Unified Communication: The Future of Collaboration Solutions

Australian economy is one of the biggest in the world, ranked number 13 in terms of nominal GDP and number 17 by PPP adjusted GDP. Many companies have set up offices in different states of the country, which are located some distance apart. Such firms require a reliable communication infrastructure that allows remotely located professionals to collaborate easily. Several Australian conferencing service providers (CSPs) offer integrated communication solutions that allow thousands of users to collaborate seamlessly in real-time.

Unified communication (UC) includes several communication tools, such as audio and web conferencing, instant messaging, e-mail, voicemail, SMS and fax, on a single platform. This conferencing suite allows users to share data and exchange documents and ideas with business associates, clients and co-workers. Likewise, audio and video calls can be made conveniently through the same interface. Smartphones, tablet computers, laptops and desktops can be used to create a virtual environment that supports remote collaboration between the participants with the help of unified communication suites.

Companies can use such integrated communication solutions to interact with clients optimally and increase their overall productivity. UC solutions assist in cutting down sales and customer support cycles by streamlining the communication process. Companies can use these to integrate market changes faster and encourage the adoption of innovative communication technologies among new users.

Using Unified Communication and Collaboration (UCC) solutions, professionals can interact virtually and work closely with peers for the growth and development of business. Whiteboard and annotation tools are integrated in such collaboration suites help in setting up brainstorming sessions, thus make interaction between participants more effective. These tools can be used for highlighting relevant information in front of the conce
ed audience during presentations and trainings sessions.

Unified communication solutions allow users to view their contact lists and see the group members who are online, whether it is a colleague, client or vendor. Such solutions allow users to see participants that are online via desktops as well as handheld gadgets running on iOS, BBOS and Android.

Such a conferencing suite also provides a single user interface in order to access e-mails, fax and voice messages. A standard UCC mail server is compatible with emailing applications that support IMAP4 protocol, such as Lotus Notes and Microsoft Exchange/Outlook. Appointments can be viewed, added or cancelled easily and contacts can be added directly from such email applications. Such features of these integrated platforms streamline business communication and provide the professionals with all the necessary tools needed to reduce operational and communication costs and improve productivity.