How can Unified Communications (UC) help you cut business costs while increasing efficiency and flexibility in dealing with your customers?
Most businesses use the standard phone connections to make or receive calls. On the other hand, Unified Communications is a system of combining all communication needs for your business into one solution that utilizes the Internet. It helps you save all calls made by users within your business and minimise the expense of long-distance calls as well. Moreover, it also provides other savings which are probably less noticeable but can be a lot more profitable in a short or long term. Let’s see what these are.
The Advantages of UC
- · UC incorporates your company mobiles and landlines. Your business staff can be reached easily wherever they are working. You and your staff can also use all features of this phone system even outside the office. So there will be no more missed calls or missed business opportunity calls. It would be like each staff has their own virtual assistant that manages both their mobile and landline calls.
- · UC places all your landline and mobile phones into one price plan. It will be the same rate for all calls no matter which phone you will use. All phone numbers will be on a single bill and voicemail. Thus, it saves you the hassle and time managing them. Moreover, you only have to dial one number for any support that you need.
- · UC easily adapts to any changes that your business goes through whenever you need it. For premises and workforce growth, UC solution allows you to add new features and users easily, quickly, and cost-free.
UC Used by Power Office Services
The Power Office Services, a company based in London and provides a wide variety of refurbishment and maintenance services to businesses all over the capital, adapted the UC solution and made real business savings.
The Power Office Services started out as a typical small business firm with 4 office staff, 3 supervisors, 8 sub-contractors and 15 regular tradesmen. They offer plumbing, electrical and any other services for their customers. Later on, their company grew; and with their success came their challenges.
Jackie fisher, the director of Power Office Services, said that they became victims of their own success because they cannot meet the demands of their clients. They only have a single traditional fixed line in the office and their staff used mobile phones on the field. They used the answering machine to give out their mobile phone numbers. However, because the fixed line is always in use, their customers would either call the staff directly on their mobile phones or otherwise call another company.
Jackie also said that at that time, they did not realize the difficulty their customers have gone through to reach their office. And if their customers will call their contractors directly, it will just lead to problems on managing job schedule and work interruptions. Some of their clients also demand a different level of professionalism. They ask for SLAs, like a central phone number which operates 24 hours and 7 days a week. And because they couldn’t meet those demands, they look for a solution.
Increase in productivity
Power Office Services picked UC system’s Vodafone’s One Net Express. They have seen a really big benefit upon implementation of the UC system on their business.
Now, they have a centralized customer communication system and employees are no longer interrupted on their jobs. The outcome is 20% increase in productivity. They gained an hour a day for each person. The overall result is 10% increase on their revenues despite the recession.
Call cost saving
Vodafone One Net has not only increased their productivity, it also notably reduced their call costs. With their previous phone system, the Power Office Services’ monthly phone bill was about £1,000. With the UC system, the company was able to save 50% on their call costs because all mobile phone calls are included in the monthly rate plan.
Effective call handling
Vodafone One Net provides numerous benefits to Power Office Services. It offers more flexibility to the company.
Previously, they have to man physically the office phone until 5:30 PM and leave the answering machine on. Now, with the new phone system, they can leave earlier and bring the office with them. They can go home early and spend time with their family while providing response services to their customers. They were now able to handle 100 calls every day, which is twice the figure they managed formerly.
Most importantly, Vodafone One Net helps them handle those calls well. The results are satisfied customers, productive employees, and flourishing business.
Room for improvement
Jackie also said that Vodafone One Net has unchained their company to grow. Now, they are looking for a new staff to meet a new demand.
Vodafone One Net has absolutely transformed their business. It increases their productivity and gives them more security and flexibility.
Furthermore, some benefits that UC provides are hard to measure. Nevertheless, using UC in your business offers work flexibility, balance work-life, and huge job satisfaction for your employees. It helps in making them stay with you and saves you from the costs of employee replacements.
Summery:
- (UC) Unified Communications integrates all your business phones, landline and mobile, into one system.
- (UC) Unified Communications increases business productivity by effectively handling more calls while reducing work lost due to missed or dropped calls. It helps save money on business call costs.
- (UC) Unified Communications provides a well balance work-life for the employees.