There is a synergy available to businesses today that can only be achieved by moving operations forward in unison with the digital revolution. When that type of streamlining is achieved through the adoption and utilization of professional-level tools like unified communications, everyone benefits, from business owners all the way down to each and every customer.
When it comes to business continuity, small- to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) simply cannot afford to experience extended downtime. According to recent research by Gartner, it costs a medium-sized company on average $70,000 each hour when downtime occurs. But since systems are likely to get knocked offline at some point in time, it’s of the utmost importance that business continuity plans be put in place immediately so that your team can remain productive even when downtime occurs.
Hosted Unified Communications (UC) systems provide ways for businesses to find harmony in today’s fast-paced and unpredictable world. With the tools in place, even when the unthinkable happens—whether a storm knocks out power, someone crashes into a telephone pole or an employee makes a mistake—your business can remain online.
IP telephony has introduced new ways to share information in a data-driven world. Affordable cutting-edge technology is giving businesses of any shape and size the ability to compete in a global market where speed is everything. And with the right Hosted UC solution in place, SMBs can operate on the same playing field as large companies. Your customers need you to be there for them, and if they can’t contact you, they very well might look for solutions from your competition. But by integrating these modern communications tools into your business arsenal, your customers will have many avenues through which to contact you, and you’ll always be available.
With a Hosted UC solution in place, incoming calls can now be directed by automated phone tree to the right agent. Callers can reach the exact person they’re looking for with ease, regardless of where that person is, enhancing user experience and making sure the response is expedited. If that person’s not in the office or the phone systems are down, features like call forwarding and Find Me/Follow Me enable him or her to be reached with ease.
Agents who need to work from home because of a storm or from the road while out on a call can share data digitally in real time with other members of the team and make sure mission-critical information is never uselessly waiting to be delivered upon their return.
Hosted UC solutions make it easy to share new graphs or potential customer databases with other home agents who can peek in online.
And if ever the phone is not an option, as is occasionally necessary, Hosted UC systems allow for chatting over the web through instant messaging or video conferencing services so that even when one avenue of communication might be blocked, many other avenues remain open. In addition, presence features indicate the specific status of an employee, so coworkers and clients will know whether each other are available.
In today’s economic climate, businesses simply cannot afford to neglect their business continuity plans. By simply integrating a Hosted UC solution into the business tool belt, decision makers can worry substantially less about continuity, as they’ve already implemented the proper tools to help make sure their business is kept online.