What Is a UCaaS Platform and How Can It Help My Clients? 

Are you exploring new ways to prepare for the ‘new normal?’ Are your clients looking for more advanced business communication capabilities now that remote and hybrid work environments have taken the world by storm? Then you’ll want to know the answer to “what is a UCaaS platform?” and why it matters.

First and foremost, UCaaS has advanced considerably over the last couple of years, filling in gaps many companies weren’t even aware they had. As expected, 2020 saw a shocking spike in remote and hybrid working as employees were forced to work remotely driving the popularity of UCaaS and contributing to its incredible growth rate of about 29% YoY (year over year).

However, Gallup’s research suggests that this is just the beginning. Although many businesses have gone back to the traditional office work environment and how they handle day-to-day tasks, studies are showing that 53% are expecting to transition into a hybrid arrangement from this point forward, while an additional 24% intend to work exclusively from home. 

For these arrangements to work seamlessly and efficiently, your clients will need a UCaaS platform. Let’s dive into why — but first let’s answer the question, “what is a UCaaS Platform?”

What is a UCaaS Platform?

UCaaS, or Unified Communications as a Service, is a unified model that integrates company communications — such as text messaging, instant messages, calls, meetings, voice and video conferencing, screen and file sharing, and more — into one package, delivering it safely through the cloud where even the worst natural disasters cannot disrupt business. 

Other features resellers need within a UCaaS platform include:

• Virtual Fax
• Video Conferencing
• Call Center and CCaaS
• Business SMS
• Voice API
• SIP Trunking
• Microsoft Teams Connector
• QoS Monitor
• White Label Softphones
• Automated Quoting and Billing Too

So, what is a UCaaS platform and why do these features matter?

In the simplest terms, it’s the most effective and complete business communications platform available. It’s the features that are what make it such an essential part of a successful business. That’s why it’s so important you don’t get it mixed up with similar, but noticeably different services such as CPaaS, which are providers who offer parts of UCaaS that are developed to accomplish specific types of communications actions. 

UCaaS Vs. CPaaS

Although UCaaS is similar to CPaaS or Communications Platform as a Service — which you may run into with your “what is a UCaaS platform” research — it’s important to note that they are not the same.

While CPaaS is also cloud-delivered, it requires a lot more technical understanding, developer skills and effort to add, change, or modify tools and services. On the other hand, UCaaS unifies all of your existing communication tools into one single place while making the process of adding new services pretty simple and easy. 

In fact, UCaaS stands out from CPaaS in the following ways:

• Complete — full service
• Security — safer and more secure
• Flexibility — every business is different and requires different models and tools.
  • UCaaS not only allows businesses to modify the platform to their specific needs, but it also makes it easy to continue making modifications as their business grows and their needs change. 
• Less responsibility — responsibilities are moved from the user to the provider

Why Does it Matter?

The truth is, it’s essential for today’s businesses to integrate all communication applications into one package that handles all calls, texts, web meetings, video conferences, and accompanying features. Why? Because the siloed mentality of any service, particularly with internal communication, can be the downfall of productivity in any business. 

In fact, a significant disadvantage of not integrating all communication applications includes the following:

• Lack of vision and awareness throughout the company
• Limited interaction disrupts productivity
• Collaboration, either in a department or cross-departmentally, is more challenging 
• More resistance to innovation 

So, essentially, integrating communication applications matters because it allows your clients to do business efficiently. 

If you want to maximize your hold in the market and your client’s experience with your product, you’ll not only need to know the answer to “what is a UCaaS platform?” but how it differs from traditional methods. 

Related: What is UCaaS and How It Can Help Your Business

UCaaS Versus Older, Traditional Methods of Communication

Traditional methods of communication are no longer enough if your clients want to keep up with the latest in technology and compete in today’s highly technological and competitive environment.

As John Chambers, the former executive chairman and CEO of Cisco Systems, once said, “At least 40% of all businesses will die in the next ten years… if they don’t figure out how to change their entire company and accommodate new technologies.” This remains true not only for your business but your clients’ businesses as well. 

With that said, here are some of the main differences between what UCaaS can offer your clients compared to outdated, traditional methods of communication:

• All-in-one platform — access all of your communications in one place compared to several different apps that offer various forms of communication. 
• Enhanced communications — older methods of communication limited the speed and efficiency of staying connected with internal teams to make crucial decisions, access valuable data, and collaborate on projects. In contrast, UCaaS allows your clients’ staff to complete these tasks through various forms of communication without switching from app to app to find who they’re looking for. 
• Remote and hybrid-friendly — the functionality of traditional premise-based PBX systems is no longer relevant to today’s work environment because they are not remote and hybrid-friendly, while UCaaS is. Most companies have already moved remote or implemented hybrid into their environment, making this an important transition in today’s market. Although the truth is, they were already well on their way out (the pandemic just sped up the process). 

How Does UCaaS Work?

According to Harvard Business Review, the key reason most businesses fail to adapt to new innovations in time is because of resistance. This resistance is typically fueled by what is often referred to as FUD-fear, uncertainty and doubt, as well as the unknown — not knowing enough about what it is and how it works. 

As a full-featured communications platform, UCaaS takes all of its services to the internet and integrates the communication tools and services your clients’ staff will need to keep in touch throughout different locations — whether they’re just working from home or thousands of miles away. This software integration is accessible throughout all devices to boost collaboration, connection and file sharing between employees. 

Its cloud-based technology allows clients to easily add members to the platform and make necessary modifications with just a click of a button. Since business needs are ever-changing as the market evolves and the business grows, UCaaS’s flexibility and scalability allow for more client-specific customizations and changes. 

Furthermore, UCaaS is the opportunity of a lifetime for businesses to keep up with all the latest in technology without the hassle of relearning about new advancements after just a few years of relevance.

Failing to adapt to important innovations won’t be a concern with UCaaS since it is regularly updated with the latest software and technology, limiting the upkeep and research that most businesses pour their budgets into to ensure they’re staying up to date. 

How Does This Benefit You and Your Clients?

Simply put, having a reliable UCaaS platform benefits you by being able to provide your clients with a platform that will allow staff to be productive and efficient while offering the latest advancement in technology. This means better customer relationships and more clients.

As for your clients, they’ll benefit from a UCaaS Platform in the following ways:

• Work from home is easier than ever — no special equipment is required, and staff is 7% more productive than they ever would’ve expected. This will not only benefit remote and hybrid companies but assist with communication limitations in industries with a lot of staff traveling for business. 
• Save on costs — they’ll ditch paying extra for meeting apps, SMS messaging, team messaging software, etc. In fact, just by switching to cloud-delivered technology, businesses can save as much as 15% on IT costs alone. 
• Communication tools and billing are streamlined in one place. 
• Improved customer experiences through unified communication touchpoints that allow different departments to easily stay in touch.  
• The scalability and flexibility of UCaaS allow your clients to rely on your solutions for their growing and changing needs.

The only way to unlock growth in today’s market is to prioritize innovation.

For your business, this means adapting to the shifting needs of your clients and addressing this new opportunity with UCaaS.  This means optimizing communications and navigating this new remote and hybrid world with an integrated, all-in-one, cloud-delivered technology.

Related: Finding the Perfect Business Communication Solutions for Your Customers

Interested in Selling The Most In-Demand Solution to a Hybrid Workforce?

By now, it’s imperative that your clients are able to keep up with the latest technology and software for communication. Although there is unlikely to be another crisis to prepare for in the near future, the business world has been forever changed. More than 36.2 million Americans in the workforce are expected to transition into fully remote positions by 2025, with an estimated 26% already starting the transition in 2021. 

The question now isn’t whether to start, but rather who to start with. For reselling, the answer is SkySwitch. For your target audience looking for the most in-demand solution to a remote and hybrid workforce, the answer will be you.With SkySwitch, the average growth rate of our clients is 8%, and the reseller annualized growth is an incredible 40%. Our top-of-the-line white label UCaaS platform helps resellers expand their business into a modern UCaaS solution to meet the growing business needs and expectations of today’s market. Schedule a demo to see how seamlessly you can meet the needs of your customers.