Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS)
As the workplace has evolved and changed over the past decade into a more mobile and dispersed environment, the need to keep up-to-date with the best technology solutions has become even more important. Digital meeting and messaging platforms are becoming a necessity in day to day operations. Because of this, outdated PBX systems create roadblocks in the efficiency and effectiveness of the work employees produce, especially as we continue to rely more on remote workers.
That’s why cloud-based communication solutions offer obvious benefits over traditional on-premises PBX systems, including peace of mind, unsurpassed scalability, and overall cost effectiveness. Cloud technologies can drastically reduce management and implementation complexity. However, the transition can still come with unforeseen complications. This is why it’s important to have a well-planned implementation that aligns with your organization’s business requirements, objectives, and outcomes.
WHAT IS UCAAS?
Unified Communications as a service (UCaaS) is a category of these cloud delivery mechanisms for enterprise communication. Creating your own Unified Communications platform can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, but utilizing UCaaS eliminates the need to buy bulky IT infrastructure or hire a full IT team. Instead Cloud Service Providers take care of everything that you need, from VoIP to video conferencing, instant messaging, and collaboration tools without the need for hardware costs.
UCaaS is something more than a simple exchange. It gives information about people’s presence; it enables mobility across staff and departments and seamlessly integrates external software solutions. It helps you stay efficient without spending hours waiting for a partner to return a call. It also helps you avoid struggling to reach a customer only to learn that he or she has unsubscribed. Customers appreciate this level of support. This is the reason why many companies see customer bases grow when using UCaaS.
BENEFITS OF UCAAS
For some, keeping up with the technology of the time is a good enough reason to make the switch. However, sometimes it can be difficult to decide whether UCaaS is the right choice for your business. That’s why we’ve identified just a few of the top benefits for making the transition from on-premises PBX to cloud communication.
Increased Reliability
A big selling point for UCaaS is its reliability. And really, when you’re working with technology systems, you need one that you can trust. Technology failure is an inevitability, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t steps you can take to prevent a total shut down for your business. With on-site PBX systems or local cloud services, you run the risk of being unable to connect if a local data center goes down or you experience power outages.
With UCaaS, cloud applications are hosted at a variety of geographical data locations with reliable and flexible connection options. This means that you’ll be able to quickly and easily recover from any technology outages or disturbances.
Easily Upgradable
Future-proofing your business is certainly a desirable trait. Software upgrades can be disruptive and get in the way of work. The cloud makes it so that you don’t have to worry about updating your software, as this is done for you by your provider. In terms of growth or movement, the cloud also makes it easier for businesses to open or close offices, move locations, or innovate.
Lower Costs
Delivering top of the line technology while also keeping the total cost of ownership low can sound like a challenging task. But with cloud communications, companies are able to simplify their equipment, management, services, ability to scale, and improve end-user productivity. Enterprise organizations regularly experience a 30-40% total cost reduction within their first year.
Uniformity
A recent study shows that knowledge workers lose up to 32 days per year in productivity by simply switching between applications. That may seem like a lot, but with the average enterprise location using over 1,000 cloud applications, it can be hard to streamline everything. UCaaS provides uniformity for your business, enabling employees using different devices at different locations to work seamlessly as one unit. With hosted applications, it doesn’t matter if a team member uses a computer or cellphone to serve clients or talk to a colleague. The cloud gives all users the same system for internal and external communication, allowing your team and customers to enjoy a uniform experience.
Mobility
Geographic distance should be an obstacle for your teams to overcome. Make remote work easier for all of your employees with UCaaS. Hosted applications make it possible to give your staff cutting-edge telecommunication tools that aren’t dependent on locally-hosted hardware or software. Easily transition to a mobile workforce that cuts costs while still providing the same quality of service to your customers, no matter what state – or country – your employees are in.
SUMMARY
A cloud-based communication services offers a range of benefits and is a great solutions to businesses looking to seamlessly stay on top of the ever-changing technology field. Not only does it take the stress off of you to maintain your services, but it offers a wide range of additional services to help keep your business running smoothly as well as keep all of your workers connected. While everyone can benefit from cloud communications, this is especially attractive to IT organizations that have multiple locations, complex infrastructures, or those that are looking for minimal business disruptions. Consider partnering with a provider to help you through the migration process.