The uncertainty of the pandemic forced many companies into a mad scramble of laptop provisioning and the hasty purchasing of collaboration platforms. Many of these tools were redundant and also required steep learning curves, which led to slow adoption rates from the employees tasked with using them. The result? Money was spent two to three times over for virtually the same features across different platforms- without fully achieving a collaborative environment.
Now that companies have had some time to adjust, here are the technologies being utilized to drive a hybrid workforce and improve collaboration.
Unified Cloud Collaboration
UCaaS solutions allow workers to be productive at any time and in any place, by providing collaboration through app-based software that backs up redundant instances in the cloud. Workers can connect from home, on the road, or anywhere else they happen to find themselves working—and that accessibility is crucial for today’s workforce accustomed to mobility.
1. Collaboration from anywhere at anytime
As a cloud-based platform, UCaaS allows employees to collaborate securely from anywhere on any device via voice, chat, and video. UCaaS solutions are also able to deliver reliable uptime numbers that many legacy on-premises systems can't achieve.
2. Save time and reduce burnout
Many employees experience toggling between different apps dozens of times a day. One of the best aspects of a unified communications platform is that employees can switch efficiently between multiple tasks within the same app. This means they’re more focused on fulfilling business needs.
3. Keep data secure
UCaaS vendors can secure your information and prevent fraud through end-to-end encryption, as well as providing customized security measurements such as HITRUST, which combines several of the industry's top security protocols for various industries.
4. Scale with ease
UCaaS creates an opportunity for a global workplace, allowing employers to hire outside their local area to find the best possible talent. Unlike on-premise solutions, you can expand your number of UCaaS licenses almost instantaneously, offering the same experience for every employee no matter their device or location.
Contact Center as a Service
CCaaS is separate by an equally important platform for a hybrid workforce that needs to serve customers and provide exceptional experiences.
Similar to UCaaS, the contact center as a service can be easily deployed across any device. New CCaaS technology can even accommodate omnichannel support, meaning call center agents can interact with customers across voice, text, video, social, and messaging from one platform.
Other benefits of a CCaaS solution include:
1. Remove silos
Previously, businesses may have had one location for internal tech support, then others for sales, customer service and product support. CCaaS brings these departments together on a single system regardless of location.
2. Increase flexibility and scalability
Cloud-based contact centers, on the other hand, allow for increased flexibility and scalability by making it easy to deploy functionalities, scale operations, switch between communication channels and handle unexpected call volume spikes. All that’s required is an internet connection.
3. Substantial cost savings
With a CCaaS platform, you pay only for the number of licenses you need, and there are no significant upfront investments for hardware or data centers. You never have to worry about hardware or software maintenance costs, thus decreasing IT staffing needs.
Cloud-Based Files & Sharing
The final critical piece of technology for hybrid or remote work is cloud-based file-sharing software. Many companies have already delved into this field with OneDrive, Dropbox or Google Drive, but large organizations can greatly benefit from having their files collaborated within the same unified environment as their office collaboration or contact center technologies.
Whether your business is still fully remote or transitioning to a hybrid work environment, remember that you don’t have to figure it out on your own. Converged Technology Professionals can help you evaluate, integrate and manage your cloud IT projects- click here to learn more.
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