Every business knows the value of communication and how important it is to get right. Unified Communications (UC) simplifies internal & external business communication through reducing the number of devices and interfaces used for communicating during the business day. This is important, as the traditional methods of face-to-face & telephone have expanded to include mobile, live chat, video conferencing and more. Using UC to integrate (or unify) these via one device means they work together to make communication easier for the user.

We have found though that small businesses often dismiss UC as just for larger companies. Sometimes because of how it is sold in the market and sometimes, it is their own perception that the scale of their communications does not quite require a unified model.

The opportunities that UC presents however could have major benefits for SMEs and relationships that smaller businesses have with customers is often a major source of competitiveness. Therefore, it’s important that SMEs invest time and resources into enhancing their communications.

We’ve broken down what we think are some of the key benefits of a UC platform for SMEs below.

REMOTE WORKING

One of the biggest drivers of UC and the future of work in general, is the shift in working patterns, with traditional office based, 9-5 routines being steadily replaced by mobile and remote workers. Some argue this is a self-sustaining trend in the sense that as communications technology improves, home and remote working becomes more realistic which in turn drives more demand for the latest communication technologies, including UC.

Whatever way you look at, in order for SMEs to be able to attract and retain talent they need to be able to respond to this trend and UC makes the process of remote working easy. With all communications on one platform accessed through the Cloud, your teams will be better-connected and able to work more collaboratively, no matter their location.

RESPONSE TO MARKET TRENDS

Customers and employees are increasingly using these new communication technologies outside of the office and there is now almost an expectation that businesses should be accessible via these means.

Have you ever landed on a website looking for more information but because there was no live chat option and only a phone number, you bounced back off?

Small businesses need to respond to this market trend & avoid losing leads by utilising a communications solution that allows their employees to be more accessible to customers.

BETTER CUSTOMER SERVICE

Customers are the most important concern for businesses of any size and often customer relationships are an important point of differentiation to help SMEs stand out. Communication that businesses have with their customers can also be make or break when it comes to creating loyal relationships and encouraging conversions.

UC helps to alleviate these challenges by making communications more effective through features such as advanced call routing. Being accessible to your customers via phone, mobile, online and social media, also helps close the distance between your business and your customers, hopefully creating & closing deals faster and generating revenue, which is key to small business growth.

FLEXIBILITY

With a UC platform, you have the option of on premise, cloud or hybrid deployment. You choose which one depending on what best suits your business needs. With a cloud-based platform, you will also have the flexibility to scale up or down as your business needs change.

Whether you’re a small business or just starting out, you should always be looking to the future and growth is likely to be an important objective. Therefore, you need a business communication platform that is responsive to this.

To find out more or to see if UC could be the right solution for your business communications, get in touch to speak to a member of our team by emailing sales@atlas-comms.com.