VoIP and UC: The Dynamic Duo Your Company Needs Right Now

In spite of the fact that thinking of a twosome that can save you typically conjures up images of Batman and Robin, together, unified communications (UC) and voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) have continued to help organizations large and small save time, cut costs and significantly improve their bottom line while improving the customer experience. Quickly becoming the go-to platform used by companies throughout nearly every industry around the globe, these solutions are enabling employees to work from wherever they happen to be at anytime, driving both productivity and efficiency.

Before implementing these next-generation offerings, there are, however, various factors to closely analyze beforehand. They include:

Bandwidth

Prior to migrating to a VoIP-based infrastructure, it is vital that you ensure your firm has enough bandwidth at its disposal to host the various services VoIP powers. According to a recent blog post from UC expert Teo, “If there are widespread issues involving sporadic or slow Web access, business executives may want to think about increasing their available bandwidth.”

What Is Included?

Because there are countless unified communications providers out there currently, it is key that your business teams with the one that can deliver all of the capabilities you’re in search of. Certain platforms may encompass a feature like call forwarding while others don’t. For example, Teo’s suite boasts an easily accessible user portal, intelligent presence, presence-based routing, a conference scheduler, and even a virtual fax machine.

Hardware Upgrades

As your company needs change over time, you need a portfolio in tow that can be easily adjusted to meet these increasing demands. Hence, a high level of scalability and flexibility is needed within your UC product, a facet that will help to eliminate costly expenses related to continuously revamping your network with both hardware and software upgrades.

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It is no secret that unified communications has completely revolutionized the way in which we work. Due to increasingly popular trends being leveraged globally, such as BYOD, employees being forced to work from within the confines of their corporate office has dropped from 100 percent in 2010 to 89 percent last year, a recent survey from Forrester (News - Alert) revealed. Additionally, the number of employees working at home at least once a week has increased from 18 percent to 27 percent, while those working remotely ramped up from five percent to 12 percent in the same period.

“In this era of austerity and cost-cutting, corporate leaders look to optimize space and ultimately reduce their real estate assets. Once you don’t have the space, you can get rid of the lease — and the energy and maintenance costs. New accounting regulations and political pressures increase incentives to reduce real estate footprints — and company executives are paying attention,” stated Forrester Analyst Jennifer Belissent.

As time goes on, you can bet that those numbers related to employees working from anywhere with a reliable Internet connection will continue to rise, thanks to tools like unified communications and VoIP.