{"id":1667,"date":"2017-02-08T14:33:40","date_gmt":"2017-02-08T14:33:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/blog\/?p=1667"},"modified":"2024-01-15T16:51:37","modified_gmt":"2024-01-15T16:51:37","slug":"what-does-unified-communications-mean-for-businesses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/blog\/what-does-unified-communications-mean-for-businesses\/","title":{"rendered":"What Unified Communications Really Means for Your Organization"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>There are a variety of definitions for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/activo-services\/voice-unified-communications.html\">unified communications (UC)<\/a> ranging from technologically-focused understandings to discussions about intra- and inter-team collaboration. <strong>But at the heart of each is one central theme<\/strong>: simplifying and streamlining communications for organizations of all sizes around the world.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Keep reading to go beyond the definition and find out what UC really means for you:<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2>Defining Unified Communications<\/h2>\n<p><strong>UC is a term used to describe solutions that integrate different methods of communication (including real-time and non-real-time) into a single environment <\/strong>to simplify platform management, improve connections between employees, and meet larger business needs.<\/p>\n<p>UC can bring together components including:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Varying forms of messaging<\/strong> (instant, unified, etc.).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Applications designed to make teamwork easier<\/strong>, connecting larger groups and encouraging collaboration among them.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Up-to-date presence information<\/strong> to let you know if a contact is occupied or available.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Video conferencing capabilities<\/strong>, whether on mobile devices, individual PCs, or systems based in a single room (or set of rooms).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Mobile applications<\/strong> that extend UC to devices like smartphones or tablets.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>UC is the ideal solution for any company interested in taking full advantage of new and traditional communication technologies.<\/p>\n<h2>5 Benefits of a Unified Communications Approach<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Unifying your communications enables your business to address today\u2019s challenges head on<\/strong> \u2013 bringing collaboration platforms, tools, and services together in one always-on, easy-to-access place so you can:<\/p>\n<h3><strong>1. Work More Effectively <em>and<\/em> Efficiently<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Built-in features like presence information make it simple to see when people are available and how you can connect with them. Is a team member free to IM but not voice chat? <em>You\u2019ll be able to find out<\/em> and reduce time spent trying unsuccessfully to contact someone.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>2. Encourage Collaboration<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Having quick access to important tools and information enables teams to <strong>collaborate and make changes in real time<\/strong>, managing a greater number of materials and executing even the most complex projects.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>3. Connect Your Team Members from Anywhere<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><strong>UC makes it easier for employees to work collaboratively on projects from anywhere<\/strong>, locally or globally. If a team member needs to spend part or all of the day away from the office, having a flexible UC strategy in place means they can use the information and applications they need \u2013 <em>including<\/em> mission-critical ones \u2013 to make working remotely just as productive as being at the office.<\/p>\n<p>Much of this interconnectivity is being made possible by <a href=\"http:\/\/voice.activo.ca\/managed-voice\/\">the cloud and cloud-based software, applications, and storage.<\/a><\/p>\n<h3><strong>4. Streamline Communications<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Just under half of all workers would prefer to have a single device for both professional and personal needs<\/strong>. With so many options to choose from (like smartphones, tablets, and other mobile tools), organizations need to make sure they\u2019re thinking beyond the desk phone.<\/p>\n<p>The right UC strategy enables people to <em>choose<\/em> between devices and platforms, adapting and adjusting their technological choices to suit their individual preferences and work styles.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>5. \u00a0Make Technology Invisible<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The technologies driving your business should operate invisibly behind the curtain to let users accomplish everything they need to without interruption.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Features like <strong>single sign-on (SSO)<\/strong> make it easy to switch seamlessly between devices, platforms, and applications without needing to remember unique usernames and passwords.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Automatic call forwarding<\/strong> provides consistent experiences for both your employees and customers.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Flexible document sharing<\/strong> gives your teams access to the information and resources they need.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>UC enables you to take advantage of all the benefits technology has to offer, transforming how you do business and driving results by making your teams more efficient, effective, and productive.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>At Activo, we offer a range of UC solutions tailored to meet your specific needs and goals. <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/contact.html\"><strong>Contact us today.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>More on Unified Communications from Activo:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/blog\/why-flexibility-is-essential-in-your-unified-communications-and-voice-solution\/\">Why Flexibility Is Essential in Your Unified Communications and Voice Solution<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/blog\/what-is-unified-communications\/\">What is Unified Communications?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/blog\/optimizing-your-messaging-influx-with-unified-communications-by-mitel\/\">Optimizing Your Messaging Influx with Unified Communications by Mitel<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There are a variety of definitions for unified communications (UC) ranging from technologically-focused understandings to discussions about intra- and inter-team collaboration. But at the heart of each is one central theme: simplifying and streamlining communications for organizations of all sizes around the world. Keep reading to go beyond the definition and find out what UC [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1928,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[51],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1667","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-voice-and-collaboration"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>What Unified Communications Really Means for Your Organization | Activo<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/blog\/what-does-unified-communications-mean-for-businesses\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What Unified Communications Really Means for Your Organization | Activo\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"There are a variety of definitions for unified communications (UC) ranging from technologically-focused understandings to discussions about intra- and inter-team collaboration. But at the heart of each is one central theme: simplifying and streamlining communications for organizations of all sizes around the world. Keep reading to go beyond the definition and find out what UC [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/blog\/what-does-unified-communications-mean-for-businesses\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Activo\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ActivoCanada\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-02-08T14:33:40+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-01-15T16:51:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/unified-communications.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"425\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"325\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Activo Team\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@activocanada\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@activocanada\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Activo Team\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/blog\/what-does-unified-communications-mean-for-businesses\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/blog\/what-does-unified-communications-mean-for-businesses\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Activo Team\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/#\/schema\/person\/b25e0124f7cd12b957d3d94e71d009bb\"},\"headline\":\"What Unified Communications Really Means for Your Organization\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-02-08T14:33:40+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-01-15T16:51:37+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/blog\/what-does-unified-communications-mean-for-businesses\/\"},\"wordCount\":633,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/blog\/what-does-unified-communications-mean-for-businesses\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/unified-communications.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Voice and Collaboration\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/blog\/what-does-unified-communications-mean-for-businesses\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/blog\/what-does-unified-communications-mean-for-businesses\/\",\"name\":\"What Unified Communications Really Means for Your Organization | Activo\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/blog\/what-does-unified-communications-mean-for-businesses\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/blog\/what-does-unified-communications-mean-for-businesses\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/unified-communications.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-02-08T14:33:40+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-01-15T16:51:37+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/blog\/what-does-unified-communications-mean-for-businesses\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/blog\/what-does-unified-communications-mean-for-businesses\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/blog\/what-does-unified-communications-mean-for-businesses\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/unified-communications.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/unified-communications.jpg\",\"width\":425,\"height\":325},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/blog\/what-does-unified-communications-mean-for-businesses\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"What Unified Communications Really Means for Your Organization\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/\",\"name\":\"Activo\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Activo\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/logo_black.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/logo_black.png\",\"width\":171,\"height\":60,\"caption\":\"Activo\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ActivoCanada\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/activocanada\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/#\/schema\/person\/b25e0124f7cd12b957d3d94e71d009bb\",\"name\":\"Activo Team\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e76fa9b97ebb6bb7b139977582f880fd2bb95046e5063f06c6e45c3424a388d5?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e76fa9b97ebb6bb7b139977582f880fd2bb95046e5063f06c6e45c3424a388d5?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Activo Team\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"What Unified Communications Really Means for Your Organization | Activo","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/blog\/what-does-unified-communications-mean-for-businesses\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"What Unified Communications Really Means for Your Organization | Activo","og_description":"There are a variety of definitions for unified communications (UC) ranging from technologically-focused understandings to discussions about intra- and inter-team collaboration. But at the heart of each is one central theme: simplifying and streamlining communications for organizations of all sizes around the world. Keep reading to go beyond the definition and find out what UC [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/blog\/what-does-unified-communications-mean-for-businesses\/","og_site_name":"Activo","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ActivoCanada","article_published_time":"2017-02-08T14:33:40+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-01-15T16:51:37+00:00","og_image":[{"width":425,"height":325,"url":"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/unified-communications.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Activo Team","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@activocanada","twitter_site":"@activocanada","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Activo Team","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/blog\/what-does-unified-communications-mean-for-businesses\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/blog\/what-does-unified-communications-mean-for-businesses\/"},"author":{"name":"Activo Team","@id":"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/#\/schema\/person\/b25e0124f7cd12b957d3d94e71d009bb"},"headline":"What Unified Communications Really Means for Your Organization","datePublished":"2017-02-08T14:33:40+00:00","dateModified":"2024-01-15T16:51:37+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/blog\/what-does-unified-communications-mean-for-businesses\/"},"wordCount":633,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/blog\/what-does-unified-communications-mean-for-businesses\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/unified-communications.jpg","articleSection":["Voice and Collaboration"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/blog\/what-does-unified-communications-mean-for-businesses\/","url":"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/blog\/what-does-unified-communications-mean-for-businesses\/","name":"What Unified Communications Really Means for Your Organization | Activo","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/blog\/what-does-unified-communications-mean-for-businesses\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/blog\/what-does-unified-communications-mean-for-businesses\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/unified-communications.jpg","datePublished":"2017-02-08T14:33:40+00:00","dateModified":"2024-01-15T16:51:37+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/blog\/what-does-unified-communications-mean-for-businesses\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/blog\/what-does-unified-communications-mean-for-businesses\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/blog\/what-does-unified-communications-mean-for-businesses\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/unified-communications.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/unified-communications.jpg","width":425,"height":325},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/blog\/what-does-unified-communications-mean-for-businesses\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"What Unified Communications Really Means for Your Organization"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/","name":"Activo","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/#organization","name":"Activo","url":"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/logo_black.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/logo_black.png","width":171,"height":60,"caption":"Activo"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ActivoCanada","https:\/\/x.com\/activocanada"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/#\/schema\/person\/b25e0124f7cd12b957d3d94e71d009bb","name":"Activo Team","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e76fa9b97ebb6bb7b139977582f880fd2bb95046e5063f06c6e45c3424a388d5?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e76fa9b97ebb6bb7b139977582f880fd2bb95046e5063f06c6e45c3424a388d5?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Activo Team"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.activo.ca"]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1667","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1667"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1667\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1928"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1667"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1667"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.activo.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1667"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}