Talking about the cost of deploying Unified Communication

Cost issues have always been the focus of centralized communication deployment. Many vendors advocate that deploying unified communications will significantly reduce the cost for enterprises. This temptation can be imagined. So is that true? Now let's take a look at the mysteries of this article.

Network and telecom experts know that corporate executives such as CIOs and CEOs must prove their ROI before purchasing and deploying a Unified Communication solution ), in addition, in the 18 months after the deployment of the Unified Communication solution, the return on investment has achieved initial success. Is this correct? Maybe it is right, but I am more willing to push this idea to the near future. It may not be necessary to provide a case with a short-term ROI for deploying a Unified Communication solution. I have found that more and more enterprises have realized the inherent value of Unified Communication, which can affect the productivity of employees and the financial expenditure of enterprises, before deciding to deploy unified communications, enterprises do not always have to prove a strict ROI.

Do we have to prove the ROI for deploying unified communications?

Think back to early emails and voice emails-do companies need to prove the strict ROI of those solutions before purchasing these solutions? No. CIOs know that they need to invest in these systems to stay competitive. Based on this fact, you will no longer need a secretary or receptionist to receive notes and hand-written "when you go out. In this case, there is no ROI unless the receptionist is dismissed, and this rarely happens. E-Mail has become a necessary solution. It initially implements communication within the enterprise organization and is used out of the organization.

In most cases, we do not doubt whether we need email and voice mail-they are basic communication tools and they are actually used by every enterprise organization, because they can improve the efficiency of employees. Unified Communication can also be considered as this. CIOs who are aware of the situation awareness, click on the call and click on the meeting, and connect to a single number with the mobile function, tools or functions such as remote work and mobile extensions will become specifications for Enterprise communications. This is not a matter of time. I bet that in two to three years, the business case of Unified Communication will show that, in most cases, it is not necessary to prove its strict ROI before purchasing and deploying a Unified Communication solution.

Yes, there is still a need for Unified Communication ROI

For now, despite the obvious benefits of deploying unified communications, the ROI still needs to be approved by the supervisor and budget. In the context of today's economy, investment will return within 18 months after Unified Communication is deployed. So how can we say that unified communication is reasonable in enterprise organizations?

Unified Communication can reduce costs, improve efficiency, and optimize business processes.

◆ Reduce UC costs

The most obvious reason for deploying UC is that UC can reduce transportation, mobile phone, travel, and conference costs. Through meetings and UC solutions with collaboration capabilities, such as audio/Webpage/video meetings, as well as shared workspace and file sharing, travel needs can be reduced or even canceled, this saves hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars. Using the Conference function in the room rather than using the service also reduces the cost.

In the world of UC, communication functions have become software applications, reducing the need for multiple servers in each location and branch. Instead of independent PBX/IP PBXs, email, voice mail, conferencing systems, and so on-each location has its own server-these features are now applications on standard hardware, being integrated into a single, integrated UC platform saves hardware costs and reduces system maintenance costs.

Checking the online status of a person before making a call can avoid unresponsive calls. local and long-distance calls can be replaced by cheap IM. Similarly, once the company starts to use the UC and Status display functions, the use of voice information will be significantly reduced, because if people find that the people they want to contact are not convenient to answer the phone, they won't make any calls. In this way, a small number of servers are required to store voice mails and a small number of ports, saving another cost.

Moreover, the use of VoIP and point-to-point call control reduces traffic fees. In addition, after entering the office, users can seamlessly connect mobile phones to desktop landlines, which reduces the cost of mobile phones.

The company can also save office expenses by allowing more employees to work remotely. Let employees use the UC system for work at home. The UC system integrates all the enterprise communication functions, thus reducing the company's need for office space, this reduces heating, cooling, and power costs.

◆ Improve UC efficiency through meetings and collaboration

In terms of efficiency improvement, the Conference and collaboration functions allow independent teams and teams distributed in different places to collaborate on projects-this means faster product development and faster crisis response, and quick customer problem solving. A Software Development Company uses online collaboration between sales engineers and product experts to prepare suggestions and countermeasures for the requirement statement. The system automatically accepts meeting requests from qualified persons and reduces the bidding cycle from 56 days to 15 days.

In another example, a remote regional sales team uses the "Find-me" feature of the system to make it easier for customers to find them. By using the Status display and click call functions, the sales team can immediately get help from the sales support and back-end support teams, which increases the annual sales volume by 20%.

◆ Optimize business processes

The ROI of Unified Communication is the greatest in terms of integration and optimization of business processes. By embedding CRM, ERP, and vertical business applications to deploy and communicate with each other in a unified manner, the ROI is enormous, typically based on solving latency and acceleration issues.

Many case studies illustrate the benefits and ROI of UC-optimizing business processes. For example, global telecommunications connects the UC solution with its supply and network inventory systems, eliminating the need for staff to call out for exceptional help. When an exception occurs, the software will find the specified technician to solve the problem. If the technician can provide help now, the system will start the IM dialog box to communicate with the appropriate person. If the specified technician is not currently available, the software will find the appropriate alternative accessible, and then start the IM dialog box.

When a voice session is required, the two technicians start and click the dialog box between the two computers. The amount of time spent on calling for help dropped sharply, and voice mail was almost completely eliminated. The result is that the cost of each transaction is reduced by 75%, and the response time is reduced by 80%.

We can also see the ROI of Business Process Optimization in vertical business applications, such as the healthcare industry. For example, the healthcare industry can reduce costs by enhancing collaboration among doctors, nurses, and experts. A medical facility uses a mobile phone-based "Inquiry nurse" program to handle personal medical consultations. Using UC functions such as IM, voice conferencing, and status display, the company can assign special personnel to answer patient questions, saving the need to create a new contact center, it can save the company $11 million.

Another hospital uses UC to optimize the patient hospitalization process. When a patient arrives at a hospital and needs to be hospitalized, assign a person to designate an available bed and trigger the workflow. Send an updated message to the hand-held device of the medical staff, and the medical staff will prepare the bed, prepare the patient for hospitalization. The result is that the time spent on coordination activities is greatly reduced, patient waiting time is also reduced, and the efficiency of medical staff is improved.

ROI conclusion for deploying Unified Communication

Despite the obvious benefits of UC, in most cases, the company will prove its reliable ROI in order to obtain financial approval and support for deploying unified communications. The ROI of Unified Communication is determined by many aspects, but it depends on the business processes, vertical markets, and use cases of different companies. However, in the next few years, UC will be seen as a basic communication tool required by the Company, just like today's voice mail and email, and the need for a strict ROI will not be that important.