UCaaS vs. VoIP: The Business Case Lowdown

If you want to modernize business communications, UCaaS and VoIP are probably at the top of your list of options. But, which is better? And will you need both? When you explore the benefits of VoIP vs. UCaaS, you’ll be able to decide which communications solutions are right for your company. Let’s look at when a business would benefit from UCaaS vs. VoIP and vice versa.

What Is UCaaS?

UCaaS, or unified communications as a service, is an all-in-one cloud-based platform. With UC, all business communications live in one place – phone, chat, video, and file sharing.

Here are some of the reasons a business might want to use UCaaS:

• It streamlines communications because users can access everything from one dashboard.
• All your tools are integrated, but so is data. This adds another layer of simplification to the user experience – users don’t have to spend time digging for customer information or switching platforms to transition from one channel to another.
• Because UCaaS is hosted in the cloud, your teams can access the software from anywhere. This frees them up to communicate with customers, collaborate with co-workers, and participate in meetings whether they are working from home, in the office, or on the go.

By unifying communication tools and making work location-agnostic, UCaaS can boost productivity and help your business build stronger customer relationships.

What Is VoIP?

VoIP, or voice over internet protocol, is a type of phone system that sends voice data over the internet. This is different from traditional phone systems that rely on phone lines.

With VoIP phones, you need a strong internet connection to make and receive high-quality calls and to ensure reliability. Users can call through their smartphone, another mobile device, or their desktop computer – as long as the call software is installed on the device.

They can also use VoIP-enabled phones or even your existing landline phone with a VoIP adaptor. With all these options, VoIP can work in a variety of scenarios: if you need a new phone system, want to replace an existing one, or want to expand on what you have.

Here are some of the reasons a business might want to use VoIP:

• As with UCaaS, VoIP lets users communicate from anywhere. The software is hosted in the cloud, which means your teams can count on security and reliability when calling.
• Because you only need an internet connection to call, there’s no need to be physically present in the office. This increases worker flexibility, whether you want to allow employees to work remotely or if on-the-go business calls are essential.
• Some businesses also switch to VoIP to save on phone costs and to make scaling easier. With a VoIP, also known as a hosted phone system, adding users is as simple as downloading the app on a device and going into your software’s control panel to add a user. With traditional phones, businesses have to invest in new hardware and add another line, which is more expensive and time-consuming.

Overall, VoIP is a great tool for streamlining communications and increasing flexibility. Even if you don’t want to invest in UCaaS right now, by adopting VoIP, you’re ready to integrate with a unified communications solution if you ever want to. You can’t use UCaaS with traditional phones.

UCaaS vs. VoIP – A Look at the Use Cases

The main business use case for both UCaaS and VoIP is to enable remote work. Unified communications and VoIP phones allow your teams to communicate from any location that has an internet connection. So if you’re interested in becoming a remote or hybrid organization, you’ll need hosted phones or UCaaS to keep teams connected from anywhere without a drop in productivity.

But this doesn’t mean every organization with remote teams needs both.

VoIP is ideal for businesses that want a modern phone system that will let them scale quickly, save on phone costs, and communicate with customers, even when no one is in the office. Employees that require an on-the-go business phone but don’t need the other features that a unified solution provides, such as video conferencing and file sharing, will benefit from VoIP.

See how a permit and inspections company in Florida enhanced customer experience by switching to a hosted phone system.

For organizations that do use video conferencing – for internal business meetings and to engage with clients – UCaaS is probably a better option. Unified communications is also more practical if your teams require dynamic collaboration tools. And it’s a good choice if you have a call center that handles customer service issues – you can integrate your UCaaS and contact center solutions with Intermedia Unite.

Find out how a clinical research company in California saved tens of thousands of dollars and improved their system for keeping in touch with patients by adopting UCaaS.

VoIP vs. UCaaS – Which Will Best Empower Your Teams?

A hosted phone system will let your teams make and receive calls over the internet. This gives you greater flexibility and ensures high-quality calls, no matter where everyone is located. And with UCaaS, you get an all-in-one platform that lets users stay productive from anywhere. Your teams can call clients, chat with co-workers for swift messaging, launch video meetings, and attend training sessions, all from one dashboard.

VoIP is great if you simply need a cloud phone solution. UCaaS offers a holistic communications solution with cloud-based calls, video, chat, and file sharing. Whichever you choose, Intermedia can help. Request a quote today and find out how easy it is to modernize your communications in a way that suits your business needs.

The Intermedia Team

Intermedia helps businesses of all sizes connect better – through voice, video conferencing, chat, contact center, business email and productivity, file sharing and backup, security, archiving, and more – from wherever, whenever. And, as a partner-first company, Intermedia goes to work for our channel partners to help them grow their revenue and maximize their success.