Effective communication is often considered fundamental to the success of companies, especially small businesses. With effective communication practices and tools, businesses are better equipped to prevent misunderstandings, improve efficiency and productivity, and build a positive workplace culture.
Businesses rely on several tools to communicate effectively. These tools can include business phones, video conferencing, chat/instant messaging, texting, and file sharing/management. These tools are a necessity for the functionality of a modern-day business. However, when these communication tools are scattered across various platforms, it can create confusion for team members and ultimately lead to inefficient internal communication.
Unified communications (UC) solutions combine all these internal communication tools to provide users with one seamless experience. The result is increased productivity, improved collaboration, and enhanced customer interactions.
Intermedia aims to help improve business communication efforts through our AI-powered platform that includes voice calls, video conferencing, chat, SMS, contact center, business email and productivity, file sharing and backup, security, archiving, and more. Discover more about business communication tools and how they enhance team communication for more efficient workflows.
Understanding Unified Communications
UC integrates real-time communication tools such as instant messaging, video calls, data sharing, and presence information with non-real-time communication services like email, voicemail, and SMS. What makes UC such a commodity is its ability to provide a unified user interface and experience across multiple devices and media types. This feature enables users to communicate and collaborate more effectively and efficiently.
By encapsulating multiple communication tools onto a single platform, UC offers a streamlined experience that accommodates the dynamic needs of today’s digital workforce. UC is considered a strategic business approach just as much as it is viewed as a technological solution. Its offerings allow companies to enhance internal communication efforts, break down information silos, and foster a more productive work culture.
With its ability to make various business communication tools accessible, UC allows for a more seamless interaction among team members, regardless of their physical location, including remote teams. In a modern business environment where connectivity, teamwork, and flexibility are paramount, UC aims to empower organizations and help navigate the challenges of the digital era with confidence and agility.
Criteria for Choosing Communication Tools for Small Businesses
Companies of all sizes must make strategic business decisions to further their agendas and reach organizational goals. These decisions are especially crucial for small businesses. Choosing the right communication solution is imperative for small businesses because it can streamline communication processes, improve collaboration, and drive productivity.
Small businesses should select communication and collaboration tools that align with their organization’s size, industry, and specific needs. When evaluating different communication tools, small businesses should consider the following factors:
Ease of Use and Implementation
The most successful teams often are made up of different kinds of people, coming from various backgrounds and walks of life. This diversity provides businesses with multiple ways of thinking, which can be especially beneficial when problem-solving and creating strategic solutions. Additionally, this means team members may also have differing levels of technical know-how.
Selecting a communication solution with a user-friendly interface and a gentle learning curve helps to bridge the technological gap between employees. This ensures all workers have an equal opportunity to understand the benefits of communication tools and get the chance to use them to their advantage.
Scalability and Flexibility
No matter the size of the business, every company is striving for future growth. With growth comes more revenue and likely heavier workloads. To accommodate this, businesses will likely need to add more team members. Therefore, when choosing communication tools, it’s wise for businesses to consider their long-term plans and goals.
Selecting a communication tool that accommodates an influx of workloads and can handle new additions to the team will support your business in future endeavors. This eliminates the need to continuously implement new platforms as the business grows, saving time and other resources on training.
Integration with Existing Systems
Businesses use a range of systems to manage operations, including customer relationship management (CRM), task management, project management, marketing management, business intelligence systems, inventory management, and more. These systems must work simultaneously to be effective.
When choosing communication tools, it’s crucial to consider how they will be integrated with your existing systems. Thinking ahead will ensure a seamless transition for employees and maximize the potential of the communication tool.
Cost-Effectiveness
Business tools contribute to overall costs. Therefore, small businesses must be mindful of their budgets when choosing communication tools. It’s smart to consider pricing and what value is being added. To ensure your business isn’t paying extra for features you’ll never use, compare different options.
Security and Compliance Features
Security is a priority for businesses, especially for those that deal with sensitive details. Customer and employee information should always be handled with the utmost care and attention to detail to ensure information doesn’t end up in the wrong hands.
Communicating over the internet can leave businesses vulnerable. Cybercrime can create detrimental consequences for businesses, including damaged reputations, loss of revenue, operational disruptions, and other negative effects. Therefore, when selecting communication tools, it’s critical for small businesses to examine what kind of protection is offered and how sensitive information will be safeguarded.
Top Communication Tools for Small Businesses
Intermedia strives to provide a seamlessly integrated portfolio of intelligent communications and collaboration solutions, eliminating the need for multiple communication service providers. Our solutions aim to help businesses connect better from wherever.
We provide businesses with the best communication tools, including:
Intermedia Unite
Intermedia Unite is Intermedia’s fully integrated cloud-based UC platform designed for small to medium businesses. The business communication platform combines your phone system, chat, video, screen sharing, file management, and conference calling into an easy-to-use interface for a seamless user experience.
The easy-to-manage system incorporates several key collaboration features to maximize efficiency, productivity, and control, such as:
- Auto attendant: Automate greetings and use efficient call routing services to connect your customers to the right team members without any delays for improved customer support.
- Hunt groups: Route incoming customer inquiries to the appropriate departments to ensure customer questions are answered promptly.
- Presence: See the real-time working status of teammates with clear notifications, such as Available, Unavailable, Busy, and more.
- Integrations: Integrate voice, video, messaging, and contact center functionalities for greater customer satisfaction.
- Unite rooms: Connect in-office and remote workforces for enhanced employee engagement with powerful collaboration capabilities.
- Company messaging: Customers can communicate with your business through texting and messaging apps.
- AI assistant: Generative AI allows access to information more easily and increases productivity for daily tasks within the mobile and desktop app.
Check out these customer success stories:
- “We turned into a work-from-home business overnight and the results were great thanks to Intermedia.” – Jared Shawlee, President, San Jose Earthquakes
- “We chose Intermedia because it’s a one-stop shop for everything.” – Ish Patel, Director of IT, Ampco Contracting, Inc.
- “We had our highest sales in 2020 because we had the right technology in place.” – Nadeem Muhammed Sr., VP of Digital Marketing & Technologies, F. C. Tucker Company Inc.
- “We’re finding that people are productive if we equip them with the right tools.” – Lou Feliz, CIO, Risico
- “If we were still on an analog phone system we would have spent a lot of money forwarding all desk phone calls to cell phones.” – Eric Conrad, Network Administrator, GKD
VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Services
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) allows users to make phone calls using a broadband internet connection instead of a traditional landline and phone number. The technology converts a user’s voice into a digital signal, which can then be transmitted over the internet. Accessing this service requires a computer, a VoIP phone, or a traditional phone connected to a VoIP adapter.
Intermedia Unite is among the top VoIP services for small businesses. Intermedia’s VoIP solutions stand out with a range of pro features, such as call forwarding, call recording, voicemail to email, and automatic call distribution. These features help you increase efficiency and productivity, while also providing a better customer experience.
Video Conferencing Tools
Video meetings provide a human element that’s often lost with remote work. Companies that offer their employees opportunities to work remotely can use video conferencing tools and video chat to make their workers feel connected during online meetings.
Zoom One, Microsoft Teams, and Skype are common tools for video conferences, but Intermedia AnyMeeting is part of a unified communications that can support all channels. Features of Intermedia’s Intermedia AnyMeeting video conferencing solutions include:
- Browser-based app with no downloading
- High-definition capabilities
- Built-in phone conferencing
- Screen sharing
- Screen annotation
Instant Messaging and Team Collaboration Tools
Real-time communication and collaboration can have many benefits, including reduced misunderstanding, improved efficiency, increased participation, better job satisfaction, and more.
The top instant messaging and team collaboration tools include:
- Intermedia Unite
- Slack
- Google Workspace
- Google Docs
- Google Drive
- Microsoft Teams
- Dropbox
- Asana
Intermedia Unite’s company messaging feature allows team members to send and receive chat messages and attachments (both individual and group chats), send and receive text messages to colleagues and customers, and share files when needed.
Email and Calendar Integration
Email and calendar management lead to efficient teamwork and seamless scheduling for employees.
The top email and calendar tools for small businesses include:
- Microsoft Outlook
- Gmail
- Google Calendar
- Calendly
- ZoHo Mail
Intermedia is a Microsoft Exchange hosting provider that offers unlimited email storage, cloud concierge onboarding, email encryption, and more.
Implementing Communication Tools in Your Small Business
Introducing new communication tools can be widely beneficial for small businesses. However, businesses must still take the right approach. Before implementing, businesses should first asses their communication needs with the following steps:
- Outline objectives
- Identify stakeholders
- Examine current communication processes
- Prioritize communication needs
- Develop solutions
- Weight outcomes
Following this approach will help businesses choose the right tools based on their specific requirements. Businesses wish to achieve successful implementation of team adoption. They can experience this by involving users in the selection process, monitoring and measuring adoptions, and communicating to users how the change will benefit them.
Successful implementation also requires adequate training that’s personalized based on role. Because employees in various positions will use communication tools differently, training should be tailored around the features they will use most. Intermedia offers training and other resources to assist businesses in the implementation process.
Benefits of Unified Communication for Small Businesses
Small businesses face many challenges in their competitive fields. They often rely on business tools to manage operations, remain efficient, and nurture growth. These tools can assist with various business needs, including communication.
UC provides small businesses with effective communication channels and an array of benefits, such as:
Improved Communication and Collaboration
UC benefits employees by improving communication and collaboration efforts, empowering them to work effectively. Because employees have access to real-time communication tools, they no longer need to be face-to-face to work together. With communication software, in-office employees and remote workers can collaborate efficiently without communication barriers.
Enhanced Productivity and Efficiency
UC helps workers be more productive by eliminating repetitive tasks with automated workflows and processes. Within the platform, users can set up alerts and notifications, keep team members informed on their present status, create reminders, and quickly access data. UC aims to increase resolution rates and eliminate workflow bottlenecks.
Cost Savings and Scalability
UC helps businesses reduce costs as they no longer need multiple applications and third-party software solutions for business communication purposes. Having an all-in-one cloud communications solution is more feasible and cost-effective.
Better Customer Service and Engagement
With UC solutions, businesses can manage customer interactions to ensure expectations are met. Furthermore, UC includes quality management tools like reporting, analytics, monitoring, evaluations, and surveys along with workforce management tools that help to ensure a good customer experience.
Business Communication Tools at Intermedia
Choosing the right communication tools is crucial for your small business. Intermedia’s UC solution addresses communication pitfalls and creates a unified experience for your employees to streamline communication efforts. Small businesses interested in Intermedia’s business communication tools can explore our offerings or contact us today.
Melinda Curtis
Melinda Curtis is a Director of Product Marketing at Intermedia, where she focuses on helping businesses improve employee productivity and enhance their customer experiences using Intermedia's award-winning cloud communications solutions. Melinda brings over 20 years of experience in telecommunications, having worked in B2C and B2B marketing, product management, and vendor management roles. In her free time, she loves to travel with her family. https://www.linkedin.com/in/melinda-curtis/
October 15, 2024
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