Exchange Unified Messaging for Enhancing Business Communications
Exchange unified messaging (EUM) makes it easier than ever to manage business communication. Teams can collaborate with coworkers and customers with ease. It doesn't matter where they are located or which messaging platform they use. This removes the hassle of requiring people to install and use new messaging tools. Customers will always have their preferred way to contact you. If you don't make it as easy as possible, you could lose them to your competition.
Want to make things even better? Configure your Exchange unified messaging system to a unified communications as a service (UCaaS) platform. This adds more features for efficient and effective business operations. Robust UCaaS solutions include features such as video conferencing, automatic availability and file sharing. Plus, they’re easy to get up and running so you can start using them right away.
Because these solutions integrate with programs you're already using, you can quickly improve workflow. This helps boost productivity and profits to grow your business even faster. If you're looking to streamline your communication efforts, you can’t go wrong with EUM.
What Is Exchange Unified Messaging?
Exchange unified messaging is an interactive voice response (IVR) application. It uses text-to-speech and speech recognition technology. An automated telephone system, EUM allows computers to interact with callers. It collects information to route calls to the correct extension or representative. Your callers spend less time on the phone and get to who they need to faster. This means customers are happier and staff members are more productive.
Customers use their voice and telephone keypad to communicate with the IVR system. The system delivers the best response by voice, fax, email and other communication. It works even when your team is busy with other customers. When someone is available, they can return phone calls, text messages or emails to callers.
With unified messaging, users combine email and voice messaging into a single mailbox. That mailbox is accessible from any device with an internet connection. Integrating unified messaging with third-party messaging apps enables instant notifications and decreases response times.
This makes it easier for employees who have to keep track of customer communications. If you have to go to one place for email and another for voicemail, it can be difficult to keep up with everything. When it becomes too much to handle, your team will suffer. Things fall through the cracks and customer satisfaction could slip.
The system may also include an omnichannel contact center. It allows you to communicate with customers and partners. You can choose from communication methods such as live chat, phone, social media and email. Exchange unified messaging makes it easier to keep track of customer interactions.
Benefits of Exchange Unified Messaging
Exchange unified messaging gives you plenty of benefits that modernize your business communication. These include voicemail system consolidation, user configuration and incoming fax support.
Extra benefits include:
- Mobile apps: Your employees can make and receive calls from their smartphones. They can also access a variety of other features
- Administrative features: There are many administrative features to make your job easier. You can build messaging infrastructures, merge your voicemail systems and more
- Auto attendant: This feature provides a set of voice prompts to give people access to the voicemail system. System administrators can customize menus for outside users, set holiday schedules and more
- Call answering: When agents are too busy, you can answer calls with a pre-recorded greeting. You can also create call answering rules. This way, callers can leave a voicemail or be transferred to another agent or department
- Voicemail preview: This uses automated speech recognition (ASR) on incoming voicemail. Users receive a transcript of the recording by email. This is good for team members who cannot hear the voicemail due to fast speech or background noise
- Text message notifications: Configure voicemail settings to set up call forwarding. Your team will receive missed call and new voicemail notifications via text. If they are away from their desk, they are aware of what's going on and can respond as necessary
- Presence awareness: This is an instant messaging feature that allows people to display their status. It shows whether someone is currently logged in to the system. Users can add more information about what they're doing. If a caller requests a supervisor, the staff knows who to route the call to based on those status updates. This goes a long way in preventing extended hold times or having to send callers to voicemail
How Exchange Unified Messaging Works With UCaaS
It's possible to use EUM with a UCaaS solution that includes Virtual Office software, which makes collaboration quick and easy. With this approach, you can start or join meetings during conversations, share files and send cross-team messages. This works for people inside your organization as well as your customers and clients.
UCaaS encompasses six main business functions:
- Voice and telephony
- Messaging, including email with voice and unified messaging
- Meeting solutions, including web, audio and video conferencing
- Instant messaging and presence
- Clients, desktop clients and thin browser clients. Thin browser clients operate from a web browser rather than a remote server
- Communications-enabled applications such as contact centers and workflow collaboration
How Exchanged Messaging Service Enhances Your Business Communication
Using a UCaaS platform gives you improved reliability over your voice solution. It's easy to manage, and you get effortless reporting on your usage. Streamline the user experience with tools and applications you're already using. It integrates with customer relationship management (CRM) software and many other business-critical applications.
Here’s how UCaaS makes your business communication more powerful:
Secure Systems for Businesses of All Sizes
Worried about security? Many platforms are compliant with government regulations such as HIPPA, PCI and more.
Worried about scalability? The cloud-based solution makes it easy to add or remove employees as needed. This is ideal for startups who are experiencing rapid growth and do not want to sacrifice customer stratification.
Don't have the budget for dedicated IT staff? That's okay! Nothing is on-premises because UCaaS is cloud-based. The platform handles all the technical stuff, while you reap the benefits. For companies that do have in-house IT staff, switching to UCaaS solutions allows the IT team to reduce their workload. This means they can focus on tasks that deliver value to the company in other ways.
They won't have to spend time maintaining and updating the system or creating and applying security patches. The UCaaS provider takes care of all that for you.
Improved Customer Experience
This makes business operations run smoother and also improves the customer experience. It is easier for customers to communicate with you, which is better for everyone.
When you provide a quality customer service experience, customers are more satisfied. Considering how social media has changed word-of-mouth marketing, happy customers make a difference. Data shows that 84% of consumers take actionbased on personal recommendations.
You need happy customers to grow your business. Research shows two-thirds of customers care more about experiences than price. Don't let money walk out of the door because you work with outdated technology.
Freedom and Flexibility
With unified messaging features, your team has the option to choose how, when and where to receive messages. They, of course, are always free to play those messages on the phone, but that’s not always convenient.
Agents who work in a cubicle, rely on the use of a public computer or listen to messages that contain confidential information must be careful. It doesn't make sense to force them to listen to messages through computer speakers. Using headphones isn't always practical.
Exchange unified messaging goes beyond standard voicemail. People can send emails, files and even text messages to each other with the messaging platform of their choice. It works well for customers, too. For instance, if you need to send a text message to a customer to verify their identity, the system makes it easy to do that.
Need to send a client a text message with a reminder of the appointment you scheduled with them on the phone? EUM can take care of that as well. Want to make it easy for customers to get their account balances or payment due dates? You can set up text messaging systems.
Why Choose 8x8 for Exchange Unified Messaging
If you want to keep up with today's business landscape and customer demands, you must be willing to adopt the necessary technology to help you. Failure to do so could cause you to fall behind your competition.
With 8x8 unified communications prebuilt with an enhanced EUM system, you can connect all your business communications to a central platform. Our affordable enterprise-grade technology allows you to get the service you need at a price you can afford. This way, no matter where you're located, you and your team can access information when and where they need it. They can use whichever device they want—smartphone, computer or tablet—provided they have a high-speed internet connection.
Your business needs every cog in your machine to be as productive as possible. With 8x8's Unified Communications platform, your business gets the unified messaging it needs without the need for multiple disparate systems. Call 1-866-879-8647 or fill out an online form to request a no-obligation quote from an 8x8 product specialist.
