• Events
  • Marketplace
  • Resources
  • Press Releases
  • Business Directory
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Contact
The FUTURE OF WORK® since 2003
Allwork.Space
Subscribe
  • All Topics
    • Business
    • Biophilic Design
    • Career Growth
    • Coliving
    • Collaboration
    • Coworking
    • CRE
    • DE&I
    • Digital Nomads
    • Future of Work
    • Home Office
    • Human Resources (HR)
    • Hybrid Work
    • Investment
    • Leadership
    • Marketing
    • Mental Health
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Office Furniture
    • Productivity
    • PropTech
    • Remote Work
    • Self-care
    • SMBs
    • Social Impact
    • Space-as-a-Service
    • Technology
    • Virtual Office
    • Work-life Balance
    • Workforce
    • Workplace Design
    • Workplace Wellness
  • News
  • Business
  • Leadership
  • Work-life
  • Career Growth
  • Tech
  • Design
  • Workforce
  • Coworking
  • Marketing
  • CRE
  • Podcast
  • More
    • Advertise With Us
    • Marketplace
    • Events
  • All Topics
    • Business
    • Biophilic Design
    • Career Growth
    • Coliving
    • Collaboration
    • Coworking
    • CRE
    • DE&I
    • Digital Nomads
    • Future of Work
    • Home Office
    • Human Resources (HR)
    • Hybrid Work
    • Investment
    • Leadership
    • Marketing
    • Mental Health
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Office Furniture
    • Productivity
    • PropTech
    • Remote Work
    • Self-care
    • SMBs
    • Social Impact
    • Space-as-a-Service
    • Technology
    • Virtual Office
    • Work-life Balance
    • Workforce
    • Workplace Design
    • Workplace Wellness
  • News
  • Business
  • Leadership
  • Work-life
  • Career Growth
  • Tech
  • Design
  • Workforce
  • Coworking
  • Marketing
  • CRE
  • Podcast
  • More
    • Advertise With Us
    • Marketplace
    • Events
No Result
View All Result
Allwork.Space
Home Business

Unified Communications: It’s Coming Around Again

Jo MeunierbyJo Meunier
July 23, 2014
in Business
Reading Time: 3 mins read
A A
Retro telephone
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare to Network
Switch Now to OfficeRnD Flex and Keep 2023 Pricing

Lately, that word ‘unified’ has been cropping up everywhere.

If you were in the workspace or telecoms business 10 or 15 years ago, or if you worked for a large corporate at that time, the words ‘Unified Communications’ would probably have meant something very different to what it means now.

Papaya Global - Payroll Platform

“Unified Communications as a product is a bit 2000s,” says Tony Freeth, CTO of Hubcreate. “It’s a corporate voice and data product that was quite a buzzword in its heyday, but it’s fairly routine now. Technology has moved on since then.”

In its ‘corporate’ sense, Unified Communications, or UC, is a system that features a broad range of technologies, communication tools and applications on a single platform.

Some of the highlights of UC included perks like transcribing voicemail messages and forwarding them by email. Now of course, this can be accomplished by many different systems, some of which are free. That’s not to say the concept of unified communications isn’t useful, or important. It’s just that most workers, especially business centre and coworking clients, tend to do things their own way.

“People arrive at the workplace with their own solution, which means all they need is a smartphone and Wi-Fi,” Tony explained. “The original concept of UC was a kit that made workplace communications easier. Now you can buy those functions off the shelf, or get them free in the form of mobile apps.

“You can do so much with a smartphone and systems like iCloud, Google Docs and others. It can get a little messy, but it works. And it doesn’t cost anything.”

According to Tony, given this expansive choice of do-it-yourself unification, there isn’t a universal solution. Business centres shouldn’t necessarily buy into corporate products and packages that fewer and fewer workers are likely to use.

However, given the many different devices users carry around with them, the need for a more ‘connected’ or unified way of communicating across mobile and desktop is creating an entirely new meaning.

“We’re all going to have multiple personal devices that we use at work and at home. Technology is going to become more cloud-based, and more personal. This means that solid, reliable Wi-Fi is going to become more important than ever.”

One solution operators can do now, Tony says, is to focus on removing barriers.

“Just the other day I saw a passenger at the airport carrying 7 or 8 different devices. He was trying to charge them all so you can imagine the scenario – multiple cables and nowhere near enough plug sockets! People will continue to work from multiple locations, but they still want a base.

“So in business centres and coworking spaces, we should focus on making life as easy for them as possible.

“Remove irritations. Make sure there are plenty of electrical points that are easy to access. Who wants to scrabble around under a desk in a nice clean suit? Observe your clients. There are multiple ways to work, so get to know their ways of doing things. Then focus on making life as comfortable for them as possible.

“Technology comes up with remarkable solutions that will become increasingly sophisticated. The key is to let your clients make their own choices, and remove as many barriers as you can. Your customers will tell you what they want. The trick is to listen.”

Those that don’t will find their clients voting with their feet. And as for the future of unified communications, in its modern sense, Tony believes the consumer will ultimately design the solution: “The need drives the technology. Not, as per the case of UC, the technology trying to drive the need.”

Image source

  Your go-to resource on the Future of Work®  Get the emerging trends, top stories, and latest news on the world of work straight into your inbox each weekday morning.   
Jo Meunier

Jo Meunier

Jo is Allwork.Space's Senior Editor for the UK and Europe. Jo has worked within business centre and coworking circles since 2009, researching and contributing written features for numerous industry publications. She reports on the latest market news and delves into local issues with one main objective: to champion the flexible workspace industry and its members.

No Result
View All Result
Yardi Kube IT Management
FlexJobs logo
1Password - Start Today
Later - Turn followers into customers

Latest News

Japan's Young Workforce Confronts Mental Health Crisis

Japan’s Young Workforce Confronts Mental Health Crisis

December 4, 2023
South Africa's 4-Day Work Week Pilot: A Trailblazing Success for Work-Life Balance

South Africa’s 4-Day Work Week Pilot: A Trailblazing Success for Work-Life Balance

December 4, 2023
Companies Ignoring Climate Promises, May Face Hiring Reckoning

Companies Ignoring Climate Promises, May Face Hiring Reckoning

December 4, 2023
The AI Dilemma: Productivity Gains, Perception Pains, and the Path Forward

 The AI Dilemma: Productivity Gains, Perception Pains, and the Path Forward

December 1, 2023
New Survey Confirms 2023 Was Chaos, Reveals Top Workforce Trends Of The Year

New Survey Confirms 2023 Was Chaos, Reveals Top Workforce Trends Of The Year

December 1, 2023
2023 Flexible Office Heatmap Reveals Top 10 Markets

2023 Flexible Office Heatmap Reveals Top 10 Markets

December 1, 2023

News and Features

Business

Tech

Marketing

Design

Work-life

CRE

Coworking

Workforce

Daily Digest

Podcast

Resources

Marketplace

Events

Press Releases

FlexSpace, Coworking
and Office Space

Los Angeles

New York

Chicago

Washington, D.C.

Houston

Dallas

Miami

San Francisco

Atlanta

Philadelphia

Seattle

Austin

Company

About Us

Submit to Allwork.Space

Contact

Advertise

FlexSpace

Terms Of Use

FlexSpace FAQs

Privacy Policy

Connect with Allwork.Space

Twitter

Linkedin

Facebook

Instagram

YouTube

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Google Podcasts

©2023 Allwork.Space  l  Exploring the FUTURE OF WORK® since 2003.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Topics
    • Business
    • Leadership
    • Work-life
    • Workforce
    • Career Growth
    • Design
    • Tech
    • Coworking
    • Marketing
    • CRE
  • Experts
    • Podcast
    • Opinions
  • Resources
    • Research + Reports
    • Marketplace
    • Find Office Space
    • Find Remote Jobs
    • Press
  • Events
  • About Us
    • Advertise
    • Submit to Allwork.Space
    • Contact
Subscribe

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.
-
00:00
00:00

Queue

Update Required Flash plugin
-
00:00
00:00