Unified Communication Solutions Become the Focus for Businesses Looking at ROI

Most business decisions come down to what will impact the bottom line. A new approach to communications may sound like the right path for the customer base, but will it boost revenue? Unified communications may offer a simplified approach to use for the individual, but will it cut costs?

According to a report by Bennie Langenhoven, a telecommunications expert, it is more important than ever for companies to have a serious discussion regarding technology. Is it worth the price? Will it give us the most return on our investment?

These can be some tough questions to answer in a struggling economy, according to this Teo blog post. The awareness and implementation of unified communication solutions will ultimately bring about the most cost-effective approach. 

The rates will only increase, demonstrating that the need will be there. The market is already expected to up revenues to the tune of $2 billion in the next four years, according to ABI Research. That's a huge leap from the $674 million revenue tag (News - Alert) just two years ago. 

But another large part of the equation is the challenge of the parties involved. For years, the decision on technology purchases was made solely by the company's IT department. Now, as part of a more balanced environment, companies are shifting to allow other departments to have input. 

This collaboration, however, is not an easy feat. Because the goal is to find a solution that best impacts the bottom line, it is best to disregard any hype associated with these resolutions and focus on the balance of technology and benefits themselves. 

There are specific expectations of a quality unified communication solution. In order to lower the TCO, technology must be easy to deploy and just as easy to use. In order to do this, the level of complexity will have to be reduced for unified communication systems. This will enable IT departments to direct more of their time to other important demands of business operations. 

Characteristics of unified communication solutions could also include a purely IP-based design that gives users more reliable deployment methods and the tools to be less complicated. Business priorities are the biggest difference between these two groups of decision makers. 

The IT crowd, because of their vast experience in the technological realm, tends to assert more dominance over these discussions. Their vision for a unified communication system is based on the need for tools to enhance mobility, boost productivity and improve collaboration. With the lack of concern for the return on investment, another group of decision makers are not privy to these conversations about unified communication. This group has an entirely different function in the purchasing process. They clearly understand what technology is important but are far more concerned with the evaluation of the financial perspective. 

Prior to this selection process, businesses were at the mercy of their vendors who would tout their own justifications for unified communications solutions. The key to the best decision is how it meets the needs of the organization and the associated cost benefits.

Want to learn more about the latest in communications and technology? Then be sure to attend ITEXPO West 2012, taking place Oct. 2-5, in Austin, TX. ITEXPO (News - Alert) offers an educational program to help corporate decision makers select the right IP-based voice, video, fax and unified communications solutions to improve their operations. It's also where service providers learn how to profitably roll out the services their subscribers are clamoring for – and where resellers can learn about new growth opportunities. For more information on registering for ITEXPO click here.

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Edited by Jamie Epstein