Going green as a business: how unified communications makes your business more sustainable

Whilst implementing a Unified Communications approach within your business can reap a range of benefits that can boost overall business productivity, performance, and motivation, the positive impacts of Unified Communications on the environment is often overlooked.

So, what are the links between Unified Communications and sustainability? And, how does a Unified Communications model help to improve your business’ green credentials? Let’s take a look.

What is Unified Communications?

Unified Communications (UC) encompasses a myriad of enterprise communication tools and apps that are usually integrated on a single platform. This includes tools such as:

●       Email

●       Instant messaging (IM)

●       Voice and video conferencing

●       Screen sharing functionality

●       Real-time document editing features

●       SMS

These tools help to remove inefficiencies in workflows, improving not only productivity between employees, but also helping to encourage and facilitate collaboration. UC was incredibly useful during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw many businesses transforming digitally to accommodate remote working. In fact, popular web-conferencing platform, Zoom, saw a 370% growth in its sales in the last quarter of 2020 alone, compared to the same time in 2019.

With UC, internal communication is much more effective and reliable, with the ability to instantly message and call others from anywhere in the world, provided that they have access to a stable internet connection. As a result, UC is very convenient for hybrid and remote workplaces - however, it is still advantageous for offices as well.

Unified Communications and sustainability

Alongside the advantage of improving workflow efficiency, UC is also eco-friendly. Firstly, Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) softwares are powered by cloud technology, which are hosted via the internet. This means that there’s no need for on-premise physical hardware and equipment as your employees and you can simply connect compatible devices to the cloud-hosted software. The reduction of hardware leads to less need for replacing equipment, which can be a challenge to recycle correctly.

UCaaS results in the ability to connect with each other on the go, and you don’t necessarily have to be in the office to do so. You can therefore work from anywhere, as long as you are connected to the internet and the platform! This can also widen your talent pool, attracting diverse and innovative hires. Additionally, it may also appeal to any potential job candidates who are physically unable to reach due to disabilities. Allowing your employees to work remotely, reduces carbon emissions from any traveling they may have to do in order to get to the office.

This can be extremely beneficial for long-distance meetings or even a mass event that your business is hosting, as it removes the need for attendees to travel to the area - imagine the carbon footprint of long-haul plane travel just to attend a corporate conference and back!

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