The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted companies to challenge old ways of doing business and rethink the future of team collaboration and communication. Realising that unified communications and collaboration (UC&C) is now a crucial component of business success, employees, managers and bosses around the world have embraced remote work technologies.
UC&C has enabled greater flexibility in employee work styles. It has also helped implement customer focus as a core marketing strategy. Of course, present circumstances are accelerating this workplace evolution. Organisations are questioning the value of traditional tools to provide basic conferencing capabilities to remote workers and, consequently, are turning to more cost-effective and integrated software suites that offer enhanced collaboration capabilities. This change brings together multiple forms of communication, ranging from traditional calls via RTCP or WebRTC, to cloud-based telephony, online virtual conferences and professional chats.
Long underestimated or misunderstood, remote communication and collaboration solutions are now part of the daily routine of thousands of companies and millions of teleworkers.
After years of doubt, has telework finally found acceptance?
Often mistrusted in the past by decision-makers, teleworking has been and is currently the most efficient option for most companies in the so-called tertiary or services industry sector.
Even though remote work has been a lifesaver, most employees have only experienced teleworking in recent months and, as a consequence, were not particularly well prepared.
While it is true that optimal remote working does not happen overnight, ensuring maximum productivity does not require the tremendous effort that some employers might have expected.
Technology, as is often the case, plays a big role, especially given the current pandemic. As it stands, technology currently drives the optimisation of remote work.
Is remote teamwork as effective as on-site communication and collaboration?
Created in the mid-1990s, unified communications were a niche market exclusive to specific business segments. At the time, only a handful of powerful multinationals had the necessary resources to implement unified communications tools and solutions. Today, access to unified communications has become widely available and widespread as it enables companies to perform better in their respective industries.
Hybrid working models: A new way to work
Growing corporate awareness and confidence in the technology will position unified communications as a critical technology asset in the near future. Microsoft Teams and other cloud-based communication solutions such as cameras, headsets and laptops have all become popular tools today. But beyond this material aspect, the success of good remote working lies in a trust-based collaboration between managers and employees to create a positive operational dynamic.
This generalisation of remote work provides an opportunity to rethink past models. The environmental impact is also an emerging concern. Physical meetings can be reduced to critical issues (especially when travel is required) while most others can be replaced by virtual meetings.
Investing in a UC&C service also means providing a consistent, ergonomic, multi-device user experience that eliminates the need for your company to download, install and train on new software. Still, even a simplified collaboration will require a secure work environment.
“Unified communications: Strengthened collaboration”
When it comes to unified communications, choose a service that lets your users know the connection status of their contacts, schedule meetings quickly and easily, and initiate conversations with colleagues within applications. Get a user-friendly application that will require few internal resources to train your employees.
To work at their best, employees must have access to all the relevant information. Help your teams have more constructive exchanges by providing them with the tools they need to stay informed and connected.
To learn more about our UC&C platform, CONTACT US!
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