UCaaS brings together speech, digital connectivity and team tools into a single business software. Unlike an omnichannel contact center (CCaaS), UCaaS systems are designed to improve team communication within the company and still provide a standard business telephone system.
We want to emphasize the key features of UCaaS, discuss their functions and list their advantages.
What is the Meaning of UCaaS?
Unified communications as a service (UCaaS) is a cloud service that includes many communication and collaboration applications and services.
With UCaaS, you can use enterprise messaging, see who is available, join online meetings, work together with your team, use the phone system and video conference. Many businesses, both big and small, are choosing UCaaS to help them change out their old communications systems and manage a remote workforce.
Most Important UCaaS Features
ACD and IVR are necessary for a good UCaaS system. They link your company with people outside your organization and with your team members. Different UCaaS providers give the option of paying for everything upfront or just the features you need a la carte. Following are the most important UCaaS features you need to look for in a provider:
1. PSTN Connectivity
A link to the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) allows you to communicate with people not at the office.
If an ISDN connection is missing, desks phones will only be capable of contacting others on that particular communications system. Internally, staff can use cloud phones and they are also set up to handle calls with parties outside the business.
All the qualities of an analog telephone are still there in a digital one. Business VoIP technology makes sure data packets travel between the PSTN accurately as audio signals.
2. Toll-Free Numbers
Hitting the number on your telephone while using a landline will connect you without being charged. It mainly makes your company visible on a national scale. Those phone numbers use call routing rules managed by the UCaaS providers.
The numbers include 800, 888, 877, 866, 855, 844 or 833 in their first place. There is no longer a need to press 1 on the dialpad before the number due all-number calling.
Firms choose toll-free numbers to build trust with their customers, see which ads are effective and forward calls to suitable teams.
3. Auto Attendant
The auto attendant is considered the lesser-known feature in a commercial phone system. All that it needs to do is link phone users with the required department. An auto attendant is used when you hear “Press 1 to reach sales” on a phone system. The first impression customers get of your business comes from this telephony feature. It uses the numerical input from the dialpad to decide where the caller should be routed.
A lot of UCaaS companies make it seem tricky to configure auto attendants. Since the user experience is not the same everywhere, make sure you are comfortable with making updates.
4. Direct-Dial Numbers
When you have a Direct Inward Dial (DID) phone number, it goes directly to the extension inside your company.
Callers do not have to worry about auto attendants because they can call users directly by dialing their extended numbers. DIDs improve customer service by giving a personable touch.
If you were to run a contact center, agents would need to answer phone calls. Any incoming call is directed to the right extension using a unified communications platform.
5. Call Recording
Recording more calls and ensuring secure cloud storage for the recordings is becoming more common. Being able to look back at customer calls is very important to companies.
Now, UCaaS software can provide different ways to record calls to make sure customers are satisfied. This makes it possible for management to maintain accountability in places outside the call center.
6. Call Analytics
Useful data such as handle times, speed of answering, abandonment rates and others are provided by call analytics.
This is when the combined value of unified communications truly becomes clear. You can easily spot access trends in seconds, without spending your whole day in Excel and searching through call logs.
Work more effectively by using upcoming and past analytics data. Wallboards, gamifying dashboards and good-looking dashboards support good team and individual performance.
7. Mobile Application
Having a single Mobile App is still a go-to feature in Unified Communications as a Service. At first, businesses had to pay more to access it, but now UCaaS includes it as standard.
Since iOS and Android smartphones can be used, employees don’t face difficulties making or taking calls. A few clicks let them accept or reject calls, attend online meetings, use screensharing and communicate by chat.
In addition, softphones is another way to refer to this type of app. Features you will find in UCaaS include the possibility of call forwarding, call flipping and visual voicemail.
8. Desktop Application
Laptops and desktops are both capable of using VoIP softphones. Most UCaaS providers supply a desktop app so employees can use it to communicate from their computers.
Users with a desktop app can manage their calls, contacts, availability and entire communication within the app. People can team up with their colleagues via chat messaging, phone calls or video calls.
9. Cloud PBX
With a cloud-hosted PBX, your company’s phone services work over the internet.
It eliminates both renting office space and purchasing expensive IP telephony equipment. Adding more offices and providing equipment to remote workers is simple with cloud telephony.
Since the service is delivered from many data centers, a cloud PBX can grow easily to handle more calls.
10. Audio Conferencing
Use high-definition audio conference calls without being in the same place. Since VoIP is flexible, joining a conference call from your phone or computer is very simple.
The importance of privacy in businesses is very high today. Use a conference bridge that needs a code for people to join your audio meetings. Having audio conferencing in your UCaaS means users need just one click to join meetings. Co-hosts are able to join by dialling the designated phone number provided.
Being able to use muting, record and lecture mode features are useful additions for administrators.
11. Video Conferencing
Have productive video meetings, with one person or with several participants. No technical knowledge is required and you can communication using audio, chat, viewing each other’s screens and having video calls at once.
You might be able to record video meetings with some UCaaS providers and this service could come at an extra cost.
12. Team Presence
Having everyone in the same place at the same time makes the flow of development much more effective. A person’s status is shown on unified messaging platforms such as when they are in a call, very busy, gone or reachable.
Being together as a team cuts down on time, stops frequent interruptions and sets clear expectations between team members
13. Website Chat
Fast and easy support is available through live website chat. It greatly benefits the customer experience and makes customers more pleased (CSAT).
Help your customers remember their interactions by offering transparency about past chats, when agents are online and quick problem-solving.
14. Web Conferencing
Host workshops, live streams, webinars and online conferences for people who are not using your UCaaS platform. There is no software to download and no need for a difficult technology setup.
Invite your customers and partners to participate so it’s easier for you to present. You will usually find screen sharing, chat and file sharing as standard features in secure web conferencing tools. All things considered, web conferencing must make everyone enjoy the experience.
15. Call Flows
A call flow allows you to decide how the UCaaS system should handle each incoming call. As a consequence, they are simple to use and can be set up by most people. Along with auto attendants, managers are able to handle setting up ring groups, updating business hours and assigning calls all from one location.
Call flows no longer leave you wondering what customers encounter when they try to get in touch. It stands out by being simple and making the phone system installation smooth.
16. An Interactive Voice Response System
Customers can use their voices to select options on the phone with IVR. Many call centers use it to connect incoming calls with the right staff member or to handle the calls in a different way.
Your IVR service can now provide up-to-date account details and do verifications for you. The vast majority of companies rely on IVR to get customers in touch with the suitable department.
Give agents less work, raise productivity and strengthen your company’s reputation.
17. Screen Pop
You can make handle time shorter by displaying who is calling before answering a call. Screens in your CRM give details like account worth, what a person has recently ordered and their satisfaction level to your agents.
Using this UCaaS tool, they are able to respond in a way that pleases customers in every case. Unified communications are able to support this by relying on the company’s CRM or through third-party connections.
18. Call Queues
Are you losing many calls every day? Having a call queue allows your contact center to process many phone calls efficiently. When the agents are not able to handle all the calls, the calls are put into a line before being connected to someone.
Handle surges in calls without making things worse for clients. Call queues help customers hear updates and give invitations to call back when their turn comes.
19. Omnichannel Support
Allow customers to contact you by phone, email or online chat. Choose to include email, chat, SMS and social media in the ways you communicate with customers.
All of your customers’ past activities and contact records are easy to find using omnichannel solutions. Therefore, customers do not have to repeat the same issue to more than one person. So, everyone on your team uses their own time and helps provide excellent service to your customers.
20. Queue Callbacks
Most people try to avoid being put on hold when they call customer service. What would lead to a better experience for them? Offering a queue callback feature is the preferred option. Between calls, depending on the speed you get a response, your phone system will suggest you receive a return call from the next agent who is available.
For a contact center, this is a practical method to cope with a high call volume. It will cut down on the frustration of waiting too long and find an answer fast for the customer.
The Top Advantages Businesses Gain From Using UCaaS
These are the leading benefits of UCaaS for companies:
- Lower costs
- Greater user satisfaction
- Increased scalability
- Robust security
i. Competitive Pricing
It is true that these UCaaS services tend to replace many of the business apps that you use and have to pay for.
Such features are available as business VoIP, team chat, video conferencing, a helpdesk and much more. Instead of the high-priced option for each user, Zendesk gives you everything for $60/month.
Having everything under UCaaS makes it much easier to handle many services.
ii. Ease of Use
Putting all communication in one platform creates a single source for information. Rather than using several different apps, team members all see the customer as one. Because real-time data is available to all, customer experiences can run smoothly.
iii. Increased Scalability
Bringing new employees aboard often takes up a lot of time. Doing it remotely really makes things tougher.
Unified Communications helps companies that want to grow take a big step forward. Not much technology is required for team members to stay connected. Get an app for your phone or computer, log in and everything is set.
You do not need to worry about extra phone systems when your team grows larger. Therefore, you can use your budget for revenue purposes and you won’t need to put staff on server maintenance. The UCaaS provider handles everything after this step.
iv. Robust Security
One is right to be concerned about data security when moving to cloud servers. UCaaS platforms always monitor their systems and use encryption to secure data.
Account admins have the ability to manage users and look through extensive logs which gives you total control.
Check that the vendor has proven qualifications related to your industry before you work with them. Ensure the communication service has tools that meet HIPAA, PCI and SOC 2 standards.
Final Words - 20 Most Important UCaaS Features
For some companies, it’s about bringing employees and customers together. For some, having all their communications apps in one place is the main benefit. For a number of people, it’s the ability to rapidly deploy enterprise-wide.
There is no argument that UCaaS has more features than traditional phone systems. It is no longer necessary for technology to control the way you handle your job. You don’t need to be prepared for the future with Unified Communications as a Service because it is happening now.
Work ahead of your rivals by reacting to customer requests swiftly and performing work faster.
FAQs - 20 Most Important UCaaS Features
Whatever your job role, you depend on reliable ways to communicate with others. UcaaS providers make it possible for you to achieve this. They give access to cloud-based systems such as VoIP messaging and links to popular apps through one seamless system.
Businesses can communicate more easily thanks to UcaaS which brings all interactions together in one system. Most of the time, it is more cost-effective since organizations need less on-site hardware. You can add or remove people from your account as needed and it will not be an issue.
Certainly, your data is protected during transfer and on the platform using encryption and other security measures. They follow the rules and regulations set by their industry. Be confident that all your business conversations are protected and kept private.
Yes, UcaaS platform providers usually offer many ways to integrate. Before selecting an option, examine which integrations are offered and which plan offers them.
