Companies adopting unified communications solutions to address mobility trends have to understand that the solutions to these challenges aren't quite as clear cut as first anticipated. Simply adopting integrated voice, email, texting and video tools and pushing them on employees using mobile devices in the workplace won't enhance productivity or promote stronger work ethics. Firms have to take the steps to fully integrate the use of mobile devices with operations, which according to Unified Communications Strategies, requires businesses to consider the tools it uses from the point of view of its daily processes.
Business processes are the core of workflow, and as such any mobility initiatives have to consider them first and the devices or additional software second. By examining processes and the business process management (BPM) solutions used to optimize them, firms will be able to establish a strong launching point to begin going mobile and adopting UC tools. Use cases, process interaction and how the devices will change processes will all play critical roles in the tools that a company adopts and how they interact with operations.
Breaking down processes
In order to optimize enterprise unified communications, firms have to invest in high-quality mobile BPM solutions to enhance workflow and ease transitions to the new methods and devices being implemented. By breaking down various processes and understanding where they provide value and how they can be improved, firms will be able to determine the right UC tools to adopt, and the right BPM software to use to integrate them.
Process integration
In addition to the value that processes add, businesses have to examine the way processes interact with each other and change operations as a whole. A standalone process may alter drastically once new tools are adopted that tie it more closely with another, causing a shift in the workplace dynamic and operational priorities. Taking the time to understand workflow will help firms invest in the right tools in the first place to maximize returns.
Optimizing enterprise communications, the adoption of mobile trends and overall workflow will require companies to focus on the processes that make up the essence of their business. BPM software is just one part of this equation, but it is an essential one, and firms have to invest wisely in order to focus on growth and improvement.
Cindy Cheng
Director of Product Marketing
