In order to answer the question “How Does Unified Communications Work?”, it first helps to take a step back to understand some history. How do business phone systems and VoIP work? With that context in place, then we can more easily explain UC and what makes it different from these other solutions.

Traditional Phone Systems

Traditionally, business phone systems required onsite switching equipment that connected desk phones to the PTSN (Public Switched Telephone Network) and allowed users to make and receive calls. The PTSN includes circuit-switched telephone networks that are operated by national, regional, or local telephone operators. PTSN provides infrastructure and services for public telecommunications. However, the problem with this type of system is that companies have to purchase expensive onsite equipment. In addition, you also had to maintain and upgrade this equipment, which was expensive. Adding new features or adding new users was costly and often meant, you guessed it, more equipment. There were very few, if any, competitors, so there was little choice and the services were expensive.

VoIP Systems

More recently, with the evolution of the internet, came the proliferation of Business VoIP service. It allowed your phones to connect to the internet and then connect to the PTSN. However, this solution also was not without issues. The problem with VoIP service is often poor call quality. VoIP isn’t always set-up correctly or isn’t able to be configured to dedicate enough internet bandwidth to properly support voice service. Any given internet connection within a company was serving multiple initiatives and all of these initiatives were competing for bandwidth. As a result, some applications might have just run slower than normal when there was a heavy demand for internet bandwidth. But, some applications, such as voice service, become almost unusable due to jitter and latency. The result of not enough bandwidth is poor call quality with cracks, pops, choppy sentences, echos, etc.

How does Unified Communications Work?

Thanks to the internet, technology, and the cloud, there is a new way to get business phone service. It isn’t just a better way in regards to technology; it is a better way for customers with more flexibility. This new way is Unified Communications as a Service or UCaaS. Although UCaaS might sound technical and complicated, it really is a better way to connect, integrate, and improve your company’s overall communications for a lot less than traditional onsite phone systems and service.  

UCaaS works by having your phone system set-up connected to the internet and the cloud. So, you don’t need to use onsite phone equipment. Instead of having to get service from the incumbent telecommunications provider, you can choose from various UCaaS providers, including Level365.

Key Advantages of UCaaS

1. Rather than onsite phone system equipment, switching equipment is set-up and hosted in the cloud by your provider. This means there are lower upfront costs and lower overall cost of ownership.
2. There are no maintenance fees because your UC provider handles all maintenance.
3. Your UC provider handles all upgrades.
4. Your phone system is more easily scalable. Instead of having to add new equipment to support a growing number of users, you can very simply add users and pay a monthly subscription fee as your company grows.
5. The costs for UC service are predictable with a monthly subscription fee rather than having to pay for usage.
6. Providers take into account quality of service when setting up the service. Unlike VoIP, where multiple business applications are competing for internet bandwidth, there are ways to configure set-up so there are no conflicts. As a result, UCaaS offers a consistent quality of service.

 ➡️ Ready For More? Check Out Our “Ultimate Guide To UCaaS” now!

Now that you know more about how Unified Communications works, why not see if Level365’s UCaaS solutions are right for you? Learn more by watching this video, visiting www.level365.com, or calling 1-800-590-2568.

About Level365: Level365 offers a complete Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) solution with enterprise voice that is customized and scalable for your business. Our service seamlessly integrates communication among desk phones, computers, and mobile devices to support remote teams and provide flexibility for onsite staff. The UC platform extends beyond voice communications with Unified Messaging, Analytics, Presence, Chat/SMS, Cloud Faxing, CRM Integrations, and more.