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Communication is the most vital part of any good relationship, and we have to keep those channels open and clear to prevent misunderstanding or ill-will. The same rings true in business. The best companies cultivate good working relationships with everyone from clients to potential customers, employees, management, and contractors. But these relationships can suffer if your company is not using the right tools or is overwhelmed by the increasing costs and volume of communication. Knowing when to seek a partnership with a unified communications partner is key to keeping all your communication streamlined and clear. The benefits of adopting a UC communication model affect all relationships and can align the company with its goals.

What is a Unified Communication Provider?

Unified Communications, UC for short, is the all-encompassing communication and collaboration technology and a UC provider is the partner your business uses to deliver the benefits of this type of communication while reducing your company’s burden.

Increased Efficiency

A UC partner can increase overall efficiency by helping your company deal with communication latencies and bandwidth in the network to assisting with communication priorities and call flows. UC partner can also help reduce customer wait times through interactive voice response systems by optimizing your call center and capturing much-needed customer details about each call that allows live agents to quickly and efficiently assist customers.

Reduced IT Burdens

UC partners help consolidate all communications systems into one platform that allows IT to manage easily, control, and update critical tools. Under this model, the UC provider often maintains the system, freeing up IT professionals to handle other tasks.

Cost Savings

Communication is not cheap, but a UC provider can significantly reduce the cost burden associated with communication by reducing the need for legacy systems and voice trunks as well as reducing the long distance rates.

Scalability

Your company is dynamic and may be subject the ebb and flow of seasonal volume changes and may experience sudden growth. A UC partner can help you maintain your best foot forward through easy to scale, up or down, options and can help tailor a solution that works for your company, rather than paying for extras you don’t need or waiting for traditional expansions.

Signs Your Company is Ready for a UC Partner

There are many good reasons for early adoption of unified communications but here are some of the classic signs your company is ready to take the next step in communication.

Overburdened IT Professionals

It’s easy to tell when your IT department is feeling the pressure of their workloads. Their response times to projects and new items often gets put the side so they can focus on the essentials and current workloads. Telephony and collaborative communication systems can significantly overload IT staff so that they feel they are never ahead and incapable of handling other tasks. Adopting a UC strategy with a new partner can remove this burden and free your IT professional up for other work.

You’re Getting Too Big for Your Office

As your company grows, you might find your space feels more limited, and you need to move to a larger office. Moving telephone systems can be a costly process, and the new setup can be time-consuming. Partnering with a UC provider can take this part of your move off your plate for you can focus on other critical parts of the move, such as data management, regulatory compliance, and moving logistics.

More of Your Workforce is Working Remotely

Promoting a remote workforce is an excellent way to find the best talent out there because your pool of qualified candidates is significantly increased without the confines of a geographic border. Working remotely also increases efficiencies in task work because it eliminates travel times and allows instant access to the system from anywhere your employees can use the Internet. A UC provided can easily bridge the gap between the office and the mobile or virtual worker, thus allowing your remote staff instant access and an established sense of presence in the system.

Your Efficiency is Decreased and Your Customers Notice Service Problems

Decreasing efficiency in communication systems can lead to a lack of accessibility and ill-working communication platforms. Small things like missed calls or dropped calls to the highly irritating long wait times in an automated system can infuriate your customers and clients. Your customers may start to complain about poor call quality or are upset with having to re-explain the reason for their call to each live agent they speak to during their calls. They may feel they don’t have proper access to real problem solvers. On the employee side, too many applications or open systems under different platforms may decrease your employee’s ability to deliver the best in class service to your customers. A UC provider seeks to eliminate all the issues associated with communication and collaboration issues through simple, easy-to-use tools that your customers and employees have access to upon calling.

Communication Costs are Increasing

The everyday cost of communication can become expensive if your company is still using traditional trunks and legacy systems or is trying to manage communication on its own. The cost of replacing hardware and software associated with communication systems as well as the piecing together several systems and platforms can overwhelm an IT communication budget. An audit of your communication systems may yield staggeringly high costs. By switching to a UC provided, your company can streamline communication and collaboration elements while reducing the costs associated with maintaining the systems and hardware in-house.

Each of the classic signs your company is ready for a unified communications partnership is interrelated with cause and effect. Often, adopting a UC provider to resolve one of the classic signs instantly helps create efficiencies and improve the overall fitness of your company. Communication works best when all elements are harmonized with each other. Recognizing the signs that your communication systems are hurting your business can help your company avoid loss of integrity as well as reduce operational expenses. Partnering with a unified communication provider is a big-picture approach that can help your business continue to grow and focus on what matters most.