It’s been three years since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. While the past few years may feel like a fever dream, IT leaders haven’t forgotten how challenging it was to set up systems and cloud communication tools to support employees working from home. Hastily-made decisions resulted in ill-fitting solutions, but many businesses managed to make it work.
Now that the dust has settled, it’s clear that remote and hybrid working models aren’t going anywhere – but are the cloud communication tools you rushed to implement at the start of the pandemic still the best fit for your business?
A 2020 survey found that 20% of organizations suffered a security breach due to remote work,1 so it likely won’t come as a surprise that the technology you rushed to implement may not be the most secure solution.
But cyber security isn’t the only challenge businesses face from having the wrong collaboration tools in place. Today’s cloud platforms are more feature-rich than their predecessors, with advanced capabilities that streamline processes, improve communications, and keep employees happy.
In this blog, we’ll discuss:
- The current state of cloud collaboration tools
- How to update your cloud communication platform?
- The cloud communications tools you need today
- How to determine if your current solution still meets your business needs
- How to empower your team to work from anywhere with cloud communication tools
The State of Cloud Collaboration Tools in 2023
Around 70% of remote-capable employees worked from home at the peak of the pandemic, but only 39% were completely remote last year.
More businesses seem to prefer hybrid work over fully remote or in-office environments, given that 58% of employees report working from home only part of the time.3
IT leaders are struggling to keep up with employee demands as a result of these fluctuations. Despite the rising popularity of cloud-based collaboration solutions, 17% of hybrid workers say they still lack the tools to connect with team members effectively.4
And with new UCaaS platforms including features like HD video conferencing, messaging, and texting – all in a single application – your teams shouldn’t have to waste time switching between multiple separate systems to collaborate anymore.
Modern cloud communication tools enable hybrid workforces to work together in an intuitive, all-in-one platform without compromising on security or reliability. Customization is a major focus now, with more service providers offering platforms that integrate all the essential communication tools in addition to third-party applications, such as your CRM or email service.
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Ultimately, today’s hybrid and remote working teams need collaboration tools that simplify work. If you’re still using multiple communication systems to cobble together the basics like voice calling, video conferencing, and text messaging – or your system is unable to integrate seamlessly with other software or technologies – it’s time for a cloud communication platform upgrade.
How Do You Update Your Cloud Communication Platform?
One of the primary reasons why many IT leaders are still feeling the effects of the pandemic is that they have yet to re-align their company’s cloud communications strategy with current and future needs.
If you haven’t evaluated how the cloud based communication tools you deployed during the pandemic fit into your business growth goals, here are a few steps to get started:
Examine Organizational Goals
Consider elements such as improved efficiency, customer experience, and hybrid work support. Do you have the right cloud communication platform in place to support your goals?
Identify Tools
Take inventory of all collaboration and communication tools, service and licensing contracts, and network information. If there are communications tools or advanced features you need – e.g. call routing, file sharing, screen sharing, SMS marketing, or something else – make it a priority to find a communications platform that meets your requirements.
Conduct a Needs Analysis
Determine how your cloud solutions and business communication technologies impact workflows and day-to-day processes. What’s missing from your cloud environment? is there a communication tool, cloud technology, or business phone system feature missing that would help you improve your processes?
Develop a Strategic Plan
This plan should focus on meeting collaboration and business communications goals while improving operational efficiency. Take into consideration whether you have the best cloud communication platforms, project management tools, and internal and external communication technologies to achieve your objectives.
Ensure Ongoing Alignment
Create additional plans to standardize onboarding, training, and employee adoption. Effective team collaboration leads to better customer communications and, ultimately, higher customer satisfaction – so alignment across your customer service team and other departments is crucial.
What Cloud Communications Tools Do You Need Today?
Analysts expect the cloud communications market to reach over $26.2 billion by 2027,5 so navigating the crowded landscape to find a cloud communication platform that actually meets your unique needs can be challenging. Below, we’ll explore the most popular options to help you better understand what the right unified communications platform can do for your business.
Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams is still the top dog in cloud communications tools. Teams’ daily active users rose to 270 million in 2022, nearly doubling from 2021.6 Voice-enabling Teams allows businesses to leverage this platform as an all-in-one collaboration solution, with real-time communication tools and seamless integration with other Microsoft applications in a platform its employees are already familiar with.
Integrated Cloud Communication Platforms
A fully integrated cloud communication platform provides all the tools hybrid workers and road warriors need to work together in a secure, unified platform. These solutions typically include voice, video calls, text messaging, instant messaging, and other features that facilitate communications between employees in an intuitive user interface.
Empower Your Team Collaboration From Anywhere With Momentum
Now that you’ve taken a good look at your pandemic-era technologies, what’s the next step? If your current cloud communication platform isn’t cutting it anymore, Momentum has you covered.
We help remote working teams connect and collaborate with secure, reliable cloud-based solutions, such as:
Voice-Enabled Microsoft Teams
Leverage our highly-available voice platform and take advantage of everything Teams has to offer, including premium features like Quality of Service (QoS) monitoring, contact center, call recording, and other valuable cloud communication services.
Momentum Connect with Webex
Help your hybrid and remote working teams work together in a fully-integrated, collaborative environment that includes video, voice, messaging, conferencing, and more that can be easily incorporated with other tools to better manage workflows.
If you’re ready to upgrade your cloud communication platform, reach out to Momentum today. We’ll help you find the best cloud communication solution to meet your business needs so that you can experience the Momentum Difference for yourself.
- https://www.malwarebytes.com/resources/files/2020/08/malwarebytes_enduringfromhome_report_final.pdf
- https://www.gallup.com/workplace/390632/future-hybrid-work-key-questions-answered-data.aspx
- https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/real-estate/our-insights/americans-are-embracing-flexible-work-and-they-want-more-of-it
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/1111316/biggest-struggles-to-remote-work
- https://www.acumenresearchandconsulting.com/unified-communication-as-a-service-ucaas-market
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/1033742/worldwide-microsoft-teams-daily-and-monthly-users/
