney NSW 2000 Ph: 1300 656 911 Web: https://www.reliancecommunications.com.au/