Unified Communications for Digital Transformation

It was not long ago that written letter, fax and telephone were considered the key tools for businesses to succeed. Today, with the vast amount of digital technologies available, modernising the workplace and introducing new software and solutions is key to keeping up with digital transformation. If organisations fail to implement new technologies, they will subsequently be unable to scale up their initiatives.

What is digital transformation?

Digital transformation is the integration of digital technologies into businesses. The purpose of introducing new technologies is to evoke change and explore opportunities in organisational activities, models, competencies and processes. In essence, new technologies are introduced to develop a profound transformation across a business in a strategic way whilst considering present and future business shifts.

What is Unified Communications?

The term unified communications (UC) describes the merger of different enterprise communications services with non-real time communication services such as voicemail, e-mail or text messaging. UC is not a single product, but a set of products that provide a consistent unified user interface and user experience across multiple devices and media types. UC products include – but are not limited to – the following:

• Instant messaging
• Presence information
• IP telephony
• Audio tools
• Wed and video conferencing
• Extension mobility
• Desktop sharing
• Speech recognition
• Data sharing

UC encompasses all forms of communications across a network, whilst adopting the capabilities of another. For example, receiving an instant message via a work chat portal traditionally on a desktop and being able to access the message via a smartphone.

Why is UC critical to digital transformation?

Without UC digital transformation would not be possible. All of the collaboration tools and communication technologies UC provide gives organisations the platform to increase productivity, strengthen relationships and create a seamless open line of communication.

Adopted across an entire enterprise, UC also provides the following:

• The ability to modernise workplaces with the latest tools and solutions
• The chance to improve employee recruitment and retention due to a developing technological landscape
• The potential to expand the businesses talent pool via remote working solutions, device ubiquity and secure mobility
• The solution to reducing the total cost of ownership through lower facility and travel expenses

Considerations for digital transformation

Digital transformation should be harnessed by all businesses. Without developing UC technologies many organisations can find themselves stuck in a rut and underperforming compared to competitors. Furthermore, with a continually growing mobile workforce, UC needs to be adopted to allow for transformation.

If you are a business considering collaboration and UC solutions, keep in mind the following:

• Understand your corporate culture and understand how UC technologies would be harnessed by the workforce successfully
• Involve all colleagues and staff in the transformation from beginning to end and provide necessary training
• Ensure your IT department can deploy and manage all digital changes effectively
• For services, opt for a supplier that is dedicated to providing a glitch-free and high-quality experience
• Consider an inclusive mobility model so that all devices can be used by all employees regardless of time and location
• Get rid of obsolete technology and move towards a fully digital experience
• Utilise APIs and software development experts to embed UC technologies into all devices and applications

Contact us today to learn more about bringing collaborative services to your business.