There’s little question that using Unified Communications (UC) has the potential to sharply raise productivity for any company. But companies have to integrate it into their businesses if they are to get the full value from it, experts say.
The growing market for Unified Communications shows that companies recognize its potential: That market for Unified Communications will be worth R36.8 billion worldwide by the end of 2016, according to a study by ABI Research.
So a large number of companies have the massive videoconferencing and collaboration potential afforded by Unified Communications. But can they make it work?
When they do, the business value is considerable. Effective use of Unified Communications saves companies about R80,000 per worker, according to a recent study by Sonus Networks..
On the other hand, when companies don’t achieve Unified Communications collaboration potential, the consequences can be costly. Approximately 18 percent of projects are delayed because of ineffective team collaboration, the study shows.
So the key is getting teams to work efficiently. With Unified Communications, workers are likely to take advantage of its real-time conferencing possibilities all by themselves.
How to get Unified Communications working in your business
Management experts say that the key issue is to make all this collaboration work in the same direction, not just aimless, piecemeal chatter. Experts at the University of California at Berkeley propose the following guidelines:
- Make sure that you have a clear idea of what you need to accomplish; Set standards for success and ensure that team members understand their responsibilities.
- Establish team values and goals; evaluate team performance. Keep team members apprised of progress, and what the priorities are.
- Use consensus. Set objectives, solve problems, and plan for action. Achieving consensus ultimately provides better decisions and greater productivity.
- Set ground rules for the team. These are the norms that you and the team establish to ensure efficiency and success.
Relying on these parameters, and with attentive team management, companies will find that using Unified Communications makes a big addition to the bottom line.
Getting Unified Communications for your business
Multi IT & Telephony Solutions are unified communications specialists and can advise on, implement and maintain the world leading 3CX phone system. With highly skilled and knowledgeable technicians and support staff we can ensure that your 3CX phone system saves you money. Contact Multi IT now to discuss your unified communications solution.