Unified Communications – how you can communicate wherever and whenever you want
It’s fair to say, digital communication and unified communication has come a long way in the past decade. Virtually all our daily tasks can be done at our fingertips.
In late 2015, mobile web traffic skyrocketed and surpassed desktop for the very first time. Since then, mobile technology has continued to evolve and adapt, rendering us increasingly dependent on our mobile devices, not just within our personal lives, but also in our professional lives.
A study carried out in 2017 by Asurion found that the average person checks their phone once every 12 minutes, this includes checking work emails and communicating with colleagues and clients alike.
Thanks to the introduction of clever applications, online communication has been streamlined and adapted to bring work to our fingertips. This integration is known as unified communications and more and more companies are seeing the undeniable benefits.
Unified communications nowadays are limitless. Voice, email, chat, video and web communications are brought together and accessible from almost anywhere using nothing more than a simple internet connection.
Whether we’re on the train or sitting in the comfort of our own home, we can participate in web conference calls, check emails and access work documents at the touch of a button without having to fire up our computers.
For business, this technological flexibility brings with it several advantages. Firstly, integrating unified communications allows tasks to be streamlined between locations and resources to be utilised to their full potential.
Unified communications mean a reduction in commute time which leads to greater productivity. There is also a significant increase in employee motivation as fewer distractions lead to reduced stress, and in turn lower sickness levels. Flexible working also has a positive impact on finances due to savings on office space and other facilities.
For employees, the main advantage to accessing work outside of the office is the increased work/ life balance. Employees with children can balance work with childcare and other home commitments. Calls, emails and important work documents can be seamlessly transferred to mobile devices and accessed anywhere.
Whilst to many of us, this seamless technology and working from home is a relatively new notion, the idea of unified communications has actually been around since the 1990s. However, as technology wasn’t as advanced as it is today, communications weren’t as streamlined and convenient. Everything had to be done via desktop with a wired internet connection.
Implementing unified communications into company policy doesn’t require much work. Firstly, every main email service provider used in business has an application that can be downloaded from both Apple and Android app stores. Once downloaded, all employees need to do is log in using their work credentials.
Secondly, work documents and filing systems can be accessed using remote cloud applications. The convenience of cloud storage cannot be underestimated, the amount of desktop storage is greatly reduced which is beneficial for the overall health of computer devices and employees can access work files from wherever they are.
It is clear to see that as technology evolves, we gain more and more flexibility in both our home lives and our professional lives – everything we need is at our fingertips, in our pockets and even on our wrists.
