Of course, your company already has access to and makes use of texting, instant messaging, document sharing, and virtual collaboration tools. How does the experience differ when you use those as standalone elements rather than within an integrated, unified framework? Most of us have already experienced the disadvantages and frustrations that a lack of unification can cause. There’s the client call that drops from your cell phone as you try to switch to the new sales sheet you just received in an email. There’s the web conference that loses audio when you upload the PowerPoint presentation you intended to share. There’s the struggle to attach a spreadsheet to a text message. Unified communications platforms integrate all these functions to eliminate those disruptions and deliver a more seamless experience.

When assessing the cost of adopting unified communications, be sure to also take into account the cost of continuing to use your legacy system. For example:

• Peak payouts. With a legacy system, you must pay for the number of licenses and the cost of trunking necessary to meet your needs during the company’s peak season. Unified communication and collaboration platforms are, by contrast, services that can be as flexible as you and your business require, regardless of cyclicality.
• The waiting game. When new features or functionality become available for legacy systems, you need to have them installed. Your hardware may require reconfiguration. Simply enabling the new feature has a cost measured in dollars and hours. Conversely, new features introduced by a cloud-based unified communications provider become available to end users immediately.

While voice is still the priority in business, unified communications truly extend your communications capabilities. For example, it gives the traditional call increased capabilities. And the gold standard in unified communications simplifies the process right from the time the call is initiated. “I can simply share a link and have my participants click that link to join a conference call,” Eric Hyman, director of product marketing for Comcast Business. “Or I can remove the friction around collaboration so that when I’m sharing a document, I don’t have to ask all 10 participants on the call if they can see it, because the application lets me know.”

Read the Unified Communications: An All-in-One Solution guide to learn about how replacing a patchwork quilt of apps with unified communications can save you time and money.