The benefits of Unified Communications Systems

The modern workplace needs a modern approach to communications. So, if you aren’t using a managed Unified Communications (UC) system yet, what are you waiting for?

Both Microsoft 365 Business Voice and Enterprise Voice for Teams are modern cloud-based telephony solutions offered through Microsoft Teams. Their benefits are many: they bring together chat, collaboration, meetings and calling, making it easy for a small or mid-sized business to turn Teams into a powerful and flexible telephone system. Think of them as a replacement for traditional – more expensive and complicated – telephony and in-house phone systems. You can read more here: The evolution of UC Systems.

Consider how helpful it would be for your organization to have one digital hub where people can meet, call and chat in one seamless location. Your teams will be able to communicate, collaborate and work together more effectively, with no time wasted figuring out call-in lines, set-up requirements, and call quality issues. Employees will be able to focus on the important work of moving your business forward rather than the logistics of the telephony system. And, each person can stay connected with a single phone number that they can use on their computer, mobile device and desk phone.

With contacts and calendar connected across Teams and Outlook, your teams can make calls and join meetings with just one click. They can also better serve customers. A study conducted by Forrester on behalf of Microsoft found that 83 percent of organizations surveyed say Teams has helped to improve customer experiences. With Business Voice or Enterprise Voice for Teams, you can set up toll and toll-free numbers, call menus to help callers get to the right department, audio conferencing so you can host meetings with anyone, and more.

It’s a modern system for the modern work-anywhere workforce – delivered with end-to-end security, admin controls and compliance, all powered by Office 365.

Return on investment in a UC system

You can save both time and money by moving to a UC system.

• Less downtime: Business Voice and Enterprise Voice for Teams are enterprise-class phone systems, so your business stays secure and runs smoothly, reducing costly downtime. Microsoft’s cloud provides built-in redundancy and load balancing with a 99.9 percent uptime guarantee.
• Lower maintenance: The costs and hassles related to maintenance are reduced because the system runs in the cloud, eliminating the need for a PBX.
• Greater productivity: The collaboration and communication capabilities enabled by Teams can make your teams much more productive. With more ways to connect and work together, less time is wasted in unnecessary meetings or switching from application to application to get work done. In fact, Forrester found that workers save four hours per week with improved collaboration and information-sharing which translates to more than $14.3 million over three years.
• Reduced hardware and software costs: With Teams, you will find you have less need for web conferencing, long-distance, mobile phone, and on-premises telephony solutions. Forrester found that, over three years, the total savings could be worth as much as $648,727.
• Improved customer retention: Not only does Teams allow for better collaboration internally but it can also be used with customers, suppliers, and others outside the organization, which in turn increases customer satisfaction and retention.

Want to learn more about the benefits of a UC system?

FSi is an experienced Microsoft Teams partner and we are here for you. We offer a Microsoft Teams Voice Virtual Workshop that can help you experience the capabilities and advanced communication scenarios in an immersive experience. The workshop provides you with a deep planning expertise, resulting in clear recommendations to develop a path to a Unified Communications system.

Contact us today to get started.