Imagine you’ve just bought a brand-new wrench. It looks great, and you're excited about putting it to work. But then, instead of using it for its intended purpose, you try to hammer a nail with it. Sure, you might eventually get the nail in, but it’s going to be messy, take longer, and leave you frustrated.
Unified Communications (UC) is a lot like that wrench. It’s a powerful tool that can make a big difference in how your business communicates and collaborates, but only if you know how to use it effectively and well.
And that's why we're here. In this blog, we'll share the benefits of a properly-tuned unified communications platform and five simple strategies that will help you make the most of it. But first, let's review.
A Quick Review of Unified Communications
Before diving into the strategies, let’s get on the same page about what UC really is. Simply put, unified communications combines multiple communication channels—phone calls, emails, video chats, and instant messages—into one platform. And this has all kinds of advantages for businesses, like:
1. Better Collaboration, Faster Results
With unified communications, your team can log into one platform and instantly communicate through multiple channels at once. This means fewer interruptions, quicker decisions, and more time spent on what actually matters. No more switching between apps, missing incoming calls, or waiting for messages to be read.
2. Cut Costs, Simplify Everything
Why juggle a dozen tools when one platform can do it all? Unified communications simplifies your tech stack, reducing the need for separate phone systems, video conferencing platforms, and instant messaging apps. Less complexity equals fewer costs, and you (and your team leaders) will spend less time managing multiple systems.
3. A Smoother, Less Stressful IT Experience
Instead of dealing with a bunch of different systems that don’t always play nice together, unified communications gives you one streamlined platform to handle everything. This means fewer headaches for your IT team and fewer technical issues for everyone else. Everything’s just easier to maintain.
4. Stay Secure and Compliant with Less Effort
UC platforms, especially those from Gamut, keep your business secure by offering encryption and access controls right out of the box. With everything integrated, it’s easier to monitor your security in real-time—so you’re always one step ahead of any potential risks.
5. Increased Flexibility and Mobility
Whether it’s your employees working from home, a coffee shop, or traveling abroad, UC makes sure your team has access to all the communication tools they need on any device – from mobile phones to laptops. Flexibility like this makes for happier, more productive, and more collaborative teams.
There are even more benefits to adopting unified communications solutions, but we'll save those for another blog.
5 Ways to Get the Most Out of Your Unified Communications Investment
Now that you've explored a brief list of UCaaS benefits, let’s talk about how to squeeze every ounce of value out of your investment. Here are five practical steps you can take to make your UC system work even harder for your business:
1. Integrate the UC Platform with the Tools You Already Use
This seems like a no-brainer, but many companies treat their unified communications platform like a separate tool. Don't. One of the best ways to unlock its full potential is to integrate it with the management and collaboration tools you already rely on. If your business uses a CRM, project management software, or helpdesk system, make sure your UC platform works seamlessly with them.
For example, if your sales team uses a CRM, having UC integration allows them to access customer information directly from the unified communications platform while they’re on a call or in a video meeting. This reduces time spent switching between apps, speeds up workflows, and makes interactions with clients more efficient.
Here’s a step-by-step for getting started:
- Check if your unified communications system offers integrations with the tools you already use (most do).
- Identify the key systems that could benefit from being linked to your UC platform (CRM, project management tools, etc.).
- Work with your IT team (or UC provider) to set up these integrations so everything runs smoothly on all communication devices.
But how do you know what systems absolutely need to be integrated and which ones don't? Well, that brings us to our second point.
2. Customize Your Unified Communications Platform for Team-Specific Needs
Every team within your business has different needs when it comes to communication. For example:
- Sales teams might need quick, real-time communication, so they’ll benefit from having instant messaging, video conferencing, and easy access to customer data all in one place.
- Customer support might rely more heavily on a ticketing system, so integrating that system into your unified communications platform will streamline communication between team members and customers.
- Marketing teams might need frequent brainstorming sessions, so video conferencing or collaborative spaces for file sharing and idea generation will be essential.
Thankfully, most unified communications solutions allow for customization—so take the time to set things up in a way that makes sense for each department. You can adjust notification settings, workflows, and even which tools get prioritized. Customizing your UC system ensures that everyone has the right features at their fingertips, making their work easier and more productive.
Here’s how you can easily customize it:
- Sit down with each department and ask about their communication pain points.
- Look at the tools within your UC platform and match them to the team’s needs. For example, integrate the CRM with sales, or set up ticketing systems for support teams.
- Create custom workflows or integrations for specific departments.
- Adjust notifications, channels, and procedures to fit how each team operates.
Once that's done, it's time for another strategy that may not seem related to a unified communications platform but will help you use it wisely and well.
3. Encourage Asynchronous Communication
So many times we've seen businesses not take advantage of the instant messaging features in their UC solution. And that's because they feel like everything needs to be done right away. That's absolutely not the case. Some conversations or tasks can be handled "asynchronously", meaning they don’t require an immediate response. To lighten your team's day-to-day workload (and reduce meeting fatigue), encourage them to use tools like voice messages, recorded videos, or chat for non-urgent matters.
By doing this, you give your team more flexibility in how they communicate. They won’t feel pressured to answer messages right away, which can reduce stress and improve focus. It also helps in cross-time-zone teams, as people can respond when it works best for them—without the need for constant meetings.
Here’s how you can do this:
- Promote the use of voice messages and video recordings for non-urgent matters. Instead of scheduling a meeting, ask team members to send a quick video update or voice message that can be reviewed when the other person has time.
- Use chat for quick, non-urgent questions or project updates. This cuts down on the need for back-and-forth emails or meetings.
- Consider scheduling meeting-free blocks of time in your team's calendar to allow them to focus on deep work without constant interruptions.
- Remind your team that not every message needs a quick reply. Non-urgent matters can be addressed asynchronously.
- Set clear expectations around response times for asynchronous communication so no one feels pressured to reply instantly.
Once everyone's onboard with this way of working, it's time to start training.
4. Invest in Employee Training Today and Tomorrow
Everyone wants a self-starter. But one of the biggest reasons businesses don’t get the most out of their UCaaS solution is that employees aren’t fully trained on all the features. UC platforms often have a lot of hidden capabilities, from advanced calling features to integrations with other software. Make sure you’re providing regular training so your team knows how to use the platform to its full potential.
When your team knows how to use all the features, they’ll work more efficiently, and your business will see a return on investment.
Steps for successful training:
- Develop user-friendly resources, like guides or FAQ documents, so your team can easily reference them.
- Make sure that every new hire gets a proper introduction to the UC system so they understand how to use it from day one.
- Even if your team is already familiar with the platform, offer periodic refreshers to keep them up to date on new features and best practices.
- Encourage your team to ask questions and provide feedback so you can continuously improve their experience with the system.
The more comfortable and confident your team feels using your UC platform, the more they’ll be able to use it to improve their productivity and team collaboration.
And speaking of leveraging features....
5. Use Analytics to Spot Areas for Improvement
Seamless communication is the name of the game when it comes to UC. But sometimes, there are hiccups in the system you're not sure how to solve. Why do some calls take longer than others? Why were some missed and others not? Thankfully, your platform can help you figure that out.
Unified communications platforms like ours come with built-in analytics, but a lot of businesses don’t take full advantage of them. But you can! We encourage you to use them to identify what's working, what's not, and keep your day-to-day communications running smoothly.
Take a look at things like call logs, message response times, or video meeting durations. Are there certain times of day when responses slow down? Or maybe certain communication channels that your team uses more than others? This data can help you fine-tune your processes, improve response times, and keep everything on track.
What you should do:
- Track response times to see how quickly team members are replying to messages or emails. If there’s a delay, identify the cause and see if there’s a way to speed it up.
- Monitor call volumes and meeting durations. If your team is spending too much time on calls, maybe there’s a way to improve processes or encourage more asynchronous communication.
- Look at channel usage: Are your teams using chat for quick questions but avoiding video calls? Maybe they need a nudge to make more use of video meetings to improve team collaboration.
And there you have it – five strategies to help you make the most out of your UCaaS solution.
But all of these strategies are only possible with the right UC solution. And that's where we come in.
Gamut’s UCaaS Solution: What Sets Us Apart
At Gamut, we understand that every business is different. That’s why our unified communications solutions are designed to grow with you. Here’s how our communications platform stands out:
- Scalability: Whether you’re a small business or growing rapidly, Gamut’s UC solutions can scale with you. As your team grows, so does your UC system.
- Intuitive Interface: We keep things simple. Our platform is easy to use, so your team can start collaborating without a steep learning curve.
- Comprehensive, Pain-Free Integrations: Our solutions easily integrate with the tools you’re already using, like CRM systems, project management tools, and more.
- Hyper-Customization: We know that every team has different needs. Our platform can be customized to fit your team collaboration workflows – no matter how specialized.
If this sounds exactly like what your company needs, then you're ready to unlock the power of Gamut's unified communications solutions in 2025. Contact us today to get started!
