4 Ways UCaaS Can Boost Collaboration at Work

One of the biggest flaws of in-person meetings is the need for everyone to be present at the same time. In certain cases, it can be difficult to gather all the participants in one room. For example, someone may be on vacation, on the road, or may even be busy with another meeting.

UCaaS providers are quickly solving issues like these with mobile devices and communication tools. With the help of video conferencing, messaging, and audio conferencing, you can join a meeting anywhere and at any time. This means everyone can attend the meeting so decisions can be made and action taken.

Collaboration makes everything run smoother, even if it’s so subtle you don’t immediately realize it. Here’s an example:

Say you’re working on a project, but you have a question about a document you received. To get an answer, you send an instant message to your coworker, Tracy, who’s also working on the project. Before Tracy can help you, she’ll need more information. So you do a screenshare of the document so she can see which one you’re talking about. You and Tracy decide to finish this part of the project together, but you get to a point where you need your manager’s approval to proceed. Since the manager is at another office this week, you and Tracy get on a video call with the manager. After getting the approval you need, you and Tracy are able to finish your task.

That initial instant message quickly snowballed into a full collaboration between you, Tracy, and your manager, allowing you to complete your work without waiting for everyone to be in the same place at the same time.

UCaaS doesn’t only allow you to connect with others who are away from their desks, it also lets you know if they’re available through what’s called real-time dynamic presence. It’s as simple as looking at your computer or mobile screen. With UCaaS, you can even customize your dynamic presence to best suit how you want to interact with others.

You can use a variety of tools to collaborate, which can feel a little overwhelming. If keeping track of all of these systems becomes a chore, you can automate it. All of the collaboration tools can be set up to work together. For example, if you enter a video call, your dynamic presence will show you as being unavailable and incoming calls will be directed to your voicemail.