There's no arguing against the critical need for business communications. No matter how large or small an organization is, employees must have certain avenues available to them to connect with partners and customers, and clients must be able to reach out to the company when needed.

However, with so many varied communication channels available – and with limited budgetary resources available to be allocated – it can be a challenge for small business decision-makers to know which solutions will give them the most bang for their buck.

Benefits of UC for SMBs

Unified communications systems – with the capacity to provide several different communication and collaboration features and platforms grouped into a single, integrated solution – can offer significant advantages for smaller organizations:

• A professional brand image: Best-in-class communications systems that allow employees to collaborate and enable customers to connect with the brand provide an air of professionalism, even for organizations with smaller workforces and fewer IT resources.
• Improved productivity: When staff members can seamlessly collaborate and leverage advanced communication tools, productivity, efficiency and customer service are enhanced across the board.
• Advanced yet cost efficient capabilities: UC solutions can offer access to mobility and other innovative strategies at a price that SMBs can afford.

Small business can glean big advantages from the right unified communications solutions.

Which features are most important?

It's imperative that decision-makers select the systems that will provide the most value and return on investment for the organization in order to reap all the above discussed advantages.

Software Advice contributor Daniel Harris noted that three key areas to pay special attention to when choosing UC solutions include:

1. Telephony and messaging: Many SMBs focus on voice and messaging capabilities first, and for good reason. Your workers will need crystal-clear VoIP calling and unified, real-time messaging to enable streamlined collaboration and productivity. In addition, building the system out with video conferencing is a beneficial option, either at the time of deployment, or as part of a future upgrade. In addition, including presence capabilities alongside unified messaging is a considerable boon, supporting timely and convenient connections among co-workers.
2. Mobility: No matter how small your team, chances are good that workers will want or need to leverage their mobile devices at one point or another. In order to allow for this key capability while safeguarding the business's sensitive data and intellectual property, SMBs should select UC systems that come with mobility support. This ensures users can leverage a single identity or username across all of the devices they use and can access the platforms required to complete critical daily tasks from any location with internet connectivity.
3. Integration: Communications systems are increasingly being connected and integrated with other platforms in order to offer granular visibility and usability across the board. This is particularly crucial for contact center systems. When seeking solutions, check for those that can integrate easily with other communications systems and outside applications.

To find out more about providing for your small business communication needs, connect with the experts at Teo Technologies today.