Clear and constant communication is essential to the success of any modern workplace, and phone calls and emails are only part of the equation. On any given day, your team might move between video meetings, group chats, shared files, and more, oftentimes requiring your team to switch between different platforms that cause a lot more confusion and inefficiency than anything else.
Cloud unified communications, also known as Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS), addresses these issues by bringing all those tools into one interconnected and easy-to-use system. Instead of managing a wide range of separate services, you can have a central place for the conversations that keep work moving forward.
What Does Cloud Unified Communications Mean?
At its core, cloud unified communications combines several communication tools through an internet-based platform. Voice calling, video conferencing, messaging, file sharing, and other collaboration tools can all live within the same system, allowing you to reduce inefficiency, confusion, and user error by giving your team fewer disconnected platforms to manage throughout the workday.
This is vastly superior to operating more traditional phone systems that focus only on voice calls and require phone lines at a physical location. Instead of dealing with all of that outdated technology, unified communications brings all of the above communications tools into one modern and efficient package.
This is essential to the modern-day work environment because work isn’t always done from the office. Whether in a traditional in-office role or a hybrid or a fully remote one, cloud-unified solutions allow every member of your team to stay productive and in the loop no matter where they are working from.
How Does Cloud Unified Communications Work?
A cloud-based communications platform connects users through internet-enabled devices. Depending on the setup, that could mean a desk phone, laptop, desktop computer, tablet, or smartphone. All your team needs to do is sign in to the platform, and they’ll gain access to all the communication features that they need to thrive.
Connecting Your Communication Channels
The biggest change is what happens between your individual communication tools. A conversation that starts through chat, for example, may require a proper phone call or video meeting down the line, and keeping those options together makes that transition a lot simpler.
Rothwell's cloud unified communications services can include voice calls, video conferencing, real-time chat, file sharing, mobile access, and any other communication tool your team may need throughout the day. Instead of treating each function as its own isolated service, the platform connects them as part of the same easy-to-use communication environment.
Supporting Work Across Locations
Work doesn't always happen at one desk. Modern workers often split their time between the office, home, and traveling between locations, so the need to stay connected wherever you are has never been greater.
Cloud access gives them a lot more flexibility in how they communicate. With Rothwell's mobile app, for instance, calls, chats, and files can sync across all supported mobile devices. That allows a conversation to continue without requiring someone to be sitting beside an office phone.
What Features Can a Unified Communications Platform Include?
Features vary between systems, which is one reason it's helpful to look beyond the basic promise of internet-based calling. A useful platform should match how your team communicates throughout a normal workday.
Voice and Video Communication
Voice calling still plays a central role, but it needs to be able to work alongside video as well. Our platform solves these issues by offering HD voice calling and video conferences for up to 250 attendees, including screen-sharing capabilities.
This gives employees different ways to handle conversations based on what the situation calls for. A quick question may only require a quick call, but a project discussion involving several different people or teams will almost certainly work much better over video with a shared screen.
Messaging, File Sharing, and Mobile Access
Not every conversation requires a video meeting, which is why so many have come to rely on real-time messaging for shorter exchanges. However, instant messaging only goes so far, and the inclusion of integrated file sharing in our cloud-based communication solutions goes a long way to keeping relevant documents close and easily accessible for everyone involved.
Mobile access carries those functions even further beyond the desktop. Instead of being glued to the office chair, your team will have no problem staying connected to calls, chats, and files from any compatible device with a reliable internet connection.
Why Are Businesses Converting to Cloud Unified Communications?
Adding more technology isn't necessarily the goal. The value comes from making the technology your team already needs easier to use and manage.
More Efficient Communication
Jumping between unrelated applications takes time. It can also scatter conversations across different places, causing confusion and making it harder to keep track of where information was shared.
Bringing several communication methods under one platform reduces that friction. Team members can choose the format that fits the conversation without moving through a collection of disconnected platforms and services.
That same efficiency-first thinking is central to our cloud unified communications services, which focus on reducing the burden associated with managing a wide array of different workplace technologies.
Greater Flexibility and Scalability
A communication system also has to work when your needs change. New employees need to be added, teams need to be able to move between locations, or communication requirements often grow over time.
Cloud systems are built with that flexibility in mind. Rothwell offers scalable plans, with ongoing support, starting at only three users, giving you room to select a setup based on your current needs and adjust as those needs develop.
This is even more important when considering just how prevalent less traditional office models are in the modern workplace. Cloud unified communications are, by their very nature, internet-based, so whether your team is in a traditional office, fully remote, or something in between, every member of your team can access the tools they need no matter where they’re working from.
Less On-Site Equipment to Manage
Traditional phone systems rely on physical equipment that has to be installed and maintained at your location. However, by moving communications to the cloud, you can drastically reduce the amount of on-site hardware your team needs to manage, simplifying maintenance and freeing up valuable office space.
With fewer physical components to oversee, updates and system changes are also a lot easier to handle. This means that your team can spend less time dealing with communication infrastructure and more time staying focused on the work that needs their attention most.
Cloud Unified Communications for Chester County Businesses
A successful UCaaS deployment involves a lot more than just installing a new application and giving your team access. It requires a clear understanding of your operations and how the entire communications environment and supporting technologies can be best customized to meet your business’s specific needs.
At Rothwell Document Solutions, we help Chester County businesses evaluate their network infrastructure, available bandwidth, Wi-Fi environment, and backup connectivity as part of the implementation process. Taking these factors into account allows us to identify potential limitations and plan a unified communications setup that fits the way your team works.
Contact Rothwell Document Solutions Today
Does your team feel bogged down by the wide range of platforms and communication tools they need to use every day? Are you looking for a solution that can limit confusion and streamline all your communication processes into a more efficient and effective workflow? Contact Rothwell Document Solutions.
Our team specializes in helping businesses streamline their document management and communications efforts to keep up with the demands of the modern business environment. We fine-tune all of our solutions to meet your specific needs, allowing you to stay competitive and scale as you grow.
From voice and video calling to instant messaging, file sharing, document management, and more, our team is here to help make sure that you have the tools you need to succeed. Contact Rothwell Document Solutions and give your business the edge it needs today.