Unlike small businesses, the stakes are higher. Finding the best platform to replace aging telecom infrastructure is no small task.
However, there’s more to think about than picking the right cloud communications provider. Enterprises need a bulletproof migration plan, stay on budget, and support future growth.
If you’re dealing with obsolete hardware that should’ve been retired, this guide is for you. Read on to get a primer on the ways to optimize your enterprise’s communications.
What Is Enterprise Communications?
Enterprise communication consists of an organization’s tools and practices to collaborate and share information internally and externally. Common examples include phone, email, instant messaging, and face-to-face video meetings.
An enterprise communication solution manages several essential business apps into one:
Voice: Business voice functionality, including telecommunications and advanced call routing capabilities.
Video: One-to-one and team video conferencing for meetings, training, and customer support.
Messaging: Unified, text messaging (SMS) plus real-time engagement for fast answers.
Contact Center: An app that provides your team omnichannel tools to support customers.
CRM: A salesforce can easily access and manage its pipeline and customer data.
Analytics: Create actionable dashboards based on the underlying data found in communication services.
APIs: Push or pull business data securely across one or more communication platforms.
Traditionally, large organizations were tethered to on-premises phone systems, making remote work impossible. Administrators have to configure the trunk provider with an on-site PBX to connect end-users.
Why Do You Need Enterprise Communications?
Enterprise communications equip modern, distributed workforces to communicate, collaborate, and streamline workflows for greater efficiency. Some key reasons why enterprise communications are important include:
Improved productivity – Tools like instant messaging, video conferencing, screen sharing and more allow employees to communicate and collaborate more efficiently. This can significantly improve productivity.
Better customer service – With solutions like call routing, IVR, and omnichannel contact centers, customers can reach the right agents and get questions resolved faster. This improves customer satisfaction.
Connected teams – Whether employees are working remotely or spread across locations, quality enterprise communications keep everyone connected via messaging, voice, video, and shared collaboration spaces.
Faster decision-making – Unified systems for communication and collaboration allow decisions to be made more quickly as information is shared rapidly across the organization.
Old vs. Modern Enterprise Communications
The pandemic accelerated plans to move enterprise communications to the cloud. Legacy equipment lacks the functionality of the cloud for the same price (or less).
This shift isn’t only for new features. In the 2022 State of IT report , solving hardware/software compatibility gaps increased by 20%. The research offers context for why enterprises are overhauling their communication systems:
“Enterprises tend to have more resources for experimental projects, larger workforces […] the need for better customer support, the need for better tech expertise, and discount offers.”
The 2022 State of IT
SWZD
Communication is one place where your company can’t afford to get left behind. That’s why larger firms have welcomed Unified Communication ( UCaaS ) solutions.
UCaaS streamlines many communication tools into a single interface. But that’s not all. It integrates well with enterprise apps like contact centers, CRM, and mobile presence. As a result, it makes it easier for companies to uphold peak productivity across the workforce.
And because cloud communications are hosted, it costs less to maintain and benefits from regular updates.
Here’s a side-by-side comparison of traditional enterprise communications versus its cloud equivalent.
Features On-premises enterprise communications Cloud-hosted enterprise communications Set-up Complex. Overlapping tools for business phone, video conferencing, team collaboration, chat, and support. Lightweight. One tool for all internal and external communication. Infrastructure A mix of on-premise and cloud services relying on one carrier. Hosted entirely in the cloud with redundant upstream carriers. Ability to innovate Slow to innovate due to high capital costs for implementing new infrastructure. Faster innovation due to focus on software over hardware. Customization Inflexible. Small requests such as changing call routing require technical telephony expertise. Customized to your organization’s needs. Non-technical teammates can adjust it. Scalability Requires new infrastructure and costly upgrades to scale. Scales to your company’s needs in real time. Support for remote teams Minimal. Remote employees don’t have access to the same tools and data. Comprehensive. Employees can communicate and collaborate from home using their own devices. Pricing Upfront costs for hardware, commercial leases, human capital, and license fee increases. Low setup and monthly costs that are ~50% less than most traditional systems.
No matter which type of enterprise communication solution you choose, implementing one is a significant project. Follow our guide for a helpful VoIP checklist to simplify the migration.
Now, let’s dive deeper into scalability and what that really means for larger companies.
Benefits of Unified Communications as an Enterprise Solution
As companies scale up, so do the demands for reliability and performance. Gone are the days of taking the office offline when switching telecom providers.
Advancements in cloud telephony provide firms with continuous and rock-solid business communications.
Enterprise-grade service providers offer more than fancy workflows and messaging tools. One exciting part of UCaaS has to be the admin interface. It makes it super simple to adjust user settings, speed up onboarding, and keep the workforce productive.
There are several notable advantages of unified communications for enterprises.
1) Makes collaboration more effective
The return to the office has been bumpy as of late. The New York Times reports that 54% of Manhattan employers are fully remote, with less than 10% in the office entirely. Moreover, the trend of hybrid workplaces heavily favors unified communications platforms.
Productivity and communication are symbiotic. Yet, enterprises often struggle with individuals and even entire departments being siloed. Communication breaks down. Teams end up in accidental competition.
Simply put, call forwarding isn’t a replacement for in-office collaboration.
A unified communications solution strengthens the bonds of communication. For example, people can engage their team with screen sharing, and the group can offer support (and links) in the chat.
The meeting notes can be shared asynchronously following a team meeting. This way, information flows more freely, and projects don’t get held up.
2) Supports a hybrid workforce
The pandemic has pushed most organizations to adapt to remote work . However, legacy telecom systems were never designed to be used outside the office. As a result, many employers now offer hybrid in-office and work-from-home options for their teams.
One of the best features of a unified communications solution is built-in remote work functionality. This benefit means less headache for IT, more connectivity — and more productivity.
The Nextiva App lets users call, attend meetings, and chat from any mobile device or computer.
3) Protects confidential information
Communication tools are one of the most vulnerable systems to cyberattacks. As such, spending on IT security is expected to reach $150 billion this year.
Unified communications help mitigate corporate data leaks and breaches. While no phone system is immune, VoIP is secure thanks to its call encryption achieved by TLS and SRTP. Plus, detailed call logs show how your company’s communications are used.
This security is especially important for healthcare providers. Select UCaaS providers like Nextiva offer HIPAA and SOC 2 compliance. Together, this increases client privacy and even lowers the firm’s insurance premiums.
4) Offers deep insights into business performance
How are inbound call volumes? Is the new IVR call flow working as expected? What about that new ad campaign? These questions can’t wait for clunky CSV exports.
This is where call analytics comes into play for larger organizations. Since the enterprise’s communications are under one roof, tracking call data is easier. It also can blend the data from other sources like CRMs or helpdesk tickets.
It should be worth mentioning that analytics functionality isn’t limited to administrators. Both technical and less savvy end-users can maneuver around data dashboards with ease. Anyone can see the company’s contact center performance.
The best part is this. A unified communications platform serves as a single source for business metrics. Department heads won’t ask, “Where’d you find that data?” since everyone sees it in real-time. Reducing uncertainty helps everyone focus on driving results.
Nextiva lets you track custom contact center trends over time so you can chart a path to higher performance.
5) Facilitates personalized customer experiences
Customers today expect a positive customer experience every time they reach your employees. The reality is that doesn’t always happen.
A recent Gartner report found that 69% of communication tools don’t integrate with a CRM. You could be missing critical data that will improve the customer experience .
How can frontline agents impress customers if they don’t look at the same view of the customer?
Integrating UCaaS with your contact center could be the missing link. Why?
Contact center agents can see the vital signs the moment they access a customer’s account. This advantage preps them for any inbound calls, including a face-to-face meeting.
Nextiva Call Pop displays actionable data the instant customers call.
6) Onboards (and transitions) employees faster
Employing an enterprise communication system isn’t just about replacing your aging infrastructure. Instead, it’s an opportunity to mature your processes for welcoming new hires and getting them going — fast.
Many workplaces let employees use approved business apps on existing devices. The smartphone makes it easy for them to connect with their teams virtually. It won’t consume much bandwidth and provides secure business messaging built-in.
And when it’s time to provide a desk phone, all they have to do is plug in the Ethernet wire, which will automatically set the device up. This feature enables new employees to get started right away.
7) Makes IT management’s job easier
Look around. The modern IT department has exploded in scope over the past couple of years. It can be exhausting to add a new communications tool to your responsibilities. We get it.
Unified Communications is meant to simplify the world of IT management. Since it operates in the cloud, you can manage it remotely. There aren’t any clunky Powershell scripts or commands to remember.
Nextiva’s UCaaS solution is made for the enterprise. End users can solve most of their needs on their own. And when they need your expertise, you can help them in minutes, not hours or days.
There are countless benefits to moving to the cloud, such as deep integrations with Microsoft Outlook and Teams, among others.
The NextivaONE App works on iPhone, Android, Mac, and Windows. And you won’t have to spend a year learning it.
Challenges With Enterprise Communications (+ Best Practices)
Managing enterprise communications means dealing with a ton of emails, messages, and notifications every day. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed trying to keep up.
The deluge of information flying around is no joke. Enterprise leaders must figure out how to manage it better. Otherwise, important things get lost in the noise.
