July 20, 2017
Relying on a single form of business communication is uncommon and, frankly, impractical. Your employees have office phones at their desks, workstations equipped with business applications, mobile phones, inter-office instant messaging and more.
Although your employees use multiple platforms to communicate, those platforms do not communicate with each other. But, a Unified Communications system changes that. Unified Communications consolidates different streams of communication into one unified platform – making communication across platforms and devices seamless.
Defining Unified Communications
Simply put, Unified Communications combines your methods of business communication (voice, text, video, etc.) into a single system and allows conversations to seamlessly move from one device or method of communication to another. It functions like a network, or a set of interconnected networks.
Hosted Unified Communications in Action
If you are out of the office and a client calls, Unified Communications lets that call reach your cell, even if the client called your desk number. The call keeps ringing at your desk while Unified Communications searches for your mobile over the network.
In a matter of seconds a call can be rerouted to your mobile device or home line without your caller ever noticing. If left unanswered, the call routes back to your corporate voicemail where they can leave a message or reach additional support in your absence. And that voicemail can be automatically translated into text and sent to your voicemail.
Popular Features Unified Communications Provides
Some of Unified Communications' most valued features are:
- Simultaneous ring: A variation on call forwarding that allows a single call to ring all of a user’s phones at the same time.
- Voicemail to email: Transcribes your voicemails into text and sends them to your email inbox.
- Auto attendant: Allows callers to be transferred to an extension without going through a telephone operator or receptionist.
- Hot desking: Allows users to log onto any phone on your system and have that user’s profile and setting populated on that device. It makes switching desks seamless.
- Unified messaging: Integrates different electronic messaging and communications (email, SMS, fax, voicemail, video messaging, etc).
- Presence: Locates and identifies a computing device wherever it might be, as soon as the user connects to the network.
- Conferencing/collaboration: Allows businesses to facilitate highly interactive online meetings at a moment’s notice.
Why Hosted Unified Communications?
Hosted Unified Communications means never being tied to your desk during a call. Any call can transfer to your mobile device as you walk out the door. This translates to you getting more value out of the same amount of time.
If you'd like to stay on-task while remaining reachable, contact a Marco rep to learn more about Unified Communications.
