6 Things To Consider When Building Your Unified Communications Strategy

*Updated 10 March 2025*

Unified Communications (UC) is more than just a tool—it’s a strategic enabler of productivity, collaboration, and business growth. Behind every successful UC deployment lies a well-thought-out strategy. Whether you're transitioning from a legacy system or enhancing your current setup, these key considerations will help ensure a seamless and impactful implementation. 

 

The Evolution of Unified Communications 

Modern UC isn’t just about bringing multiple communication tools under one roof. It’s about integrating those tools directly into business processes and applications, making communication seamless, intuitive, and intelligent. This approach enhances productivity by enabling employees to work from anywhere on any device, automating workflows to remove bottlenecks, and enhancing customer interactions through real-time, data-driven insights. 

To maximise the value of UC, organisations must take a user-centric approach while ensuring the infrastructure is robust, interoperable, and aligned with business goals. Here’s how: 

1. Design for the End-User Experience - A UC strategy should start with the people who use it daily. Employees often seek out their own communication tools when the official ones don’t meet their needs. Pay attention to the apps they are already using and analyse how they communicate with colleagues, customers, and partners. Survey employees to understand communication pain points, assess whether a single-vendor UC solution or a multi-vendor ecosystem fits best, and ensure the platform is user-friendly and accessible across devices. 
2. Allow Time for Technology Discovery and Training - A successful UC deployment isn’t just about choosing the right platform—it’s about ensuring employees and IT teams understand its full potential. Rushing the process can lead to low adoption rates and missed opportunities. Conduct technology discovery workshops to evaluate different UC platforms, ensure IT teams have the necessary skills to manage UC solutions, and implement structured user training programs for a smoother adoption process. 
3. Ensure Infrastructure Readiness - UC solutions come with increased demands on network bandwidth, security, and device compatibility. Ensuring infrastructure readiness is critical to a seamless experience. Assess network capacity for voice, video, and collaboration tools, strengthen cybersecurity to protect sensitive communications, and optimise LAN, WAN, and Wi-Fi performance for a stable UC experience. 
4. Prioritise Multi-Vendor Interoperability - If your organisation uses solutions from multiple vendors, seamless integration is essential. Unified communications hardware and software should work together effortlessly. Test integrations between UC servers, PBX systems, and endpoint devices, work with system integration specialists to resolve compatibility issues, and conduct thorough testing at every stage of deployment to ensure quality. 

 

Embed UC into Business Processes 

The real power of UC is unlocked when it’s integrated into everyday workflows. From customer service to sales and operations, embedding communication tools into core business applications can streamline operations and enhance service delivery. In retail, integrating UC with CRM and inventory management allows for real-time stock updates and personalised customer interactions. In healthcare, connecting UC with patient records and telemedicine platforms improves patient engagement. In real estate and property management, UC can automate tenant communications, maintenance requests, and payment processing. 

 

Adopt a Phased Deployment and Training Approach 

Rolling out UC across an organisation in phases allows IT teams to address challenges as they arise, refine the implementation, and ensure a smoother experience for users. Start with a pilot program for power users to test the system, roll out the UC suite in stages while optimising each phase, and provide hands-on training and continuous support to drive adoption. 

 

Maximising ROI Through Smart UC Implementation 

The success of a UC deployment isn’t just about technology—it’s about how well the workforce embraces it. User adoption directly impacts ROI, so investing in intuitive solutions and seamless training is crucial. When UC extends beyond basic communication into automated business processes, its potential to transform operations becomes exponential. 

A UC strategy is not a one-size-fits-all solution. Organisations must tailor their approach to align with business objectives, optimise infrastructure, and focus on the end-user experience. A well-planned UC strategy is not just a technology upgrade—it is a competitive advantage.