10 Reasons to Invest in Unified Communications

Transcription

1 10 Reasons to Invest in Unified Communications x8 Solutions At work and wherever business takes you

2 Abstract With nearly 70 per cent of SME s allowing remote or flexible working, managing communications between employees, customers and other stakeholders is becoming increasingly challenging. Communications including voice, , SMS and fax messages are becoming fragmented and in turn, affecting business efficiency, effectiveness and long-term performance. By merging multiple ways of communicating into a single applications, unified communications transforms business communications. This white paper examines recent research and provides 10 reasons for both SMEs and corporates to invest in unified communications. Key definitions Unified communications - The mergence of real-time and non-real-time communications in a single application that can be accessed from anywhere with an internet connection. Real-time communications - Communications which are live, occurring at the actual time of a conversation, process or event. Real-time communications include telephony, instant messaging, presence information and video and audio conferencing. Non-real-time communications - Communications which are historic and do not occur at the actual time of a conversation, process of event. Non-real time communications include voic , , SMS and fax, Remote and flexible working - The practice of working from various locations, and outside the conventional 9am-5pm office hours. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) - A technology that enables you to make and receive calls over the internet All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced in any material form (including photocopying or storing it in any medium by electronic means) without prior written permission from the Marketing Department at 8x8 Solutions. 2 8x8 Solutions grants permission to individuals and organisations to make copies of this entire document (including this copyright notice) for their own internal use. No copies of this document may be published, distributed or made available to third parties whether paper, electronic or other means without 8x8 Solutions prior written permission.

3 The communications challenge 72% of directors and business owners believe that face-to-face meetings will soon be a thing of the past 3 60% (more than half) of office-based employees are expected to be regularly working from home within the next decade 4 72% of senior managers experience delays because project teams are unable to reach decision makers 5 The traditional office landscape is changing with nearly 70 per cent of SMEs allowing remote or flexible working. 1 As a result, the daily demands created by managing communications between employees, customers and other stakeholders are causing a whole range of issues. Employees personal office phones are now often unmanned and face-to-face communications are becoming increasingly scarce. In turn, reliance on alternative ways of communicating, such as mobile, and conference calls is high. While other ways of communicating have allowed more flexibility and choice, they also add more layers of complexity and are now causing unnecessary inefficiencies. By means of example, it is useful to consider the following scenario: Ben urgently needs to speak to his colleague, James, about a project that should have been signed off yesterday. However, unbeknown to Ben, James is working from home today. In the first instance, Ben rings James personal office phone to check if he is in the office. The landline rings but diverts to voic , so Ben leaves a message - in case James is in the office but away from his desk. After 30 minutes and no response, Ben then tries to reach James on his mobile. This time he goes straight to voic , so Ben leaves a second message - in case James doesn t pick up the first voic . Ben also decides to James, asking him to call back as soon as possible. 40 minutes later Ben remembers he forgot to tell James he s leaving the office at 2pm, so as he walks to his car, he sends a quick SMS message to warn James he will need to call his mobile. When James is finally free, he has to deal with a voic , and SMS message, and when he gets back to the office, another voic . For both Ben and James, the whole communication experience is extremely inefficient and frustrating. This scenario is familiar to many. Crucially, it s also one which many stakeholders have to endure - not just employees. Customer service for example is often compromised and unnecessarily delayed because communications are not connected. The cost of fragmented communications can be high. It can affect employee efficiency, customer satisfaction, team performance, employee satisfaction and ultimately, business competitiveness and long-term performance Powwownow Cited on 2 Forrester Consulting Unified Communications Offers Value to Small and Medium Businesses. 3 and 4 Virgin Media Business Cited on 5 Forrester Consulting Unified communications Offers Value to Small and medium Businesses

4 Unified communications: A solution for efficient communications Unified communications brings real-time and nonreal-time communications together in a single desktop application that can be accessed from anywhere with an internet connection. This means, for example, you can access your voic via your , or make a call from your office phone using your home laptop/tablet or mobile phone... Below shows the components that are provided for a typical unified communications solutions. Audio, Web, Video Reduce travelling and the impact of any reduced face-toface communications by using the unified communications application to arrange audio, web and video conferences with internal and external users. Presence Monitor the availability and status of other users. Before you call them, check to see whether they are on another call or in a meeting to avoid needlessly wasting time. Component Function and benefit Component Function and Benefit Voice Using voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology, voice communications are unified. If you are working remotely, you can choose for calls to your personal office phone to divert to your mobile, so you can still be reached on the same number. Call Management Access detailed call activity reports from your desktop. And for greater flexibility, switch from your office phone to your mobile, and vice versa, while on a call. Unified messaging All your voice, , SMS and fax messages in a single desktop application for ease of management Figure 1 Instant messaging/ Online chat Instant messaging/online chat can be used on your pc, mobile or tablet device. It is designed for quick and informal communications where an instant response is required, allowing real-time communication with colleagues and customers anywhere in the world. (see figure 1) 4

5 10 reasons to invest in unified communications 63% of senior managers believe they would improve efficiency if they had access to Presence information 7 69% of SME organisations allow flexible working 9 Research shows that more than half of employees would like a unified communications system because it would ensure: All communications are in one place No messages get lost Response times are faster Everyone knows the best times to contact people 6 More specifically, if you re considering implementing unified communications, the following 10 reasons demonstrate why it is an attractive investment: 1. Boost Employee productivity Unified communications makes reaching the right person quicker and easier. It boosts employee productivity by connecting multiple ways of communicating and eliminating failed attempts to reach colleagues. 3. Improve customer service and satisfaction Reducing problem resolution times for customers is important for all businesses. Crucially, 77 per cent of senior managers state that customer satisfaction would improve if their company became known for rapid problem resolution and reduced delays. 77 per cent of senior managers also believe that customer satisfaction would improve if colleagues were able to transfer complex questions to product support personnel in real-time Reduce overheads The adoption of unified communications will equip employees with the tools they need to work remotely. In turn, this will reduce overheads, such as those relating to office space requirements and maintenance costs. For some businesses, unified communications can completely remove the need for a physical office. Crucially, 75 per cent of senior managers experience delays because project teams are unable to reach decision makers. 69 per cent believe they would improve efficiency if they had the ability to reduce these delays. 63 per cent agree they would also save time if they had access to presence information, and would therefore be able to determine the availability of colleagues before they attempt to make contact Facilitate efficient and effective remote working By combining voice, , instant messaging, SMS and fax, unified communications gives employees the tools they need to work efficiently and effectively from any remote location. This is important, given that 69 per cent of SME organisations allow remove or flexible working. 5. Increase collaboration With functionality including audio, video and web conferencing, as well as presence and instant messaging, unified communications increases collaboration between colleagues and business partners. Collaboration is important because it can deliver benefits including: Balanced decision making 11 Greater creative input 12 Accelerated decision making and new product development Reduce travelling expenses Travelling expenses can create a significant operating expense. As well as mileage and fare costs, toll fees, congestion charges, vehicle hire charges, car parking, accommodation and meal expenses can soon add up. The opportunity cost 5 6 Powwownow Cited on 7 Forrester Consulting Unified Communications Offers Value to Small and Medium Businesses. 8 Powwownow Cited on 9 Forrester Consulting Unified communications Offers Value to Small and medium Businesses

6 The average desk in London costs 285 per person per month 10 Unified communications can improve employee motivation, wellbeing and retention 18 associated with travelling time can also be significant. With unified communications, travelling expenses can be avoided. Audio, video and web conferencing can often eliminate the need to travel. Meetings can be arranged with colleagues, partners, suppliers and other stakeholders anywhere in the world in the convenience of a local office and even from home. Nearly three-quarters (72 per cent) of senior managers indicate they can reduce personnel travel with a video or web conference capability. 14 Of course, any reduction in travelling will reduce the carbon footprint too. More efficient and effective collaboration facilitated by unified communications can also enable employees to respond more quickly (58 per cent), save time every day (71 per cent) and reduce production downtime (50 per cent) Improve employee motivation, wellbeing and retention By facilitating benefits such as reduced travelling, easier collaboration and remote working, unified communications can improve employee motivation, wellbeing and retention. 69 per cent of senior managers also indicate that the ability to communicate more effectively with customers and one another would improve their ability to attract and retain key personnel Reduce training expenses Successful companies rely on high quality training to attract and retain employees. The cost of sending employees to specific locations however can be significant, meaning many companies cannot afford to train employees as often as they would like Improve sales performance Achieving all of the above benefits can ultimately improve sales performance and competitiveness. 70 per cent of senior managers agree that delivering projects faster will increase sales. 19 Through video and web conferencing, unified communications can help overcome this problem. 68 per cent of senior managers surveyed by Forrester Consulting say the provision of desktop training would reduce overall training costs, with the majority estimating between 5 and 25 per cent Achieve faster response, delivery and resolution times 61 per cent of manufacturers believe that if they could determine an expert s availability and launch an ad hoc conference call to discuss critical information, the new product development cycle would be shortened by as long as more than one week The Next Web Home,sweet Home: 60% of UK Employees Could be Working Remotely Within a Decade. 11 and 12 Bright Hub Collaboration at work: A look at the Pros and Cons. 13 and 14 Forrester Consulting Unified Communications Delivers Global Benefits: Study Indicates Major Savings for Organisations Across Three Key Industries.

7 About 8x8 Solutions As the UK s leading and multi-award-winning hosted communications provider, 8x8 Solutions provides tailored unified communications solutions. Working with more than 400,000 SME and Corporate users, it is certified by the international ISO 9001 quality management system and a founding member of the Internet Telephony Services Providers Association (ITSPA). 8x8 Solutions has industry leading telephony architecture, providing % uptime for quality and security assurance. Cloud Communications Delivered TM To learn more, call or visit 8x8.com/uk NASDAQ: EGHT The 8x8, Inc. logo is a registered trademark of 8x8, Inc. 8x8, Inc. is a publicly traded company. SALES512/ ,16,17 Forrester Consulting Unified Communications Delivers Global Benefits: Study Indicates Major Savings for Organisations Across Three Key Industries. 18,19 Forrester Consulting Unified communications Offers Value to Small and Medium Businesses.