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At first glance, 2020 was the year organisations in both the public and private sectors wholeheartedly embraced Unified Communications (UC), in direct response to the challenges presented by COVID-19.
Moving from attractive concept to proven model
The most important development for UC in 2020 has been the successful delivery of benefits that were previously seen as purely theoretical. In this way, the technology has moved from being simply promising to a proven, well-established model that organisations at all levels have been successfully utilising for several months now. Key developments have included:
We've seen these trends play out throughout the year, in numerous organisations' successful migrations to remote working and the Cloud, and as we approach the end of 2020, they show no sign of slowing down. So as we approach the new year, where is this leading?
2021 and the next step in Unified Communications
If 2020 has taught us anything, it's to expect the unexpected. While we now have a reasonable idea of what the post-COVID landscape will look like, agility will be the primary factor organisations will seek to cultivate in their workforce and infrastructure. Pivoting in response to future crises must be a question of days or weeks, not months, and so we expect the long-term trend of Cloud migration and an increasing emphasis on Cloud-first and multi-Cloud strategies to continue. This will, in turn, support the implementation of technology that drives remote communication and collaboration, with a lot of on-premise technology – and even the office space itself – becoming increasingly streamlined in order to control costs and maintain scalability. Similarly, we would anticipate more and more services to be delivered through a consumption-based model – something the Cloud excels at.
In terms of communication channels, integrated, multichannel communication will introduce a number of opportunities regarding AI, with chatbots providing contact centre staff with an extra level of efficiency, without compromising the quality of caller interactions. This will grant organisations an additional level of flexibility with regard to employee working hours. The implementation of AI combined with a secure, effective remote working solution, and consumption-based pricing means that organisations and their employees are no longer limited to the traditional working hours or office environment. For example, contact centres can ensure staff are always available to respond to callers, and agents can arrange their working hours around family – a win/win situation for everyone.
Following our win at the 2020 UC Awards, where we were awarded Best Cloud Communications Provider, our Director of Public Sector & Unified Platforms, Afshin Atari, sat down with UC Today to discuss his perspective on what this year has meant for Unified Communications and what the next one is likely to hold. Watch the video here.
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*Calls to 0845 numbers will cost 7p p/m plus your phone company’s access charge.
All inbound and outbound calls may be recorded for training or quality purposes.