Centralizing Info: SMBs Master UCaaS to Outwit Competitors

Especially when it's because your phone system is siloed off from other communications, so the notes from a call on Monday aren’t available for: 

• a social chat about it on Tuesday

• SMS messages about it on Wednesday

• a video chat about it on Thursday

Does a small or medium-sized business (SMB) with unified communications as a service (UCaaS) get this headache? 

Nope.

Does their competitor with physical phone lines that use dedicated hardware (i.e., a traditional PBX)? 

Constantly. But …

The UCaaS-Using SMB’s Handle on Information

… i.e., the company’s mastery of its data while using unified communications instead of traditional PBX, is largely determined by how well its team embraces the tools provided.

The team is already passionate about delivering — and learning from — great experiences, whether to product- or service-buying external customers or value-driving internal customers, e.g.:

• the IT department providing technical services to the HR department

• the HR department providing recruitment services to the marketing department

• the marketing department providing design support to the sales department

So When a Team Is Collaborating Effectively

… that means it’s finding the information it needs. All in one spot. No matter where the team members are.

And from experience, they know good feedback is coming.

The enthusiasm they display in efficiently resolving customer issues is their way of saying, “We didn’t feel this kind of job satisfaction at our old companies, but we love feeling it here.”

(And what a bonus if those “old companies” are the SMB’s direct competitors!)

So, is …

The Info-Centralizing Nature of UCaaS

… a value driver for the SMB? Or a perk for its employees?

It’s very much both.

Customers get accustomed to reaching out with an issue via SMS, social messaging, or voice — and getting their issue recognized and resolved fast, thanks to things like notes associated with the customer’s number or handle. The SMB enjoys a clear competitive advantage as a result of all these functionalities in the cloud, one that a competitor using old-school technology simply can't keep up with. And the SMB’s reputation soars.

Meanwhile, employees get accustomed to the ease with which they receive calls from — and reply back to — customers, share digital content, and loop in additional colleagues as needed, all within one simple platform.

This is why …

Customers Keep Coming Back to the UCaaS-Using SMB

… beyond the fact that the company offers a quality product or service.

Every customer instinctively wants to feel like their needs are the SMB’s top priority. And with UCaaS, they are.

It’s understandable to assume that all the external customer wants is quick attention.

It’s understandable to assume that’s all the internal customer wants, too.

But nothing could be further from the truth.

Customers want to be heard clearly. They’re supposed to be heard clearly. They’re delighted when they’re heard clearly.

And the info-centralizing power of …

UCaaS Ensures They’re Heard Clearly

You can imagine what having all the customer’s information — on demand and in context — does for CSAT scores. Employee engagement scores. Sales figures. Turnover rates.

That’s how the UCaaS-using SMB outwits the on-premises-PBX-using competitor.

The former puts a stop to the frustrations the latter can’t help but aggravate.

And since customers naturally love a frustration-free experience, they’ll naturally love the UCaaS-using SMB.

So it's really very simple.

If an SMB is looking to properly keep tabs on the details of its customers’ needs — inside and out — it’s looking to use UCaaS.

Read the next article in this series, Knocking Out Obstacles: SMBs Use UCaaS to Outfox Competitors, now!

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