If you’ve been looking into upgrading your business phone system, there are two terms you are probably hearing a lot as you examine options: unified communications as a service (UCaaS) and voice over internet protocol (VoIP). While both are better options than an on-site private branch exchange (PBX), you may be wondering which is the best fit for your business.
Defining Terms: Both UCaaS and VoIP are cloud-based technology options. Both have a few key benefits, including the ability to easily scale up and down in users, elimination of in-house maintenance and management, and work-from-anywhere flexibility. Both options also have the potential to offer your business measurable cost savings.
VoIP is the base technology for UCaaS. It uses an internet connection to transmit data in tiny packets, so any VoIP solution, including UCaaS, requires a strong network connection. Factors like latency and dropped packets can deteriorate the quality of calls, so it’s important to test your network speed and performance to determine whether an infrastructure upgrade will be required to operate VoIP solutions.
The Difference Between VoIP versus UCaaS: There are many differences between a basic VoIP and UCaaS solution, but the overall distinction is that VoIP handles voice calls while UCaaS offers a wide variety of communications formats, including voice, videoconferencing, SMS text, chat, and email.
UCaaS is ideal for companies that want to invest in collaborative communication technology. Teams can utilize shared virtual workspaces with co-editing features, status updates to know when colleagues are available, and task and project management tools.
Advantages to Using UCaaS: While any VoIP solution will be an upgrade from an on-site business phone system that comes with hardware and maintenance costs, there are a few reasons why your business may want to consider the investment in UCaaS.
Support Team Progress: As many teams remain in a permanently remote or hybrid work environment, the videoconferencing capabilities of UCaaS help improve efficiency and productivity, allowing teams to move quickly to make decisions and make progress on projects.
Better Customer Experiences: Features like real-time assist and customer relationship management (CRM) tools allow agents to view prior conversations and open orders and status updates no matter which communications format was previously used. Multiple agents can assist the same customer with seamless and informed service.
Communications Flexibility: With UCaaS, customers have the flexibility to utilize the communications format they prefer. With options like chatbots and interactive voice response feeding information to machine learning and data analysis tools, UCaaS can help you continue to improve service to your customers.
When You Should Choose VoIP: It’s easy to see that UCaaS is the business phone system with rich features and collaboration tools, but there are situations where VoIP is a better fit. Small business owners and new businesses may want to implement VoIP with a plan to upgrade to UCaaS in the future.
Migrating to a cloud-based business phone system is a process filled with potential obstacles, but with the right assistance you can avoid setbacks. Contact us at eXemplify for assistance in assessing your communications needs and determining which VoIP or UCaaS solution is right for you.