For reasons that need no explanation, 2020 saw a huge shift in the way we communicate at work and at home – Unified Communications (UC) could be the answer to solving the challenges we may face in the coming year.
Talking is good for us all
Not just in our personal lives, but professionally, things have changed and almost overnight. With many teams no longer working in the office, meetings have had to take place remotely and businesses have had to bring forward their digital transformation plans, rapidly investing in solutions that filled the gap to allow continued effective working.
Communicating has become more important than ever both in terms of business continuity and to keep your own teams together, connected and motivated. UC has played a huge role in making this happen for businesses of all sizes, but most notably in the medical and healthcare sectors, where adoption rates were highest.
What are the benefits of UC?
For those companies that have yet to embrace UC technology, the benefits of moving to such solutions are now becoming very clear.
As a start, the pandemic has meant that there are now large numbers of desktop handsets sitting idle in offices which remain empty and as these may be hired, your business could be wasting money on rental with them not being used. And if you are considering not returning to the office environment, it might be time to reconsider your options and communication strategy.
UC gives businesses multiple opportunities to drive efficiencies and boost customer service levels. Some of the key benefits include: 
- Employees can work from almost any device, giving seamless communications with customers and colleagues.
- Being able to share screens and collaborate with colleagues outside of the normal office, means you can drive more efficiency as you are no longer wasting time with travelling for meetings or just the commute.
- Because employees can work from any location, this encourages more flexible hours, driving higher levels of efficiency again and increased customer service levels.
- Without the need for face-to-face meetings, employees can join and leave meetings as necessary, rather than spending the entire meeting sitting around waiting for their slot to contribute, meaning they can get on with other work, completing tasks that would have otherwise been delayed if they physically needed to attend the meeting.
Taking a step back
Almost a year ago at the start of the pandemic, many businesses rushed to implement a solution, that would enable them to communicate, but this might now be the right choice for the long term. It is important for businesses to assess their investment in UC to consider the fact that many employees will not be returning to the office.
Your future UC investment plans should deliver efficiency and better business practices throughout your organisation, not just remote working, this way equipping the business for the future ensuring the best possible customer service.
A thriving workplace of the future through communications
If you think about what your future looked like fifteen months ago regarding your business communications, it will look very different to the reality now. It is no longer just about the rental or cost of desktop handsets, or whether there is enough for everyone, or can it manage a Hunt Group if we’re out of the office.
This year provides the opportunity to take a step back, review what happened in 2020, what solutions were implemented and whether they are going to be effective in the long-term and in the new workplace.
UC has more than proved itself worthy to many, not just in allowing companies to continue to function, but in many cases, make them more agile and effective with their communications across the whole of the organisation.
At Sprint, we offer a complete UC experience for your business, no matter the size and how many locations you have. Discover more and get in touch if you’d like a completely free, no obligation demonstration. Unified Communications from Sprint
