How Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) can empower the modern workforce

In today's hybrid work environment, effective communication is the cornerstone of success. With the rise of remote work, distributed teams, and evolving customer expectations, organisations must connect and collaborate seamlessly.

However, network connectivity can be a significant bottleneck when trying to keep your hybrid workforce connected, collaborating and productive. Spotty networks, low-quality network service are common issues that enterprises face as their hybrid workforces collaborate remotely.

Bringing the best communication and collaboration services together as a managed service offering that takes away the hassles of infrastructure management, Unified Communications-as-a-Service (UCaaS) offers a viable, cost-effective solution for established and bootstrapped companies alike.

A win-win communication and collaboration solution

For the enterprise workforce, UCaaS brings high-quality voice services and features such as intelligent call routing, high-quality audio, call recording, and more. As a result, it allows for greater productivity, especially in customer-facing teams.

With video conferencing solutions or meetings, which ensure more facetime between remote teams; UCaaS makes it easier to collaborate with teammates no matter where they work, further enhancing collaboration and productivity.

For the enterprise, UCaaS relies on the cloud and offers accessibility to a connectivity suite to businesses of all sizes, and takes away the need to invest extra in VoIP hardware or even staffing to ensure security, uptime or configuration. In fact, an IDC report estimates that UCaaS is projected to grow at a 9.3% CAGR between 2020 and 2025, compared with on-premises IP telephony, which will decline 13.2% CAGR during the same period.

UCaaS providers ensure that the services are fully managed, so that enterprises don't have to worry about communications infrastructure and can focus maximising the usage of their unified communications infrastructure for great productivity and business growth.

"An IDC report estimates that UCaaS is projected to grow at a 9.3% CAGR between 2020 and 2025, compared with on-premises IP telephony, which will decline 13.2% CAGR during the same period".

However, as you prepare to embark on this transformative journey, there are some key considerations to make. Your enterprise will have needs specific to your business and therefore it is essential to do a thorough assessment before you make the move to UCaaS.

• Evaluate your current infrastructure: Take stock of your existing communication setup, do a complete audit of how your teams communicate to ensure that the transition to UCaaS aligns with all their needs.
• Define your needs: Determine the essential functionalities that are critical for your business and get this list vetted by your stakeholders to ensure a seamless transition without any unnecessary complexity.
• Ensuring business continuity: Develop a transition plan that takes into account the breaks in the processes or parallel processes that may run if you adopt a new system. Outline what will make the transition easier for your teams and share the plan with everyone much ahead of the transition.
• Buy-in from the teams: Ensure that you keep your team in the loop and consider their needs while choosing a unified communication and collaboration tool

Transitioning to a cloud-based communication system not only reduces costs but also enhances operational efficiency. UCaaS unlocks a plethora of benefits for businesses, including elevated customer service, streamlined communication, and cost-effective solutions. A similar thorough assessment is required when choosing a UCaaS partner and it is crucial to consider factors such as:

• Flexibility: Look for a provider that offers flexible deployment options to meet your unique needs.
• Feature compatibility: Ensure that the solution aligns with your feature requirements and offers scalability for future growth.
• Reliable support: Choose a provider with a reputation for excellent support and reliable service delivery, that can support you with configuration and migration to their solution.
• Integration capabilities: Look for seamless integration of the new UCaaS solution with your existing systems and infrastructure.
• Data security: Prioritise providers with robust encryption, endpoint security and stringent security protocols to safeguard your business-critical information. Also, look at how the vendor stores your business's data, whether there is a local data centre and how the backup and business continuity is ensured.

In conclusion, UCaaS transcends traditional communication solutions, acting as a catalyst for innovation, collaboration, and growth. With the right approach and partner, UCaaS has the power to transform your business and drive success in the digital age. Unlock the full potential of modern connectivity to UCaaS with Tata Communications