At the end of 2011, numerous lists of 2012 small business trends were published (check out the related links below). In almost every list, whether it was focused on IT trends or business efficiency trends, "unified communications" was prominently mentioned. One buzzword that no one could miss: social. Of the many internal and external communications channels we use today, phones still remain the fulcrum. Organizations, small, medium or large, need phones lines to reach out professionally to customers and conduct business.
Unified Communications (UC) lets you streamline all your communication channels, including your phone system.
Integrating different channels through one (or several compatible) solution is cheaper, faster and more efficient. OnSIP, since 2009, has provided a great UC tool - my.OnSIP. Instant messaging has become a big tool in employee communications – this survey reports that a major business driver to adopt UC is instant messaging. This paid report by Aberdeen also indicates that UC aids in improving workforce productivity. Large IT company Atos recently mandated employee use of IM and phones. Whether a coworker is seated across the room or across the world, much can be accomplished by real-time information exchange. ‘Presence’ encourages social communication while employees get more insight into the virtual availability of their coworkers increasing productivity. Chat that is integrated with phone service streamlines IT for the company and the administrator. Voicemail is delivered to your email inbox, and with an add-on, you can integrate Outlook and call contacts from your email client for a true all-under-one-roof experience. HD conferencing, video calling... the list of advantages of using a UC tool is endless. My.OnSIP, paired with a great phone, provides for a great, integrated experience offering all of these functionalities.