24 March 2021
David Samuel, managing director, 24 Seven Cloud
In these times of extreme uncertainty, choosing a UC solution which will work with your existing hardware is a way of ‘upcycling’ your existing phone system & adding 21st Century solutions such as video conferencing, easy home-working and collaboration without any CAPEX costs.
You should also ensure that any UC solution you are considering will be compatible with your business’ future plans so that you don’t end up having to get rid of the solution you implemented during lockdown when everyone is back in the office. Look for solutions which offer easy CRM integration, Call Centre and Call reporting options, business-grade call-recording solutions as well as integrations with technologies which businesses have relied on during lockdown such as Microsoft Teams.
Communication & collaboration in one place
The best UC solutions are a phone, a personal assistant and a complete business solution – all wrapped into one. Therefore, look for an innovative platform where you can access all of your messages, calls and contacts to ensure that collaboration and communication levels are never compromised. From long video conferences to quick-fire instant messages, you can have a wide range of features and functionalities at your fingertips to help bolster your business operations. Having them all in one place, on one platform is a huge benefit.
Work from anywhere!
In the world of change we find ourselves in, look for a solution that works on multiple devices. You no longer ‘have to be’ in the office, or at your desk to receive a call, join a meeting or access certain information. Unified Communications also unifies all your devices so you can receive/make calls on your desk phone, mobile, PC, even a tablet.
Secure and easy to manage portal
Another factor to look for is an easy to manage portal, the functionalities and capabilities that you can perform yourself, without going through a third party are staggering. Whether you are looking to simply communicate with your team or manage your overall business’ telecoms system – you can do it all yourself.
Packages
Look out for solutions that offer a variety of packages, tiered with different feature and functionality offerings. That way, you don’t have to overpay for features that you’d never use and waste your money. The best will offer packages suitable for all businesses – no matter what size or industry. Check out upgrade availability too so your solution can grow as your business does. Nowadays you also don’t have to sign up to long lengthy contracts.
CRM Integration
The customer experience has to be at the forefront of all businesses, especially at the moment. If a customer calls and no one answers, they could very well think that business is not currently operating and move over to a competitor. The same could be said for all your colleagues working from home. To have information on all customers up front will make all the difference. It is imperative therefore to use a UC solution that links seamlessly with your CRM platform. This will drive efficiency across your business.
Costs
In 2025, BT are switching off all analogue lines so finding the perfect cloud-based solution now is a sure way of future-proofing your business Cloud-based phone systems are a lot cheaper than traditional ones, as you don’t have all the hardware and software to purchase. You only have to pay a monthly fee for your seat and the internet that you use. So, you can kiss goodbye to hefty bills at the end of the month and be able to forecast your outgoings a lot more accurately.
Security & Resilience
This time last year not many of us had heard of Zoom, but it is now a household name for all ages! They have clearly stormed the ‘video-meeting’ market, however even they have had some bad press and security issues. Whichever company you go with ensure that their solution is fully secure with the correct firewalls in place. Also check their uptime and resilience. Once you have all your communications unified, you don’t want the system to keep crashing!
Additional services
As with a lot of things it is often best to use one supplier for different services. That way you only have one port of call, and the services work in conjunction with each other. Additional services can include call recording, contact centre solutions, call reporting, auto attendants even hardware solutions.
