Accelerate collaboration across your distributed workforce

From redefining continuity plans while keeping employees safe and connected to managing risk and staying within budget, the pressure on business leaders is greater than ever before. To be successful, leaders must understand which technologies will help support their distributed workforce and keep their companies running.

As of late 2024, 68% of U.S. companies offered some form of work location flexibility to employees, up from 51% the previous year.¹
 

68% of U.S. companies offered some form of work location flexibility to employees as of late 2024, up from 51% in early 2023.²

The prevalence and nature of these work arrangements, from fully remote to hybrid, vary depending on industry, company size and job type, with technology and insurance being the most flexible.³ Among U.S. organizations, the emerging norm appears to be a structured hybrid approach in which the company designates how much in-office time is expected, with 43% adopting this model.⁴
 

Increase efficiency, realize cost savings

Business efficiency relies on the ability of staff to communicate anytime, anywhere with clients and colleagues. A remote sales team needs to make and receive calls from a business phone number and customer service teams need to seamlessly tap into real-time call queue monitoring or call center analytics from distributed locations. Keeping employees connected over the cloud, across platforms and devices, regardless of location, is key to business success.

Whatever the use case, the benefits of a communications solution that enables collaboration include seamless connectivity, increased efficiency and cost savings. According to Grand View Research, the global unified communications as a service (UCaaS) market size was estimated at more than $87 billion in 2024.⁵ It is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 19.8% from 2025 to 2030, driven by the need for seamless collaboration tools that enhance productivity and streamline operations to support remote and hybrid work models.⁶

In 2024, 72% of business leaders said they wish their business had better communication tools.⁷ They noted that when communication is effective, employee confidence, customer satisfaction and productivity increase.⁸ Improved remote collaboration tools don’t just boost productivity, they can reduce costs associated with outdated legacy infrastructures, hardware and maintenance. Since there is no on-site equipment to purchase, costs for a cloud-based unified communications solution can be far less than traditional on-site phone systems.

72% of business leaders say they wish their business had better communication tools.⁹

Additional savings can be realized through reduced IT costs spent managing the complexities of multiple voice and collaboration tools. There’s also the added benefit of predictable expenses with simple subscription pricing and lower on-site hardware and support costs when you opt for fully managed, cloud-based unified communications services. The best solutions scale without limitations as your organization grows, deploying automatic updates to ensure you’ll have the most current voice and collaboration capabilities.

Your unified communications checklist

• Fast and dedicated bandwidth.
• Platform-based collaboration tools.
• Seamless switching between mobile and desktop.
• Integration with cloud-based business applications.
• Consistent user experiences across locations and devices.
• Flexibility to add new users and locations to scale.
  
• 100%, U.S.-based support.

Choose an experienced network services provider

The success of any unified communications system depends on the reliability of the network and the network service provider delivering it. Working directly with an experienced network service provider who owns and manages the network their solutions are delivered over guarantees a higher level of reliability. They also tend to be more responsive, responsible and easier to work with for unified communications solutions.

Among network service providers, the best will also be able to provide you with the benefits of high-performing fiber internet. A network-based unified communications solution should include fast and dedicated bandwidth. It should also bring together a set of collaboration tools onto one platform and enable seamless switching between mobile and desktop voice over IP (VoIP) devices.

Experienced providers will offer integration with business applications across cloud environments — streamlining processes and improving business productivity. They should deliver consistent user experiences across locations and devices while also offering the flexibility to add new users and locations with a scalable, cloud-based service. They should also be able to offer 100%, U.S.-based support.

Learn more about how unified communications services can help eliminate barriers between mobile and desktop environments and improve productivity at enterprise.spectrum.com/collaborate.

 

1. “The Flex Report: Q4 2024,” Flex Index, 2024.
2. Ibid.
3. Ibid.
4. Ibid.
5. “Unified Communication as a Service Market Report, 2030,” Grand View Research, 2024.
6. Ibid.
7. “2024 State of Business Communication,” Grammarly and the Harris Poll, February 2024.
8. Ibid.
9. Ibid.