This post was sponsored by Bicom Systems, a leading provider of VoIP phone systems and cloud services.
Unified Communications was designed to make our lives easier. It literally unifies all of our communication needs and puts them neatly on one platform. Unified Communications allows businesses, employees and consumers to connect, talk and collaborate seamlessly across the globe.
The hours in a workday never seem to be long enough to get everything done. Unified Communications is guaranteed to save you time. In fact, learn five ways it does save you time in our blog post on how UC saves time.
But if you aren’t using a UC solution, then you aren’t saving time. If your day looks like the below, you are most definitely wasting time.
Scenario 1
Meet John. It is Monday morning at 9 am and John is sitting at his desk trying to catch up on emails. His inboxes are packed full of important emails and updates. Not to mention the 5 urgent voicemails he has waiting for him on his phone. The task of switching between multiple email accounts, instant messaging applications and texts can be exhausting. Every time John needs to switch to a new application, productivity time decreases.
Solution
A unified communications platform will solve this problem. It will put all your communications in one organized place. The ability to read messages and check voicemails on one platform is a time saver! Also, some UC solutions transcript your voicemails to text. This way you do not have to waste time listening to someone drag out a message. You can quickly skim the text and find the important details.
Scenario 2
John’s weekly budget meeting starts at 10 am, but he is stuck at the airport. John needs to be present at this meeting because he cannot rely on Rick’s notes again. But John can’t dial in on his mobile because of the long distance charges and he needs to be able to see the presentation screen.
Solution
A unified communications application like Bicom’s gloCOM is just what John needs. John can join the call anywhere with an internet connection and successfully collaborate on the go. His co-workers can screen-share from the home office, allowing him to see and hear everything.
Small problem. John doesn’t have his laptop. No problem! gloCOM GO is an office in your pocket. John can participate and add new members into the call while he is on the move. A bonus is he is avoiding those long distance charges and the possibility of poor cellphone reception.
Scenario 3
You might be wondering, why is John at an airport? Since John’s office does not have a UC solution, he has to fly across the country for a meeting with a client. Not only is John wasting time and money, but he also will not be able to work remotely efficiently. John can not collaborate effectively with other employees, therefore having a bigger ‘to-do’ list upon his return.
Solution
Unified Communication tools make it so you no longer have to gather everyone to one spot for a meeting. John can meet where and how he wants to. John’s company will save money on travel costs and he will get a better handle on his to-do list.
Scenario 4
It is Thursday and John is back in the office. He is working on a project with Nick from design. The downfall of this project is that the design department is upstairs, past the kitchen and to your left. John can not risk missing an important phone call by being away from his desk. E-mailing back and forth is effective enough, but the important emails are going unnoticed when one or the other gets busy with other projects.
Solution
Again, unified communications! John can visit Nick’s office stress-free and not be tethered to his desk. John can bring his mobile device or laptop with him to meetings and can answer his phone calls from anywhere! The two men can instant message with each other, share files, screen share and so much more on their UC application. Important messages will no longer go unnoticed and productivity times will increase.
Scenario 5
Finally it is Friday and John’s week is almost done. He has a deadline that he desperately needs to meet by 5 pm. John needs to meet with someone from finance, no one in particular, but he needs someone fast. He is going to have to get up from his desk, walk to the finance department and find someone who is not only in the office but also available to meet. This process lost John 30 minutes of productive time and he did not meet his deadline.
Solution
With a UC solution, John could have cut that 30-minute process to 5 minutes. Unified Communication solutions, like Bicom Systems gloCOM, have features like ‘presence’. Presence makes it absolutely clear who is available and how they are available. John wastes no time tracking someone down and he also has the ability to change his present status. John can set his status as ‘busy’ so no one can bother him and he can continue to meet his deadlines.
Out of all these scenarios, the common solution to all of John’s problems is Unified Communications. Don’t be like John. Make sure you have a unified communications solution that can benefit you and your company.
To learn more about Bicom Systems UC solutions, visit our website or send our sales team an email at sales@bicomsystems.com.
Laura Kyle is a marketing assistant for Bicom Systems (www.bicomsystems.com).
