Most people might think that the Unified Communications (UC) is a single product. Actually, it is a set of products that offers a reliable unified user-interface and user-experience on diverse multiple devices and media-types. It is an assimilation of communication amenities like instant messaging in chat, presence information, telephony (involving IP telephony), conferencing using the video, sharing data, call control and speech recognition with non-real-time communication services like unified messaging (combined voicemail, e-mail, SMS, and fax).

In its comprehensive sense, Unified Communications can comprise all methods of communications that are exchanged by means of the medium of the TCP/IP network to contain other arrangements of communications such as the Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) and Digital Signage Communications as they develop a unified part of the network communications deployment and may be focused as one-to-one communications or broadcast communications from one to many.

Using the Unified Communications, you are able to send a message using only one device and accept the same communication on another device. For instance, you can receive a voicemail over the telephone. But you have the freedom to choose on what device are you going to use for sending your own message. You can either reply to the person who left you a voicemail by send him an e-mail or sending an SMS through your cell phone. The delivery of the message is faster whenever the person who left the voicemail is online. You can directly reply to him using your text chat or video call. If not, then you can send it as a non-real-time message which can be retrieved using the different means of communication tools.

Knowing Unified Communications

As stated previously, Unified Communications is a set of products. Several methods of business communications are seamlessly integrated. These several methods includes call control and multimodal communications, presence, instant messaging, unified messaging, speech access and personal assistant, conferencing via audio, web, and video, collaboration tools, mobility, Business Process Integration (BPI), and software to enable business process integration. Call control and multimodal communications implies that the user is able to manipulate the number of calls he can make and receive. Presence refers to knowing the locations of your intended recipients and see if they are available in real time. In instant messaging using the audio, video and web are all combined thus mentioning those components previously.

Unified Communications for Individual or Company-Sized

The first kind of Unified Communications focuses on the individual users only. This is designed so that they can gain access on the data, programs, messages, etc. The individual user can minimize installation and technical problems. The user can also cooperate and work with others or any strategies in which that user can gain much from the experience he learned. These services of the UC are aiming at one’s personal efficiency and productivity, rather than influence the entire company.

On the other hand, the second kind of Unified Communications aims at the businesses. This has applications that are made to help you increase customer satisfaction, or even improve the processes involved in your business. The bottom line is that this type of UC aims to develop the business organization as a whole instead of an individual.

Author Bio:

Michelle Patterson has been working with telecom companies for over 20 years, and is excited with the new IP/VoIP/Cloud Telephony and other systems flooding the market. She is trying to cram as much as she can on these technologies and is delighted to share that knowledge.