The idea of flexible work has become a competitive advantage in business. This flexibility facilitates employee mobility, supported by technology. Now, it’s likely that most of your workforce must be mobile. That’s due to not only the shift to required remote work but also because work doesn’t happen between 8 and 5 anymore. Further, employees use their mobile devices very often to communicate and collaborate.

How can you ensure better employee mobility? It starts with finding the right technology, specifically a unified communications as a service (UCaaS) platform. Here’s why it enables true mobility for employees.

What Does It Mean to Have a Mobile Workforce?

When it comes to defining what employee mobility means to your business, you may have certain assumptions. It’s not solely about being able to work from anywhere. It also means being able to use any type of device.

This is especially true for companies that normally have people on the go. While client visits and trade shows aren’t happening right now, they will again. Until then, your team still needs to be able to communicate and collaborate with ease.

If having a mobile workforce is essential to your business model and your employees, then a UCaaS solution is a must-have. What you get with a UCaaS system is multiple apps together in one cloud-based hub.

UCaaS Supports Productive Mobility

With a UCaaS platform, any device provides you access to all its tools – phone, instant messaging, video conferencing, and file collaboration. That means that your employees can quickly respond to messages or share a file from their mobile phone. With quick responses and less time wasted by going from device to device, your staff can keep moving through their day without any roadblocks.

So, while it’s true that your employees aren’t going far these days, it’s still more convenient for them to work on the device they prefer, even if they are only stepping outside for a bit.

Collaboration Functionality Aids the Mobile Employee

When you use a cloud-based UCaaS platform, it’s simple to move files back and forth between groups. This efficient process improves collaboration efforts because the documents are accessible from anywhere and can be co-edited.

Collaboration efforts also need a communication solution. Being able to use a mobile device to start a video conference or send back an instant message provides your employees with choice, not restricting them to only using their PC.

Real-Time Messaging from Anywhere

Another critical aspect of a UCaaS is its instant messaging features. They are essential to productivity and collaboration. First, the application provides a way to set a status, so you know if the team member you need is available. Second, instant messaging queries are often urgent. So, if the only person that can answer the question isn’t at her desk, she can still respond from her smartphone. These real-time responses can increase efficiency in your operations, as well as enhance the customer experience.

Never Missing a Call

A core component of UCaaS platforms is a VoIP phone system. By using the internet to make and receive calls, you don’t have to be tied to your desk to take every call. This is especially important for those that are customer-facing. You don’t want your sales team to be unprepared to receive customer calls. It could impact your ability to win their business.

With UCaaS, your team can download the mobile app and receive calls from anyone, anywhere. Should you happen to miss a call, you don’t have to log in to get your voicemail. You’ll get an automatic email notification with the transcript so you can respond faster.

The Right UCaaS Delivers Reliable Mobility

Not all UCaaS systems are designed the same, which could impact their reliability. You certainly don’t want to be in the middle of an important call and lose the connection. It’s not just critical to have fast Wi-Fi; you also need a robust UCaaS supported by a reliable network. Ask questions about guaranteed uptime SLAs and support when choosing a provider. Investing in a solution that looks good on paper but doesn’t work in the real world is not the outcome you want.

Explore the UCaaS that Keeps Teams Mobile

If you are ready to deploy a new UCaaS system, then you’ll want to learn more about Intermedia Unite. See why so many businesses choose it for employee mobility.

(Originally published in the Intermedia Blog and authored by Darcy Mekis.)

Intermedia is a leading provider of UCaaS, CCaaS, email and other business cloud services. To learn more about the Intermedia reseller opportunities available with EarthBend Distribution, please visit www.earthbenddistribution.com/line-card/intermedia/.