Unified Communications, also known as UC, are technologies that allow teams to collaborate more effectively regardless of where they are located or what devices they use to get their work done. UC integrates voice, video, email, chat and file sharing into one solution in order to foster greater workplace efficiency and enhanced communications between remote teams and employees. While there are several components that make up UC, the three main ones are unified messaging, collaborative applications and presence awareness. This article will discuss these three components of Unified Communications as well as the benefits of using them.
What is Unified Communications?
Unified communications is a broad term that covers multiple topics and services. UC refers to technologies like internet telephony (video conferencing), email, instant messaging and other collaboration methods all tied together with one user interface. To understand UC further, it’s important to look at three of its key components: communication servers, presence servers and collaboration applications such as SharePoint.
Each component contributes a specific piece of functionality that combines to create a more powerful communication platform for businesses. This communication hub makes it easier for employees to stay in touch with colleagues from anywhere using any device – whether they’re in their office or at home using their mobile phone.
Why Unified Communications (UC)?
What does it mean when someone refers to an enterprise as being unified? When most people think about unified communications, they think about a telephone system. A unified communications platform is more than that though—it also includes email, instant messaging, video conferencing and other communication tools and technology.
Therefore, a unified communications platform is just that: a single platform for multiple forms of communication. That said, when people talk about UC platforms today they’re talking about broad business solutions or workgroup collaboration platforms (in contrast to traditional PBX systems). There are many types of solutions available under an umbrella term that applies to any business looking to leverage their voice, data and mobile devices in ways that benefit customers and increase efficiency internally.
Benefits of Unified Communications
The simplest way to describe unified communications is as technology that combines communication services and other applications into a single, user-friendly interface. The most obvious benefit of unified communications is reduced cost: Employees won’t need to invest in expensive phone systems or software because they can rely on their IT provider to provide everything they need.
As a result, companies save money by only paying for what they use. Employees also benefit from having seamless access to both internal and external data and services through one simple interface—no matter where they are in their organizations or on any given day. Another major benefit of UC is improved productivity: Employees who don’t have to worry about technical issues will be able to focus more on getting work done. And employees who spend less time on tasks like setting up meetings and calling clients will have more time available for actual work.
The benefits of unified communications should sound familiar if you’ve been following recent developments in telecommunications. For example, you may have heard that businesses today often rely on cloud computing solutions to store their files instead of maintaining physical servers. Cloud computing allows employees to share documents without downloading them onto individual computers; it provides centralized backup storage and allows multiple users to access files simultaneously.
Three Main Components of UC
UC solutions should allow users to communicate with each other as they need. For example, a customer service rep should be able to receive a question via e-mail and immediately respond using text messaging or by simply calling that person back. With UC solutions, all modes of communication are consolidated into one place: smartphone, desktop computer, tablet or computer; all these elements can work together seamlessly for more efficiency in your company.
UC technologies should provide flexibility to enable users to choose how they use their devices and applications throughout the day; rather than forcing everyone in an organization to utilize one solution for communication purposes alone.
Voice Calling
VoIP Voice Calling is a feature that allows you to make voice calls over your existing internet connection. This helps reduce costs for businesses that require frequent phone use, as it eliminates expensive landline and mobile charges. To get started with VoIP Phone Systems, simply choose an IP PBX solution from our partners above, fill out an online form, and a VoIP expert will contact you in 2 hours or less.
Messaging
The ability to communicate in an instant through voice, video, and collaboration. This will save you time and help you connect with other users quickly. With a messaging platform, you can get in touch with colleagues, clients, friends or family from any location via your smartphone or tablet. Unified communications also includes video conferencing capabilities so you can see who you’re talking to rather than just hearing them.
Web Conferencing
When a unified communications company says it offers Web conferencing, it’s talking about an online service that allows people from all over to join in a virtual meeting. Web conferencing works by having everyone access a webpage and use an app to log into a meeting. There is usually an audio or video feed for those who want to participate in a call.
Conclusion
Today we’ve covered what three main components of unified communications. More or less, they are computer telephony integration, desktop sharing and chat, and web conferencing. When these three things all work together seamlessly, it’s easier to communicate and collaborate with your coworkers. It also makes it easy to connect with people outside your organization when necessary.
In order to ensure that your business is running smoothly and successfully, you want to use a unified communications system. The more effectively you can communicate internally and externally, without having a lot of hassle in between conversations or meetings, the more successful you will be in growing your business.