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Unified Communcations
Overview
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Unified communications
(UC) is the integration of voice, unified messaging, chat, mobility, conferencing, presence, and web/data collaboration. There is a strong need these days for tools to simplify and integrate all forms of communications, both real and stored. A successful solution automates and unifies all forms of human and device communications into a common user experience, thus achieving “unified communications.” Substantial gains in efficiency result from enhancing human communications and optimization of business processes.
The unification of all communications provides mobility, presence, and contact capabilities that extend beyond the phone to all devices a person may use. Presence is also a factor – knowing where one’s intended recipients are and if they are available, in real-time – is itself a key component of unified communications.
To put it simply, unified communications integrates all the systems that a user might already be using and helps those systems work together in real-time. For example, unified communications technology could allow a user to seamlessly collaborate with another person on a project, even if the two users are in separate locations. The user could quickly locate the necessary person by accessing an interactive directory, engage in a text messaging session, and then escalate the session to a voice call, or even a video call – all within minutes. In another example, an employee receives a call from a customer who wants answers. Unified communications could enable that worker to access a real-time list of available expert colleagues, then make a call that would reach the necessary person, enabling the employee to answer the customer faster, and eliminating rounds of back-and-forth emails and phone-tag.
Unified communications in action
Given the sophistication of unified communications technology, its uses are myriad for businesses. It enables users to know where their colleagues are physically located (say their car or home office). They also have the ability to see which mode of communication the recipient prefers to use at any given time (perhaps their cell phone, or email, or instant messaging). A user could seamlessly set up a real-time collaboration on a document they are producing with a co-worker.
Business benefits of unified communications
Unified communications helps businesses, small and large alike, to streamline information delivery and ensure ease of use. Human delays are also minimized or eliminated, resulting in better, faster interaction and service-delivery for the customer, and cost savings for the business. Unified communications also allows for easier, more direct collaboration between co-workers and with suppliers and clients, even if they are not physically on the same site. This allows for possible reductions in business travel, especially with multi-party video communications, reducing an organization's carbon footprint.
Who is it for?
Unified communications is very useful for knowledge workers, information workers, and service workers alike, many of whom may cross the lines between the three sectors on a daily or hourly basis, depending on the task and the client. With an increasingly mobile workforce, businesses are rarely centralized in one location. Unified communications facilitates this on-the-go, always-available style of communication. In addition, unified communications technology can be tailored to each person’s specific job or to a particular section of a company.
Teledynamic’s Solutions:
We represent the leader in Unified Communications the Microsoft Office Communications Server. Combined with their software client, Office Communicator they offer a total solution for the Microsoft-centric business.
Interactive Intelligence is another leader in UC with their Enterprise Interaction Center (EIC) and Customer Interaction Center (CIC) products which provide complete communications solutions including robust PBX and enterprise-level call center capabilities.
These products have major advantages over Cisco Unified Communications solutions, especially for the Microsoft-centric business.
(UC) is the integration of voice, unified messaging, chat, mobility, conferencing, presence, and web/data collaboration. There is a strong need these days for tools to simplify and integrate all forms of communications, both real and stored. A successful solution automates and unifies all forms of human and device communications into a common user experience, thus achieving “unified communications.” Substantial gains in efficiency result from enhancing human communications and optimization of business processes.
The unification of all communications provides mobility, presence, and contact capabilities that extend beyond the phone to all devices a person may use. Presence is also a factor – knowing where one’s intended recipients are and if they are available, in real-time – is itself a key component of unified communications.
To put it simply, unified communications integrates all the systems that a user might already be using and helps those systems work together in real-time. For example, unified communications technology could allow a user to seamlessly collaborate with another person on a project, even if the two users are in separate locations. The user could quickly locate the necessary person by accessing an interactive directory, engage in a text messaging session, and then escalate the session to a voice call, or even a video call – all within minutes. In another example, an employee receives a call from a customer who wants answers. Unified communications could enable that worker to access a real-time list of available expert colleagues, then make a call that would reach the necessary person, enabling the employee to answer the customer faster, and eliminating rounds of back-and-forth emails and phone-tag.
Unified communications in action
Given the sophistication of unified communications technology, its uses are myriad for businesses. It enables users to know where their colleagues are physically located (say their car or home office). They also have the ability to see which mode of communication the recipient prefers to use at any given time (perhaps their cell phone, or email, or instant messaging). A user could seamlessly set up a real-time collaboration on a document they are producing with a co-worker.
Business benefits of unified communications
Unified communications helps businesses, small and large alike, to streamline information delivery and ensure ease of use. Human delays are also minimized or eliminated, resulting in better, faster interaction and service-delivery for the customer, and cost savings for the business. Unified communications also allows for easier, more direct collaboration between co-workers and with suppliers and clients, even if they are not physically on the same site. This allows for possible reductions in business travel, especially with multi-party video communications, reducing an organization's carbon footprint.
Who is it for?
Unified communications is very useful for knowledge workers, information workers, and service workers alike, many of whom may cross the lines between the three sectors on a daily or hourly basis, depending on the task and the client. With an increasingly mobile workforce, businesses are rarely centralized in one location. Unified communications facilitates this on-the-go, always-available style of communication. In addition, unified communications technology can be tailored to each person’s specific job or to a particular section of a company.
Teledynamic’s Solutions:
We represent the leader in Unified Communications the Microsoft Office Communications Server. Combined with their software client, Office Communicator they offer a total solution for the Microsoft-centric business.
Interactive Intelligence is another leader in UC with their Enterprise Interaction Center (EIC) and Customer Interaction Center (CIC) products which provide complete communications solutions including robust PBX and enterprise-level call center capabilities.
These products have major advantages over Cisco Unified Communications solutions, especially for the Microsoft-centric business.