The percentage of U.S. remote workers jumped from 31 percent to 62 percent in a mere three weeks at the onset of the pandemic. Communication strategies, both internal and external, were turned upside down. While this migration is no longer headline news, it was a wake-up call for many organizations clinging to legacy communications systems that can’t keep up with the needs of today’s workforce.

Imagine insisting your team make calls with rotary phones or draft memos on typewriters. First, they would laugh and wonder if you had a screw loose. Then, they would become frustrated because these obsolete tools can’t help them do their jobs. Of course, you wouldn’t make such a request. Yet, hanging on to legacy systems, such as hardwired telephony and desktop-only applications, are similarly outdated in today’s distributed, mobile, and remote work environment.

Cloud-based communications, collaboration, and contact center solutions enable your team to work anywhere – in the office, on the go, or at home – using any internet-enabled mobile device. Plus, they only need one application to call, chat, video call, web conference, screen share, and more, enabling them to use the right tool at the right time to improve the employee and customer experiences.

4 hidden costs of legacy communications systems

Most businesses tend to have an array of communications tools – think desktop handsets, email, video conferencing, file sharing, project management, and more – at their disposal, but using legacy voice systems and standalone apps can be cumbersome and inconvenient.

If you think upgrading to a cloud-based unified communications as a service (UCaaS) solution will be more time-consuming and costly than maintaining your existing legacy system, think again. Here are four hidden costs of legacy communications systems that impact the total cost of ownership (TCO):

1. Ongoing maintenance. Legacy phone systems require upgrades, service, parts, and a particular skill set to keep them running. It’s like maintaining an older automobile: the car may be paid for, but parts and service expertise may be harder to obtain. Technology evolves even faster, driving costs to address and patch legacy systems in the “name your price” realm. Even if you have the in-house staff to support this, is this the best use of their time? The hidden costs of technology may cost you openly in terms of revenue. Remember, a leaking boat is a sinking one.
2. Inefficiency. Using independent, non-integrated communications and collaboration tools can work, but app switching is inefficient. Toggling between your phone system, web meeting tools, and mobile collaboration apps may take your employees more time than it gives them back. Such a drain on employee productivity isn’t ideal in a competitive marketplace where time is of the essence.
3. Inflexibility. Legacy phone systems are challenged to support the needs of modern businesses. They’re difficult and costly to scale to meet the needs of a growing or seasonal workforce. Typically, companies must buy more than they need to cover peak demand or upgrade to the next set of user licenses. They also can’t easily extend services to remote and mobile workers, who must use siloed tools if/when they work from home or on the road.
4. Downtime. Older systems are harder to update, maintain, patch, and secure. System breaks or security breaches can cause downtime, leading to losses in revenue and reputation.

Fortunately, there’s a better way. UCaaS bundles mission-critical technology into an all-in-one platform.

4 cost benefits of cloud-based unified communications solutions

UCaaS combines a business’ communication tools – voice calling, video conferencing, instant messaging, content sharing, etc. – into a single streamlined application. Users can switch seamlessly from one mode of communication to another in a single session – whether on a desktop, laptop, tablet, or smartphone.

As a cloud-based managed service, UCaaS also offers many advantages in providing an enterprise-class communications system as an affordable subscription service with continuous updates, anywhere accessibility, easy scalability, and more.

Here are four cost benefits of UCaaS that impact TCO:

1. No maintenance. While a legacy system can be a drain on your IT team to manage and maintain, UCaaS is the opposite. UCaaS is hosted and managed by communications service providers that are experts in IP telephony. The service is also continuously updated, so you always get the latest security patches and collaboration features. It’s practically future-proof.
2. Productivity. UCaaS boosts productivity by putting all the tools employees need at their fingertips. There’s no app switching; everything is on one platform. Additionally, UCaaS can cut travel time and costs by enabling video — so support workers that must travel have mobile tools like those in the office — and boost efficiency by integrating with other business apps like customer relationship management (CRM) software.
3. Flexibility. UCaaS enables you to add users incrementally as you grow or to meet seasonal demands. Different user types also can be assigned different seat types so that contact center agents have different capabilities than office workers. Because it’s cloud-based, UCaaS also allows your team to use the same tools when they work from home or on the road. There’s no need for a desk phone; UCaaS enables all communications from a single desktop or mobile app.
4. Uptime. As the pandemic proved, UCaaS is a business continuity tool. In a disaster, employees can still communicate by accessing the cloud-based services from anywhere on any mobile device. Additionally, best-in-class cloud communications service providers take extra measures to house their infrastructure in geo-redundant data centers and leverage physical and cybersecurity protection to ensure uninterrupted service.

Why UCaaS is the cost-effective option now and in the future

Communication, collaboration, and contact center abilities are core functions that your business needs. That’s unlikely to change. But what may change is how and where those services are delivered and consumed. With UCaaS, you can rest assured that the latest functionality will be available to your employees whether you have 10 or 10,000 and whether they’re in an office, call center, on the road, or at home. UCaaS provides the right tools at the right size for your business needs today and in the future.

Contact us to learn how the Broadvoice b-hive UCaaS platform can transform and modernize your business.

But don’t take our word for it — watch this video to see stories on how Broadvoice’s UC saves money and drives growth.