Unified Communications (UC) is not a single product, but a set of products that provides a consistent unified user interface and user experience across multiple devices and media types. UC is the integration of real-time communication services, such as secure instant messaging, presence, collaboration, federation, video conferencing, call control by VoIP, mobile/PDA devices and speech recognition, with non-real-time communication services such as CRM databases and unified messaging (integrated voicemail, email, SMS and fax). UC allows an individual to send a message on one medium and receive the return communication on another medium. In simple terms UC allows people to communicate via the most appropriate means available and many companies are investing in Unified Communications services to improve operational performance.

Collaborative working environments can be created within an organisation, or even across customers, suppliers and partners and aim to make groups of people work together more effectively. The right mix of collaborative technologies can get employees working together, exchanging information, ideas, experiences and data through voice, video or email. A level of interaction that is natural between people in a room can be delivered across the largest of offices, between offices, on customer sites, at home or overseas. Unified Communications supports new ways of working; collaboration drives personal and company productivity as well as cutting production times.

Voice-centric communications are pivotal to every organisation. Traditional desktop land lines and mobile phones are still absolute necessities for most companies. Toll-free, premium and non-geographic numbers remain central to customer service, as do call centres, call logging and voice recording. Private branch exchanges (PBXs) remain a key fixture for many firms, while voice over IP and SIP trunking are being widely adopted. SaintGroup’ communications service provides customers with a flexible and scalable platform to communicate between employees and customers whilst providing cost reduction and investment protection.

With Unified Communications, Teleworkers are regarded as normal extensions off the corporate VoIP telephone system. All functionality and features are transparent to the Teleworker user, and an outside caller will not be aware that the user is for example at the home office. Teleworker devices connect back to the central office via a broadband internet, or mobile connection. It could be in form of having a VoIP telephone in the home office, a UC soft-phone client on a laptop or a UC client on a mobile device or PDA. With the added flexibility of VoIP a user’s profile (roaming DDI number/hot-desk), users can login into any device, regardless of whether they are in the office or at home or on their laptop. They are no longer tied to a particular phone, on a particular desk in a particular office. Combining a mix of collaborative technologies, SaintGroup offers a single platform that gives an end user the services of an office land line phone, mobile phone and multiple messaging systems on a single mobile devices or smartphone.