Unified Communication is not the same as unified Interaction

Unified Communication is not the same as unified Interaction

UC is continuously warming up, but can it solve the problem of communication disconnection? The new system must take UC further to support real unified interaction.

The use of unified communication and collaboration (UCC) or Unified Communication as a service (uCaaS) is expected to increase rapidly in the next few years, because these technologies can integrate multiple channels into a single architecture across almost all sizes of enterprises. In fact, Forrester Research has predicted that UCC will become a "standard communication infrastructure". By 2018, the market value will be close to $62 billion, driven by an annual growth of more than 15%.

Technically, UC can unify vertical communication channels and put telephone, voice mail, conference and video calls, chat, text, and fax functions in a single application. Some platforms also provide powerful mobile applications that provide the same features and benefits as desktop solutions, allowing UC to be implemented on all devices anytime, anywhere.

UCC: not as unified as we think

However, simply bundling these features and adding them as options to the UC technology stack won't go too far. Communication threads are still isolated, though they can be accepted by a single application within the county where telephone, email, text, or fax functions are available. Even on the uCaaS platform, communication starts from the phone, jumps to the text, and then moves to email or video chat. These communications are scattered across various channels, without consistency and clarity. At the same time, important information may easily disappear during conversion, important team members may not be excluded, and closed-circuit members may not be closed. Redundancy and repeated communication impede production efficiency and processes.

From the security perspective, there are also risks of data loss and intellectual property loss, especially in the BYOd environment. If the UCC solution does not have important features such as text or fax, this forces users to rely on their own devices or applications outside the system, this may protect the enterprise's work achievements and data from the protection of the enterprise.

Unified Interaction: the next frontier

To overcome these shortcomings, modern enterprises now need a new communication mode, that is, unified interaction, to further develop the concept of UC. This concept does not force employees accustomed to multi-mode communication to change their communication mode, but to change the communication mode.

Through the unified interaction platform (UIP), the concept, communication, ideas and development of business decision-making no longer need to be converted and reiterated between multiple channels. Sessions are seamlessly moved from one media to another. In the same system, the process is quite natural from the user's perspective. Communication starting from text can instantly Program e-mails and discuss through chat. At the same time, threads across each node will be tracked and saved.

The UIP running in the enterprise network (even on BYOD devices) can be fully managed, protected, and controlled by the enterprise IT. This type of platform not only provides application standardization and data security, but also provides multiple levels of fault security protection.

Enterprise Data, work results, and conversations within UIP are still in UIP and cloud computing, where they can capture changes in ideas and initiatives and archive them for future reference, and save Enterprise Support. If the device is lost or stolen, or the employee leaves the company, the data will be known remotely from the device to prevent data leakage. When new devices or new employees join the enterprise network, they can quickly access new devices by installing applications and providing logon creden。, threads, archiving, and other data stored in cloud computing.

Closer to true unification

In the end, although UCC represents a huge leap in efficiency and connection, especially in Mobile, the new unified interaction platform still has a great opportunity to adapt to the inherent natural human communication, instead of forcing us to adjust our Communication habits to adapt to the platform.

New technologies are bringing us closer communication. The emergence of cloud computing and uCaaS platforms is driving forward the market. What features does your enterprise want to obtain from UCC and uCaaS to meet their needs?