Ever feel like your communication tools are working against you? You're not alone. Many businesses, especially those navigating the complexities of regulated industries, are struggling to keep up. Outdated phone systems, fragmented communication channels, and a constant barrage of emails create friction that wastes valuable time and stifles productivity.
These issues drain resources, cause headaches for IT, and prevent you from achieving your goals. And the longer they go on, the harder it is to break free.
But what if there was a way to manage the chaos, or even eliminate it? What if you could equip your team with the latest communication tools that are secure and compliant and actually make their jobs easier?
This post discusses unified communications tools, including solutions like Calling for Microsoft Teams and Cisco’s Webex, which can transform your business environment into a modern workplace, boost your bottom line, and give you back control.
The Hidden Costs of Aging and Inefficient Communication Infrastructure
Effective communication can boost productivity up to 25%. On the flip side, outdated and inefficient communication tools can significantly hinder productivity and create unnecessary costs. Research shows that workers at large companies using legacy communication systems waste an average of 6 minutes every day just on delayed online meetings.
That's like losing 26 hours of work per employee per year, adding up to hundreds of thousands of dollars lost every year for many businesses.
And it's not just time wasted in meetings. Old and mismatched communication tools lead to:
- Long resolution times for performance issues (an average of 6 hours with remote teams).
- A higher number of service calls.
- Connectivity issues and downtime of as much as 12 hours per year.
Together, these factors cost large corporations millions.
Communication Challenges in Regulated Industries
For industries like finance, healthcare, and government, the stakes are even higher. Regulated industries face strict compliance and security requirements that can be challenging to meet with outdated communication systems. A few examples include:
- Healthcare providers must comply with evolving HIPAA regulations to protect patient health information (PHI).
- Businesses in the finance sector must comply with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS).
- Government agencies must comply with Federal Information Security Modernization Act (FISMA) regulations for protecting sensitive data.
Unsecure communication channels can lead to serious compliance violations, resulting in hefty fines and reputational damage.
The Four Pillars of Communication Friction: Time, Knowledge, Support, and Infrastructure
The hidden costs outlined above often stem from four key areas of communication friction:
- Time: We've all been in virtual meetings that drag on and on or spent countless hours searching for that one crucial document.
- Knowledge: Access to information is critical. However, when knowledge is siloed in different systems or difficult to find, it hinders collaboration and decision making.
- Support: Outdated systems often come with limited support options, leaving you and your team frustrated and unproductive.
- Infrastructure: Legacy communication systems can be inflexible and difficult to scale, making it hard to adapt to changing business needs.
The good news is that there are more effective communication tools that offer solutions to these challenges.
What Are the Latest Communication Tools?
The way we communicate is rapidly evolving. The need for more efficient, flexible, and integrated communication solutions is fueling a growing market for new tools.
For example, the global voice over IP (VoIP) and cloud unified communications (UC) market is projected to grow from almost $19 billion in 2024 to a staggering $44 billion by 2032.
Let’s look at the new types of communication tools businesses can find in this large market.
Team Collaboration Tools with Integrated Calling
Team collaboration tools offer a centralized hub for synchronous and asynchronous communication and collaboration, bringing together chat tools, file sharing, and video conferencing tools in one place. And when these platforms incorporate robust integrated calling features, they transform into true unified communication solutions, streamlining your interactions even further by consolidating all your communication channels, including traditional phone calls.
One prime example of this enhanced capability is the Microsoft Teams Phone System. While Microsoft Teams itself is a powerful platform for chat, meetings, and file collaboration, calling for Microsoft Teams specifically extends its functionality to encompass comprehensive telephony. This addition transforms the familiar Teams environment into an all-in-one communication hub that can handle all your business calling needs, effectively allowing you to leverage Teams for voice communications alongside its other collaborative features.
Microsoft Teams already provides a robust foundation with features such as:
- Screen sharing.
- Advanced meeting functionalities.
- A suite of real-time collaboration tools.
- Integration with the Microsoft 365 ecosystem.
The Teams Phone System builds upon this powerful base by integrating full-fledged PSTN calling capabilities. This means you not only gain the collaborative benefits inherent in the Teams platform (listed above) but can also manage all your external and internal business calls directly within the same interface. This creates a truly unified communication experience, centralizing your workflows and maximizing the value you get from your Microsoft Teams deployment by making it your complete phone system.
The value of such comprehensive consolidation is significant. Forrester's Total Economic Impact (TEI) study of Microsoft Teams (the foundational platform) already revealed a remarkable 291% ROI over three years. This impressive return stems from benefits like:
- Increased efficiency for office and knowledge workers
- Enhanced collaboration among team members
- Reduced IT support tickets through chatbot assistance
By integrating comprehensive telephony through the Teams Phone System, businesses can expect to further amplify these efficiencies and unlock even greater value.
Consolidating all calling needs into this already powerful platform streamlines workflows, reduces time spent switching between applications, and can lead to direct cost savings on traditional phone lines and hardware. This makes Teams not just a collaboration tool, but a complete communications and calling solution.
Proper setup and configuration are key to fully realizing these benefits and ensuring your expanded communication suite, now including sophisticated calling features, is secure, compliant, and optimized for your business. To make this transition seamless, managed service providers like All Covered offer turn-key solutions that take the complexity out of deploying and managing Calling for Microsoft Teams, ensuring you can confidently leverage its full potential for all your communication and calling needs.
AI-Powered Video Conferencing and Collaboration Solutions
Video conferencing has become the go-to for remote collaboration, but the latest tools are taking it to the next level with AI-powered features. These features enhance the video conferencing experience, making it more efficient and productive.
Cisco Webex is a leading example of an AI-powered video conferencing and collaboration solution. It offers an array of business communication features, including:
- High-quality video conferencing
- Intelligent meeting summaries of key discussion points and action items
- Noise cancellation to minimize background noise even in busy environments
- Real-time translation to break down language barriers in hybrid teams
- Suggested document sharing
- Gesture recognition to add another layer of expression to virtual interactions
Webex's business solutions also prioritizes security, with certifications like ISO/IEC 27001:2013 and SOC 2. This, in addition to data loss prevention, end-to-end encryption, and secure guest access, makes Webex a suitable choice for businesses in regulated industries.
The benefits of Webex are clear:
- Reduces annual training budgets by 75%.
- Saves end users up to 25 minutes every week from delayed meetings.
- Reduces IT support tickets by 20% and resolution times by 80%.
The result is an estimated 204% ROI.
Cloud-Based Phone Systems (Cloud PBX)
Cloud-based phone systems, also known as Cloud Private Branch Exchanges or Cloud PBX, are revolutionizing business communications. Instead of using on-premise phone systems, Cloud PBX leverages the power of the cloud to deliver flexible, scalable, and cost-effective communication solutions.
Cloud PBX providers host the phone system infrastructure in their data centers. Doing so eliminates the need to pay for expensive hardware and maintenance. Your business simply connects to the system via the internet, using IP phones, softphones, mobile devices, and in some cases, even analog phones.
Cloud PBX offers:
- Reduced upfront costs and ongoing maintenance expenses
- A scalable system where you can add or remove users as your business needs change
- Flexible access to your phone system from anywhere with an internet connection
- Advanced features like call routing, voicemail to email, and auto attendants
Webex Calling is a great example of a Cloud PBX solution. It offers a fully integrated collaboration platform (including M365 and Google Workspace) with advanced calling, direct messaging, and meeting capabilities, all in one app.
Internal Communication Tools and Employee Engagement Platforms
Keeping your collaborators informed and engaged is crucial for your business. Employee engagement and internal communication platforms provide a centralized hub for company news, announcements, and real-time feedback.
These platforms offer internal comms several features, like:
- Newsfeeds and announcements: Share company updates, important information, and employee recognition.
- Employee surveys and polls: Gather feedback and valuable insights to improve employee engagement and satisfaction.
- Social intranet tools: Create a workplace culture with a sense of community and foster effective collaboration among employees.
A popular example is Achievers. This platform offers a strong emphasis on employee experience and recognition in support of a strong internal communication strategy. It brings features like peer-to-peer awards, leaderboards, and personalized recognition programs. Some project management tools offer similar features.
Cloud-Based Unified Communications as a Service Platforms (UCaaS): The Solution to Outdated Infrastructure
Solutions like Cloud PBX and team collaboration tools with integrated calling are examples of Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) platforms. UCaaS platforms integrate various communication channels, such as voice, video calls, instant messaging, and conferencing, into a single platform.
These solutions help companies of all sizes address the challenges of outdated comms infrastructures.
Why Cloud-Based Solutions Are Essential for Modern Businesses
Cloud-based communication tools offer numerous advantages over traditional on-premise systems, making them essential for modern businesses:
- Scalability: Easily scale your communication system up or down as your business needs change.
- Flexibility: Access your communication tools from any device with an internet connection, enabling an effective remote or hybrid workplace.
- Cost savings: Reduce the upfront costs and ongoing maintenance expenses associated with on-premise systems.
- Automatic updates:Leverage automatic software updates and new features without the need for manual intervention.
Debunking Common Myths About Cloud Security and Compliance
Despite their many benefits, some businesses still have concerns about security and compliance with cloud-based solutions. Let's address some common myths:
|
Myth |
Reality |
|
Cloud-based solutions are less secure than on-premise systems. |
A good UCaaS provider will invest heavily in security measures to protect your data. They often have more robust security protocols and certifications than most businesses could implement on their own. |
|
Cloud-based solutions are not compliant with industry regulations. |
Leading UCaaS providers comply with various industry regulations, such as HIPAA, PCI DSS, and FISMA. They offer features like data encryption, access controls, and audit trails to help businesses meet their compliance obligations. |
The AllComms Advantage: Your Partner for Seamless UC Implementation and Support
The latest communication tools offer a powerful solution to the challenges of outdated infrastructure and workplace friction. By embracing these tools, you can boost productivity and efficiency, enhance collaboration and teamwork, and more.
AllComms, the unified communications division of All Covered, is your trusted partner for implementing and managing unified communications solutions. We offer expertise, support, and strategic guidance to help you develop a long-term UC roadmap tailored to your specific needs and goals.
Interested in learning more? Check out our checklist, “Are You Maximizing ROI with Microsoft Teams Calling?”, or schedule a consultation today.
