Reduce Business Costs with the Four “A”s of Unified Communications Technology

Rising energy bills, increased salary demands, high supply costs, equipment maintenance, software subscriptions, and inflation: business costs keep rising. Spending to stay competitive in today’s market while maintaining a cautious eye on the bottom line is the new modus operandi.

Organizations must minimize expenses by maximizing productivity. Investing in technology incorporating four key elements will reduce costs and inefficiency in the long run. All modern communications software should combine automation, artificial intelligence (AI), analytics, and API integration.

The four As of business communications technology increase process-level efficiency and give leaders the information they need to make confident, informed decisions about their organization’s future.

1. Automation Creates Efficiencies

Sometimes the most basic tasks can eat away at an organization’s bottom line. Simple but essential responsibilities like sending appointment reminders or routing phone calls take much human time (and budget).

Letting technology care for the menial parts of business is far more efficient. Communications systems now incorporate AI-enhanced automation for auto-responses, scheduling, and self-service. With technology as a behind-the-scenes concierge, customers enjoy quick response times around-the-clock while human agents focus on higher-priority responsibilities.

2. Artificial Intelligence Transforms Workflows

Speaking of artificial intelligence, AI has become more prevalent in business applications in recent years – and has been making significant advancements in terms of sophistication and ease of use.

AI has transformed the way we do business. Virtual “agents” can walk customers through basic procedures, learning from each interaction and even bringing in live representatives when needed. It can identify threats to data security, fill out forms, and track the customer journey in a fraction of the time (and for a fraction of the cost) it would take a human employee.

In combination with machine learning and analytics, the more AI is used, the more natural and accurate it becomes. The technology is becoming more innovative every day – just look at how ChatGPT has transformed the conversation around AI. As technology continues to advance, there will surely be more ways in which it can transform business efficiency.

3. Analytics Provides Insight

Even the most straightforward business communications generate many data points, from wait time to call escalation and even the customer’s range of emotions. AI-powered analytics can process massive amounts of data in moments, filtering, sorting, and organizing it into dashboards and actionable reports. Supervisors have real-time insights into workflows and customer interactions to pinpoint problems and respond immediately.

It’s not just numbers, either. Omnichannel contact centers increasingly rely on speech analytics and natural language processing (NLP) to identify trends in customer journeys. This technology analyzes phone or text conversations to monitor customer sentiment, reasons for contact, and user feedback.

Organizations can use communications analytics to identify trends, address inefficiency, and anticipate customer needs. By harnessing the power of analytics, companies can detect and resolve issues early before they become big, expensive problems.

4. API Integration Unites Systems

Today’s organizations run on interwoven software networks, with separate apps for everything from project management and payroll to CRMs and file sharing. Employees lose precious time pulling up customer histories or transferring documents to colleagues.

But while these systems may be complicated, they’re essential to day-to-day business. Business collaboration technology streamlines everyday workflows using API integration. Pulling in data from third-party systems like Microsoft Teams and other programs, API-enhanced software makes accessing information intuitive and easy.

Evolved Tech, Lower Costs

Technology is evolving at an accelerated pace with each passing day. But what might seem like rocket science now will soon be commonplace.

Before the pandemic, many organizations viewed video conferencing as an “extra,” occasionally useful but often tricky. Video conferences are the basis for daily business, and the technology surrounding them has become increasingly sophisticated.

There are certainly more ways than we can predict that existing technology will evolve and become part of everyday business processes. Who knows what the next innovation will be to change how we interact with each other and the world around us?

Investing in unified communications technology that incorporates the four A’s makes companies more financially sustainable in the long run. Laying a solid foundation of efficient systems now will help manage costs today and make it easier to upgrade to future innovations.

Save on Business Communications with Mitel

With AI-powered customer experience solutions and more innovative collaboration tools, Mitel’s communications technology is the best in the business. Improve customer and employee experience while saving money with customizable subscription plans to fit your budget.

Contact a Mitel sales expert to learn how our communications solutions can streamline your systems and help your bottom line.