Unified Communications Infrastructure: A Must-Have for Remote Teams

Despite recent moves to get everyone back into office work, remote work is in no rush to go away. Companies with teams across the globe don't find gathering them in one location all too cost-effective. 

If anything, those who need their people back in the office have seen the benefits of remote work, leading to the rise of hybrid work models.

Whether staying fully remote or going hybrid, the importance of seamless communication with teams stands. 

Being reachable through multiple forms of communication alone isn't enough; it also needs to allow for hassle-free switching between forms when necessary. A unified communications infrastructure can meet such a need and more. 

All-In-One System

As the term implies, unified communications integrate various enterprise communication tools into an all-in-one system. Examples like Microsoft Teams and Zoom Workplace come to mind, but unified communications treat them as elements in a larger framework.

Hardware and software that let users coordinate work in various ways aren't anything new. During the early decades of the telephone, switchboard operators would connect a caller to their desired receiver by jacking into the correct outlet. If this sounds familiar, they were the predecessors of the private branch exchange (PBX) systems later used by businesses.

Today, businesses use a wide range of front-end asynchronous (time-delay) and real-time communication channels. On the back end, all these are integrated into a unified communications infrastructure.

*Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications

The need for unified communications spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic. Businesses realised that their reliance on on-site infrastructure for communication and collaboration became their Achilles' heel. When they adopted remote work, unified communications became a valuable asset by keeping team members connected no matter the distance.

Of course, its benefits don't stop with seamless communication.

• Cost reduction: Consolidating various tools into a single platform reduces software subscription costs. Team members save on travel expenses by attending or holding virtual meetings via the platform.
• Better customer service: Designated customer channels can be integrated into a unified communications infrastructure. Paired with internal ones, representatives can better facilitate their customers' needs.
• In-house IT staff optional: While maintaining an IT team in-house is still essential, the service provider delivers most of the IT management work. Even a small IT team is enough to manage the business's communication and collaboration needs.
• Fewer backdoors: Unified communications reduce the need for multiple separate apps, which can become security risks when not routinely patched. With an all-in-one suite, IT teams can easily monitor and counteract malicious attempts.

Despite being used interchangeably, unified communications and team collaboration are two different things. They may overlap in terms of functionality, but sending a file or video via a unified communications infrastructure doesn't always indicate collaborative intent. That said, seamless collaboration is impossible without communication.

The Typical Tech Stack

Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS)

UCaaS is the bedrock that holds the entire system steady. It refers to an IT business model where the service provider is responsible for all aspects of the infrastructure. 

The business doesn't own the system but doesn't have to manage it.

Gartner explains that UCaaS consists of six communications functions, namely:

• Enterprise telephony
• Various meeting media
• Unified messaging
• Instant messaging
• Mobility
• Communications-enabled business process

One crucial advantage of UCaaS is its customisability. 

The suite can be tailored to satisfy the company's needs, keeping costs to a minimum. Similar to other as-a-Service models, the company can opt for single (dedicated use) or multi-tenancy (shared among other tenants).

Contact Centre as a Service (CCaaS) Integration

Whereas UCaaS focuses on internal communications, CCaaS focuses on external – as in customer service. Some technologies under this model include:

• Automatic contact distribution
• Interactive voice response
• Predictive dialling
• Workforce management

As far as unified communications are concerned, UCaaS and CCaaS are a match made in business heaven. As CCaaS manages the customer's call, the customer service representative can use UCaaS to relay the caller's needs to the rest of the team. The combination is found to have improved customer satisfaction and ROI. 

Communication Platforms as a Service (CPaas)

As the term suggests, CPaaS provides communication platforms mainly to retrofit companies' legacy apps and platforms with new technology. It involves delivering partly complete apps and application programming interfaces (APIs), among other resources. In-house developers then use these to integrate into their current tech.

Businesses without in-house developers can still benefit from CPaaS providers via co-creation. In this arrangement, they involve third-party service providers to understand and develop the solutions they need.

Meeting Room Modernisation

Hybrid work setups would still want to invest in modernising their brick-and-mortar meeting rooms. Team members who can't attend a physical town hall still deserve to participate using robust unified communication tools. All the more if they serve a crucial role that's relevant to the topic at hand.

As of this writing, meeting rooms can benefit by incorporating business communication technologies such as but aren't limited to:

• AI-assisted functions (e.g., transcription)
• Intelligent audio and video optimisation
• Digital whiteboards or LED interactive screens
• Video conferencing solutions
• All-in-one meeting room display solutions

Project Management System

The introduction of the Gantt chart in the early 1900s laid the foundation for what would later be called project management. In today's competitive environment, a lack thereof leads to wasted hours and lost productivity.

Businesses can still rely on the Gantt chart to organise their tasks, but they can do better with a comprehensive project management system. The Project Management Institute (PMI) defines project management as the application of knowledge, skills, and tools to plan and execute projects most effectively.

The PMI adds that one of the key aspects of project management involves effective communication among team members. As such, it's no surprise that such a system is part and parcel of a united communications infrastructure.

WRapping up

Remote work isn't about to disappear anytime soon, but it needs a much-needed update to meet current standards. Thanks to their customisability and cost-effectiveness, unified communication solutions will be indispensable to remote and hybrid businesses in the future.