Understanding UC

Unified communications blends diverse media such as voice, e-mail, chat and video into a single, centrally managed environment. The key capabilities UC brings the enterprise include messaging, conferencing and collaboration, mobility, call control and presence.

Imagine the person in your organization who fields a call from a citizen doesn’t know the answer to a particular question. Say the organization’s internal directory associates users with their areas of expertise. With presence, a UC app can automatically seek a worker with knowledge on the topic who is currently available. This helps ensure that people get accurate answers to their questions as quickly and efficiently as possible, and helps the state or locality serve more people. Instant messaging can be used the same way to facilitate teamwork.

Meanwhile, web or video conferencing improves collaboration by giving participants access to shared content or interactive whiteboards. Such deployments can improve productivity by reducing the time workers spend traveling or commuting, and reduce travel costs as well.

Finally, contact center technologies such as screen pops, skills-based call routing and multichannel interaction bring greater intelligence and flexibility to communication with people outside the organization. This in turn improves productivity and the quality of that experience.

For information on the foundational aspects of UC and more details on ways state and local governments can benefit from the technology, please check out our Reference Guide, “Unified Communications and Collaboration: Connecting staff and resources for greater organizational efficiency.”