“The primary goal of unified communications (UC) is to improve user productivity and to enhance business processes […] Gartner defines UC products (equipment, software and services) as those that facilitate the use of multiple enterprise communications methods to obtain that goal.” (Marty Parker, http://www.ucstrategies.com/unified-communications-strategies-views/gartner-uc-magic-quadrant-2014-a-clear-picture-of-the-changing-landscape.aspx)
UC allows organizations to meet the growing demands from customers and employees. According to Gartner analysts, a UC solution delivers at minimum telephony, conferencing, messaging, presence and IM, clients, and communications-enabled applications.
Employees are able to complete tasks faster when they can move seamlessly from one device or channel to another. Employees are able to communicate with colleagues from any location, allowing organizations more flexibility and ability to save money.
While UC solutions cover several product categories, they often do not come with all of the communication features that enterprises require. Organizations that face this gap would require flexible UC systems that can integrate with other business solutions. Organizations must understand the capabilities and limitations of UC solutions and the benefits that can come from integrating UC with other business solutions to get the most value out of their deployment.
Software Advice, a free online comparison tool for VoIP software, has recently released a 2015 report on enhancing business processes with UC systems. The data from their report shows that, in order to meet business needs, organizations need more than what traditional UC solutions can provide. According to their analysis, the most common types of software solutions organizations integrate their UC systems with, are Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solutions (40%) and call center solutions (36%). Organizations are integrating these solutions primarily to enhance screen pops (26%), click-to-call (22%) and Interactive Voice Response (IVR) (16%).
Case Studies: Top Systems Integrated With UC Solutions
