What is Unified Communications (UC)

An introduction to UC

There is a huge demand for businesses to be flexible, agile, fast to react and ahead of competitors. Unified Communications (UC) helps you do that by bringing together different technologies to run in sync so that your business can run effectively and competitively.

PC Mag defines Unified Communications (UC) as “The real-time redirection of a voice, text or e-mail message to the device closest to the intended recipient at any given time. For example, voice calls to desk phones could be routed to the user’s mobile phone when required. E-mail intended for a desktop mailbox could be sent to the user’s PDA or turned into speech for a phone message.”

A simplified example of Unified Communications would be Google:

As a search engine, you can find the answers to your burning questions within the blink of an eye. They take it further with Gmail, Docs, Calendar, Hangouts and the use of a Gmail account for instant messaging. You can even place phone calls.

This is a really simple and easy way of thinking about Unified Communications; you have all of these systems at your fingertips, seamlessly integrated into one easy to use interface.

Similarly, with Apple products (a touchy subject for some), you can seamlessly integrate your iPhone, iMac, and iPad accessing each other.

You’ve got it, Unified Communications.

The Benefits of Unified Communications

The benefits to your business are vast, you will see improvements when in:

  • Flexibility – Unified Communications gives staff the access they need wherever they are, at whatever time, increasing the efficiency of the business as well as the efficiency of your employees. Information flows freely throughout the organisation, helping workflows to be managed more closely and with the opportunity for staff to pick up messages through different mediums, they can become more efficient and effective at their jobs, in turn, boosting the bottom line of your company.
  • Mobility – With workers increasingly needing to do their jobs from home or whilst on the go, Unified Communications enables them to connect with co-workers at all times. Flexible working is a rising trend and it empowers the users to work from, not only home, but anywhere in the world. Mobile devices become extensions of the corporate network so workers can be productive anywhere.
  • Efficiency – You can improve the responsiveness of your staff by giving them the tools to pick up messages, respond and work on the go. You improve their efficiency and boost the bottom line. You can’t argue with that!
  • Privacy – With the introduction of Cloud Unified Communications, you will experience greater levels of data privacy – a more exclusive company interface and a much more secure connection.
  • Environmental impact – It has been found that on average 46% of companies that have utilised Unified Communications, realise travel savings of more than 5 days per employee annually. With the public increasingly concerned about being “green,” the implication of UC can considerably cut travel time and therefore the carbon footprint of the corporation. This also means more time spent getting the job done, rather than spent on unnecessary travel.

Stressline is a large manufacturing business that decided to implement some key solutions during COVID-19, one of which was Unified Communications to aid remote workers, then and going forward.

Initially, Teams was implemented until the phone system portion of the project was completed and Wildix Collaboration was rolled out.

Discover how UC helped Stressline.

View our Case Study

What can Unified Communications merge? 

Unified Communications can bring together multiple forms of communication channels such as voice, video, software, data etc using one device. We have gone past the desk phone and email being enough.

Some key features of Unified Communication features:

  • Instant messaging
  • “Availability” – knowing if the person you need to contact is free or busy
  • Conferencing applications
  • Teamwork applications – to coordinate work on group projects
  • Video conferencing
  • Voice & click to call (from any directory, e.g. Outlook)
  • Voice messaging – to e-mail and phones
  • File sharing
  • Softphones
  • Directory integration

Unified Communications Tools

There is plenty of software out there that you can utilise with one device which would make your business operate quicker BUT if you had one piece of software which did everything, that would put the “unified” in Unified Communications.

The idea behind Unified Communications is to “optimise business processes” and nothing does this better than an all-in-one solution.

We have tried and tested many Unified Communications tools and there are three tools that are a cut above the rest:

Mitel Micollab

Mitel Micollab is a Unified Communications tool that can be used in conjunction with Mitel Phone Systems.


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Horizon Collaboration

Horizon Collaborate is a Unified Communications tool designed for those who have the Horizon Phone System or as a standalone tool.


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Mitel OpenScape Business

Mitel OpenScape Business is the Award Winning, Best-in-Class, all-in-one UC and Voice solution designed for SMBs.


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Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams is a Unified Communications tool usually chosen when you use Office-365, it can be integrated into most phone systems.


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Want a Demo of our Unified Communications Solutions?

Get in touch so you can understand the functionality that a UC Solution can offer.

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