After more than a year of unprecedented change and workplace adjustments, how we communicate and collaborate has rapidly evolved. Through these changes, many trends have emerged within the Unified Communications market. These trends are helping businesses plan and prepare for the future of workplace collaboration and remote working. 

Check out the top trends we’ve noticed in the first quarter of 2021 and some handy insights for the year ahead. 

All Roads Lead to the Hybrid Workplace

Blueface, A Comcast Business Company, is moving to a state-of-the-art office with 120 seats for 180 people. As a business we have always been committed to flexible working and now, as the light at the end of the tunnel draws ever nearer, businesses are following suit with implementing long term hybrid planning. 

94% were in favour of working remotely on an on-going basis, for some or all of the time, and over 80% expressed a preference for a hybrid arrangement. – RTE News.
The explosive popularity of remote working has seen businesses rethinking the physical office space and workplace collaboration. Unified Communications is powering hybrid working, allowing remote and office workers to connect and collaborate through video and a reliable voice solution, no matter the location. 

94% of employers surveyed said their company productivity was actually the same (67%) or higher (27%) than it was before the pandemic, even though so many of their employees have been working remotely this year. – Mercer.
Organisations will be rewarded by offering their staff a hybrid and flexible means of working through enhanced retention, productivity and profit. 

BYOD is More Popular than Ever 

BYOD means ‘Bring Your Own Device’. In simple terms, this is using a mobile, laptop, tablet, smartphone or another personal device for professional tasks and work-related activities. 

Approximately 85% of organisations already enable bring your own device (BYOD) environments for both employees and partners. -Bitglass.
The VoIP Softphone boosts agility by adding a business landline to your employees mobile phone. This modern-day ultra-mobile business phone removes lines, devices and the need for added hardware. Additionally, business phones can be deployed in an instant for new employees and contractors. 

Nearly three quarters (72%) of the businesses surveyed either had no malware protection at all or relied on employees to install it on their devices themselves. – ABC Money
By implementing a secure and safe communication Softphone App, employees’ devices are protected from breaches and malware with call recording for training and quality. End to end encryption provides this security, helping spur on BYOD’s adoption across businesses. 

Remote Management Brings its Challenges

Remote working has brought about some unknown challenges, as many organisations admit to having little or no strategy for remote working in place. 

Only 19% of business leaders report having a remote work strategy in place before COVID-19. – Terminal.io

According to a recent study from Nemertes on managing remote teams, business leaders struggled with managing team productivity, security, and measuring performance from remote environments. Other research found developing and maintaining a remote culture to be an additional pain point for managers. 

More than half of remote employees say they feel disconnected from in-office employees – Hubspot
Businesses are beginning to equip managers with the tools to combat these pain points. Using intelligent Unified Communication Analytics, Call Recording and Reporting to assist in performance and productivity management. Additionally, devices that keep teams connected and culture alive, such as Video and Softphone, Screen Share and IM are ever popular. 

For more insights and UCaaS trends, check out our latest case studies, or reach out to one of our communication experts to learn more about your business communication needs.