How to Choose the Best Enterprise Communication Solution

A to Z of Choosing Your Enterprise Communication Solution

Apart from the markedly visible artificial intelligence (AI) boom in the tech industry over the last few years, another trend that has caught up with organizations lately is the implementation of enterprise communication solutions. With companies taking remote work seriously, enterprise communication and collaboration solutions are very much in demand these days.

Nonetheless, we need to keep in mind the feasibility of such enterprise communication services when we decide to incorporate them. In this article, we have provided you with some actionable tips on how to choose the perfect enterprise communication platform for your business. We’ve touched upon a few basic factors that you need to keep in mind while choosing the best solution. Let’s not waste any more time and dive in.

What is an Enterprise Communication Solution?

In this fast-paced world, corporations, be they reliant on a remote workforce or in-office employees, are increasingly taking the help of business communication solutions to integrate their tasks and improve communication between employees and stakeholders.

According to a 2024 report, the enterprise communication solution market is set to grow to a phenomenal $214.26 billion globally by 2029. The growth opportunities in this sector are primarily attributed to the growing interest in enterprise cloud communications and a reliance on digital transformation, both of which have escalated since the pandemic back in 2020.

Before we get any further, let’s look at what an enterprise communication solution is. It is a holistic structure of all systems and processes that help in the easy and effective exchange of company information. With the increasing reliance on such systems, concepts like enterprise UCaaS (unified communications-as-a-service), contact center-as-a-service (CCaaS) systems, and communications platform as a service (CPaaS) have come into being:

Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS): This is an all-encompassing technology that enables communications over audio/video conferencing and instant messaging, using Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP).

Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS): This focuses primarily on contact center functions and enables effective customer communication and call routing.

Communications Platform as a Service (CPaaS): CPaaS technology that enables real-time communication (RTC). This uses features such as voice, video, and instant messaging, embedded into apps and software.

As we delve deeper into the intricacies of enterprise unified communication, we will also look at the benefits of using such solutions and the things to look out for while choosing the best enterprise communication solution.

The Benefits of an Enterprise Communication Solution

So, what exactly makes the enterprise communication solution something that you can’t go without? Well, to start with, a comprehensive enterprise unified communication platform offers everything on the same platter, be it messaging, video conferencing, email, enterprise voice communications, document-sharing, and a whole lot of other features. This holistic solution enables teams divided by geographical barriers to communicate seamlessly.

Now, this isn’t the only benefit of such solutions. While improved communication between team members affects the quality of work positively, the company benefits a lot too, in terms of cost savings and analytical insights. What are some such benefits? Below, we have enumerated a few advantages of using business communication solutions that explain why they have become indispensable to organizations globally:

Connecting teams across the globe

With the spike in remote work post-COVID, organizations aren’t just trying to connect remotely with team members stationed halfway across the globe but also within the same city or country.

In this scenario, trusted enterprise communication systems allow for better connectivity and collaboration through instant messages, voice conferences, and other methods.

Improvement in productivity rates

Modern enterprise unified communication systems integrate several communication tools and help employees and stakeholders exchange information and manage tasks efficiently and quickly. This leads to better productivity across teams.

Better flexibility in employee communication

Communication with your coworker doesn’t have to be limited to messages and calls that may remain unanswered. With effective enterprise communication and collaboration tools in place, employees can now choose the medium of communication. If your coworker prefers a voice note to a call or a video call to a text, you have the flexibility to communicate in your preferred medium.

Better customer service

Enterprise unified communication solutions that offer features such as call routing and Interactive Voice Response (IVR) help organizations ensure seamless and hassle-free customer service. This helps in the long-term nurturing of customer relationships and better customer loyalty too.

Better cost control

The cost of incorporating an all-inclusive communication solution is far less than managing several different systems. So, such systems help you manage your organizational budget.

More secure

Most modern enterprise communication systems offer end-to-end encryption or other similar security features to protect against the misuse of sensitive company data. Such solutions can protect your organization from cyber attacks and random security breaches.

Customized to your company’s needs

Many such solutions these days are customizable, which means you can use the version that offers features your employees and stakeholders are likely to use. This makes the whole process less cumbersome.

Improved analytical insights

With a centralized and comprehensive enterprise communication system, an organization gets easy access to relevant information. This is extremely effective when it comes to analyzing data and creating reports. So, such systems help a lot in terms of analytical insights into company performance.

Hassle-free onboarding

Platforms for enterprise communication services offer hassle-free onboarding of new hires with the help of a one-step solution to employee access. Moreover, some features, such as remote video calls, help markedly in effective training of new employees working remotely. Studies show how the modern enterprise video communications market is booming with the rising trend of embedding video features (video conferencing, etc.) into unified communications platforms.

Choosing the Right Enterprise Communication Solution: Factors to Consider

Deciding on the right platform for utilizing the enterprise communications cloud can do wonders in terms of seamless collaboration. Not only will the right solution enable your teams to work efficiently regardless of their location, but it will also help you navigate communication barriers and invest your time and resources in other critical operations instead.

While feature-heavy enterprise unified communication solutions may work for some organizations, others may work better with a scaled-down version of such solutions that focus on their immediate business needs. We will now take a look at a few such factors that you must consider before you decide to invest in a platform for enterprise communications to streamline your business operations.

Smooth integration

The best business communication solutions can be easily integrated with your existing system. This makes your job of managing and coordinating with your teammates easier, without your system having to go through a major infrastructural overhaul.

Any such system should be operational after a simple download, and you should not have to switch between different applications/systems to make sense of your workflow. The first factor you should consider while choosing a new enterprise communication system is whether you’re able to merge it with the existing communication platform in a hassle-free manner.

User-friendliness

What’s the point of a top-notch technically sound enterprise system that your team and users find difficult to operate? You should look for a solution with a user-friendly interface that:

Makes communication easier
Reduces the need for extensive training

Is accessible to your global workforce at the click of a button

Quality of communication

Perhaps we’ve all been there! The long wait to connect with our fellow team members and the barrage of “Am I audible?” and “Am I visible?” One of the most crucial factors to consider while choosing an enterprise unified communication solution is the quality of communication (aka voice calls and video calls) it offers. This reduces hassles and delays due to lags and glitches.

Scalability and cost

How does the system perform in an environment of ever-increasing workload? Will the system be effective in terms of reducing costs while aligning with your growth or will it need additional investments (and if so, how much) when your business grows? Are there any subscription fees for select features? What are the maintenance and support costs? These are a few questions you need to have answers to when choosing the right enterprise communication package.

Real-time collaborative features

A team works well when its members can collaborate effortlessly. Be it project management or customer relationship management, you should look for a system that makes collaborative tasks easier for your team. You should look for features such as file-sharing, editing across teams, etc. when choosing the right enterprise communication solution.

Seamless deployment

Deployment of a new communication system can often be a headache for an enterprise. A system that automates the deployment and doesn’t require much technical expertise, on the other hand, is a blessing. A platform with auto-provisioning can make the deployment process seamless. It also reduces human errors while improving user onboard experience. This will save your team a lot of time and energy, which they can then devote to other crucial tasks.

Record-keeping and tracking past communication

The system that you choose should keep a record of all communication. With this, you should be able to generate quick analytical reports based on data, such as performance metrics, etc. This also helps in faster decision-making and forecasting (predictive analysis) of how things might shape up in the future. It also makes searching for past conversations to retrieve important data easier for your teams.

Device compatibility

With the world being constantly on the move and with companies exploring remote and flexi-time options, any enterprise communication platform that you zero in on has to be compatible with multiple devices. Your chosen platform for enterprise communication and collaboration has to be adaptable to multiple devices, such as mobiles, laptops, and desktops for better connectivity and collaboration, regardless of your geographical location.

System-organization fit

Your system can have a bundle of basic and advanced features. But how many will you be using on a day-to-day basis? While large organizations spread across functions and geographical locations may need all the features, small or upcoming startups may just need a few tools, such as file-sharing or email integration, to make their job easier. Opt for a thorough system-organization fit check to assess the suitability of the system you choose.

Security features

Look for features such as secure log-in features and end-to-end encryption. This helps you save your organizational data from prospective data breaches. Also make sure the system complies with the latest industry regulations in your area of operation, to ensure it doesn’t get you in a legal soup.

Final Thoughts

With companies adopting modern enterprise unified communication solutions rapidly, it is evident that they are raising the bar to make communication more effective and hassle-free. It’s true that in-office work has returned, but some companies are still completely or partially reliant on hybrid and remote employees. To achieve a more cohesive and collaborative environment, incorporating a suitable communication platform is the need of the hour.

In case you’re planning to switch to the enterprise communications cloud or require a communication platform that scores above your existing one, Tragofone is where your search ends! Our innovative softphone app offers robust features like WebRTC that enables users to make or receive audio and video calls directly through the browser and auto-provisioning that makes your deployment process seamless.

Additionally, white-labeling allows you to customize your app according to your business needs and even have your brand logo featured on the app! This allows for maintaining a consistent brand identity. Compatible with Android, iOS, Windows, and MacOS apps, Tragofone makes sure you can access its features on any device. So, what are you waiting for? Experience the magic of Tragofone by booking a free trial today!