When measuring the benefits of Unified Communications-as-a-Service (UCaaS), many organizations focus on the bottom line — the gross profit left after deducting expenses. UcaaS can boost the bottom line by reducing the costs associated with purchasing, implementing and maintaining a communications platform.
However, UCaaS can impact the top line, or gross revenue, as well. Many business leaders now view the top line as more important because it allows you to focus on growth rather than how much money you have left.
Too much emphasis on the bottom line can lead to shortsighted decisions that prevent you from spending on new technology solutions such as UCaaS. This approach fails to fully recognize the long-term, top-line growth these investments are intended to create, as well as the innovation they enable.
Here are four top-line benefits of migrating to UCaaS:
1. More Frequent Face-to-Face Meetings. UCaaS makes it possible for people anywhere in the world to hold face-to-face meetings without being in the same room. Business partners on opposite sides of the globe can schedule and hold a meeting on the same day. Sales reps from multiple satellite offices can hold weekly meetings. Doctors can collaborate to diagnose and treat urgent medical issues. Top-line benefits result when face-to-face meetings can move forward without the delays.
2. Robust Remote Working Capabilities. As the coronavirus outbreak intensifies, many organizations with traditional communications platforms are struggling to support remote working. UCaaS provides remote workers with the same user experience, tools and services, regardless of where they’re working or which device they’re using. In other words, you don’t sacrifice capabilities and productivity by working at home, in a coffee shop or at the airport. More productive employees can drive greater revenue.
3. Closer Collaboration Among Teams. With UCaaS, teams can not only hold meetings but also share screens, whiteboards and files and track the status of projects. Instead of having different users using different tools for different purposes, everyone uses the same UCaaS platform. This results in greater efficiency, more accountability and faster decision-making, all of which contribute to a better top line.
4. Tight Integration of Workflows and Processes. UCaaS can be configured to support business workflows and automatically trigger specific actions. For example, calls to the contact center can be automatically routed to the agent who is most qualified to resolve the customer’s issue. The customer’s data and interaction history will automatically pop up on the agent’s screen so that the agent doesn’t have to force the customer to repeat the same information. Because all communication channels are accessible through the same interface, agents can interact with the customer on the channel of the customer’s choosing. The efficiency of UCaaS can improve the top line by enhancing the customer experience.
When weighing top line vs. bottom line, ask yourself this question. Would you rather make $5 million in top-line revenue with 10 percent profit or $2 million in revenue with 50 percent profit? You’ll have more money left in the second scenario, but the first scenario offers more growth potential.
