Whether you are part of a huge corporation or a small business, ROI is always a concern, and you have to be careful how you spend your money. After all, successful companies didn’t become successful without researching prior to investing into a project. Time and time again, unified communications proves to be a worthwhile investment. A white paper recently released by TeoTech talks about just that, and here are some of the highlights.
Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP):
VoIP phones have replaced the majority of regular phones these days, but there are still some organizations that have yet to upgrade. Many government institutions and educational buildings have yet to switch over to VoIP phones. This switch can save most organizations money in the long run, and can save it in multiple ways. The most obvious is savings in long distance calls between offices. The white paper released by TeoTech states that businesses that switch to VoIP can reduce their telecommunications costs up to 40 percent. For companies that spend thousands of dollars a years on long distancing calling to their remote offices, these savings alone are worth the implementation costs. Once you consider this, plus the time you and effort you save having a more productive and reliable service for your phone calls, it’s hard to figure why you haven’t switched yet.
Videoconferencing:
Videoconferencing has become a staple of corporate communication, and although it can be an expensive initial purchase, it can save you lots of money in the future. Imagine the cost of having to meet with an international client. A plane ticket to Japan isn’t cheap. Then there is the hotel, and the food, and any other expenses that may be needed. Now imagine you don’t have to pay for any of that, because you have an advanced videoconferencing system which allows you to share all the information you need, and have a face to face conversation through the system. If you are keeping you staff in office you are not only saving money, but increasing productivity. Videoconferencing also allows you to connect with clients that you may not have had time to meet with normally, allowing you to increase your clients and make more profit.
IM and Presence:
Instant messaging and presence allow employees to effectively communicate while lowering delay time. Instant messaging removes the delay that is associated with emails that can dramatically slow down a project. Presence allows users to see when a user is available, and with Plantronics software integrated with their headsets, you can set your presence to change (and what to change to) when you take off your headset, walk away from your computer, or when you answer a call. According to a UC Strategies and Unicomm Consulting Study, companies can save $1,137 per user per year in communication efficiency if they take advantage of IM and presence, and can save $1,005 per user per year by eliminating delay.
Taking advantage of all of these technologies will not only improve your productivity, but will improve cash flow. Anyone who is worried about ROI of unified communications should consider these benefits and compare them to their current costs. Saving time, reducing delay, and increasing productivity all while saving money is something only UC can provide to your organization.