![\"communications\"](\"http:\/\/45.33.92.219\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/3.png\")
<\/a>Unified Communications platforms are the next wave of communications products. But are they right for small businesses?<\/p>\nWhy should I care about UC?<\/h4>\n
Unified Communications\u00a0(UC)\u00a0is a concept\u00a0where a business uses\u00a0one\u00a0seamless system for\u00a0working\u00a0collaboration and communication.\u00a0This usually includes everything from calls, to messages, video conferencing, file sharing\u00a0and\u00a0internal social networking.\u00a0Many companies\u00a0use limited and\u00a0outdated\u00a0technology\u00a0to communicate internally and externally.\u00a0A common example might be entirely separate systems for email, messaging, storage, task management and conferencing.\u00a0This can\u00a0cause\u00a0all kinds of problems, from a lack of organization\u00a0to\u00a0loss of data and vulnerability,\u00a0and significant extra cost.<\/p>\n
How do UC system\u2019s\u00a0work?<\/h4>\n
There are two essential types of business communication tools. Those that are\u00a0used for\u00a0real-time communication\u00a0(for example video calling)\u00a0are defined as\u00a0synchronous<\/strong>\u00a0communication. Other tools allow communication\u00a0on-demand (e.g.\u00a0email)\u00a0and are classed as\u00a0asynchronous<\/strong>.\u00a0Traditionally, there was a divide between these two types that would often cause friction in businesses.\u00a0UC software\u00a0focuses\u00a0on\u00a0combining\u00a0synchronous and asynchronous\u00a0activity into one platform.<\/p>\n In short, the fewer (but more powerful) systems in place,\u00a0the more smoothly\u00a0UC can be achieved.<\/p>\n There are now communications-enabled business programs allowing you to communicate with both customers and employees from the same business application (for example, calling a customer from a support system). These seemingly simple extra features can\u00a0lead to significant efficiency savings, particularly when combined with integrated reporting and administration. By using a single platform, UC also allows companies to roll out a\u00a0Bring Your Own Device<\/em>\u00a0policy, increasing mobility, reducing hardware and maintenance costs.<\/p>\n UC greatly encourages remote working. As fewer employees need to be in the same location, less physical space is needed, which in turn cuts down on overheads, office space and energy usage. Companies with remote working and soft-phones often implement\u00a0hot-desking policies<\/a><\/u>. It\u2019s not just for show, either. According to\u00a0a recent study<\/a><\/u><\/strong> by Global Workplace Analytics, 60% of employees are likely to work overtime if they are allowed to do so from home, and 61% of those implementing flexible working saw an increase in their business\u2019s bottom line.<\/p>\n Just like PBX systems, Unified Communications tools can be hosted in the cloud or can be managed on-premises, with the correct hardware. On-premises UC often requires expensive hardware and needs ongoing maintenance, support and training, including troubleshooting and upgrades. Cloud-based systems leave the management and maintenance to the provider.<\/p>\n According to Gartner<\/a><\/u><\/strong>, a trusted advisor and\u00a0an objective resource for more than 15,000\u00a0enterprises in 100+ countries.,\u00a0telephony (essentially, the ability to make calls), is the core of UC, accompanied by IM with Presence, messaging (including email and voicemail) and meeting solutions (with video and audio options) as major features. Other sought-after elements consist of fax, file sharing and conferencing. There are a variety of tools that appear to tread on the edges of this functionality. Slack\u2019s rise to prominence has been meteoric, and their\u00a0recent IPO<\/a><\/u><\/strong>\u00a0has pulled them firmly into wider business awareness than their core start-up demographic. Slack offers video meetings, collaboration, instant messaging, and file sharing, but not wider telephony. Facebook Workplace, though an excellent tool for business, does not offer a \u201ctrue\u201d UC package. Microsoft Teams, however, is much closer, offering a huge variety of collaboration tools, and combined with\u00a0direct routing, becoming a genuine unified communications tool.<\/p>\n UC popularity is increasing rapidly and \u2013 as you would expect \u2013 the number of businesses looking to take advantage of this growing adoption is rising too. Many SMEs start by looking at systems they are already using, and what best integrates with them. Microsoft has the huge advantage of combining their vast range of products, including Office 365, SharePoint, OneDrive, and others, with a more \u201cdisruptive\u201d solution like Teams. But many solutions are built to work in tandem. Smaller businesses with Google\u2019s G-Suite may find using Slack for collaboration and Google for everything else works well. The one thing missing is telephony. What Teams provides these businesses is true unification of communications software \u2013 but this may not be right for every business.<\/p>\n There is little doubt that UC will become the standard for most businesses of any size. But with a fiercely competitive market, the only question is which solution will come out on top. You can find out more about Clarity and our award-winning solutions\u00a0here.<\/a><\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n Clarity\u2019s hosted VoIP phone systems are designed to help your business grow and get more from their communications expertise.<\/p>\n Clarity is proud to have been providing On Premises and Cloud Hosted Telephony to the America\u2019s and the world since 2006. Our clients are worldwide and currently using our Unified Communications platform with 3CX Phone System<\/a>. Clarity is also a proud to be an authorized Microsoft 365 service provider. Select the UC that fits your business needs. Clarity Technologies Group, LLC surpasses expectations<\/p>\n Call Clarity at 800-354-4160 today or email us at info@clarityscg.com<\/a>. We are partnered internationally around the globe and we are open seven days a week 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM EST\/EDT. http:\/\/45.33.92.219<\/a> and https:\/\/dotmantech.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n [mc4wp_form id=”314″]<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Why small businesses should embrace Unified Communications Unified Communications platforms are the next wave of communications products. But are they right for small businesses? Why should I care about UC? Unified Communications\u00a0(UC)\u00a0is a concept\u00a0where a business uses\u00a0one\u00a0seamless system for\u00a0working\u00a0collaboration and communication.\u00a0This usually includes everything from calls, to messages, video conferencing, file sharing\u00a0and\u00a0internal social networking.\u00a0Many companies\u00a0use […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30,31,32],"class_list":["post-11100","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-3cx-call-center","tag-call-center-solutions","tag-hosted-phone-systems","tag-ip-pbx","tag-phone-systems","tag-remote-presence","tag-sbc","tag-session-broader-controller","tag-voip","tag-web-conferencing","tag-web-meeting"],"yoast_head":"\n<\/a>Productivity and\u00a0Savings<\/h4>\nUnified Communications in the Cloud<\/h4>\n
Are Teams, Slack and Facebook Workplace all UC tools?<\/h4>\n
<\/a>What UC system should I be using?<\/h4>\n\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n