If your team is juggling meetings in one app, chat in another, and calling in a third, you’re not alone. The problem isn’t that people don’t communicate — it’s that communication gets fragmented, hard to track, and harder to manage.

Unified communications (UC) solves that problem by bringing calling, messaging, meetings, and collaboration into one connected experience, so teams can work faster with fewer tool-switches. Another related abbreviation to throw at you: Unified communications as a service (UCaaS) is just UC delivered through the cloud and typically managed by a provider — meaning less infrastructure to maintain and fewer day-to-day admin headaches.

For many companies, consolidating communication is a game-changer. In this blog, I'll outline exactly why!

The Quick Take

UC is worth looking into when you want to:

• Reduce tool sprawl (and the hidden cost that comes with it)
• Reduce errors and increase productivity
• Make it easier to reach the right person (without endless back-and-forth)

• Support hybrid work without duct-taped processes 

If any of those are ongoing pain points, UC isn’t just “nice to have.” It’s a practical fix.

What Can Unified Communications Bring Together?

Unified communications technology essentially merges all forms of collaboration tools into one platform, so you can get more capabilities with fewer tools. While that includes the obvious like email, chat, video conferencing, and voice calling, it also includes file-sharing and other productivity tools, scheduling, AI tools, advanced analytics, and much more. 

There’s one UC capability in particular that is frequently underrated, but amazingly helpful — presence. It makes it very easy to see who’s available and who isn’t. True, some chat tools offer the same capability, but with all tools merged, you can now see which colleagues can field a quick question, take an impromptu meeting, or receive a client call — regardless of where they’re located or what smart device they’re using. Presence can also help employees preserve work-life balance and set healthy boundaries, which can be especially helpful for team members who work from home.

What ROI Can You Expect From Unified Communications? 

Adopting unified communications can potentially help you save money on your tech stack, but as it turns out, merging communication tools into one solid platform can also help employees save over an hour, each and every day. 

Here’s how: 

• Having all conversations happen in one place means nothing gets missed, and it’s easier to find past discussions
• Presence capabilities mean your clients get reliable answers much faster, even when key personnel are out of the office
• Scheduling and chat tools can reduce the need to type (or read) long email threads 
• UC allows all of your staff to access your communications tools from anywhere through the smart device that works best for them
• Teleconferencing solution tools help reduce hierarchies and make it easier for everyone to be heard
• Merging all tools into one eliminates the need to learn multiple communication platforms or have too many tabs open at once 
• UC tools tend to solve common collaboration frustrations, like being able to see who contributed which ideas and where bottlenecks are occurring
• UC platforms offer helpful integrations with CRM platforms and other project management tools

Additional Business Problems Unified Communications Helps Solve

We all know that good communication is important — theoretically. But let’s put some real numbers behind it: 

• Poor communication is responsible for 70% of corporate errors and costs staff >1 hour/day
• Teams that communicate effectively can see a 25% increase in their productivity
• 80% of US employees say ineffective company communication causes anxiety
• Around 70% of employees said they’d be more likely to share insights with management if they could use a web-based platform
• 72% of employees have left a job or considered leaving due to poor communication & collaboration

Essentially, bad communication causes big problems. However, if collaboration is a frequent source of stress or frustration at your workplace, you might not have a widespread and complex communication problem. You might just be using the wrong tools. 

Today's business world is hectic. Business processes always seem to be under pressure to meet deadlines, and your ability to find data and communicate it with the right people at the right time can make or break your business. UC platforms make it easier to provide a better experience for your employees as well as your customers, while potentially saving you money on your tech stack. 

Now, if you could only find the right one … 

Finding the Best Unified Communications Solution 

Microsoft Teams, Cisco Webex, and Zoom are all strong UC platforms! The best tool for you is the one that fits your users, calling needs, existing systems, and support capacity. Unfortunately, for many small to mid-sized businesses, rolling out a new communications platform can introduce real challenges: implementation, change management, licensing, and ongoing administration.

That’s why we've recently added a number of UCaaS solutions to help. With our UCaaS options, your platform is always supported and maintained with help from a trusted provider — so you get modern collaboration and calling capabilities without taking on all the day-to-day legwork alone.