Unified Communications (UC) aims to unite securely and seamlessly all the different business communications channels that exist in a company. That includes voice, video, data, IM, mobility and the Web etc. This report examines in detail the key industry drivers and benefits that are inspiring large scale enterprises to adopt a Unified Communications strategy.
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Key business drivers for Unified Communicationsin the Financial, Manufacturing and Healthcare sectors
A White Paper by Bloor ResearchAuthor : Carl PotterPublish date : October 2008Based on our most pessimistic predictions, we would expect the average increase in profit for a financial company in the Global Top 2000 to be at least $6.1m, potentially increasing to as much as $85.9m for a few star performers.Carl PotterKey business drivers for Unified Communications page 1in the financial, manufacturing and health sectors
Executive summaryUnified Communications (UC) aims to unite securely and In the manufacturing sector, collaborative UC solutions have seamlessly all the different business communications been used to great effect and helped organisations to improve channels that exist in a company. That includes voice, video, customer service, productivity and efficiency whilst reducing data, IM, mobility and the Web etc. The main purpose is that costs and waste. Collaborative techniques are frequently UC allows employees to communicate or collaborate more used to create virtual teams, both internally and externally, quickly and easily and, by extension, become more produc- through UC. They often draw in partners and customers to tive. Moreover, UC has profound implications for the way manage Just in Time (JIT) scheduling and to maximise the companies operate. It can bring enterprises closer to their exchange of ideas and innovation. Design teams no longer customers, suppliers and partners. need to be located in the same office, or indeed in the same This report examines in detail the key industry drivers and country, when collaborating on new products.benefits that are inspiring large scale enterprises to adopt a Unified Communications strategy. Three vertical sectors are According to our lowest estimates, we predict that the covered in detail-finance, manufacturing and healthcare. average increase in profit for a manufacturing company in the Global Top 2000 would be at least $4.8m, potentially Our findings show that UC offers many benefits that are rising to as much as $67.5m for a minority of top common across all verticals such as cost savings through performers. lower cost VoIP calls and lower cost of ownership through migrating to a unified IP network, often the first step in UC UC solutions are being successfully deployed in both the adoption. Savings also accrue through the use of the UC public and private healthcare institutions to help improve the applications themselves, which are often expressed quality of healthcare and the efficiency of service delivery. differently across different industries and are maximised Collaborative solutions, including video and IM, have been when combined with innovative new business processes. integrated with specialist medical systems such as PACS (Picture Archiving and Communication Systems) to provide Savings can amount to many thousands, even millions, of faster and more accurate diagnosis and faster onset of dollars depending on the scale of the implementation and appropriate treatment. Collaborative and mobile solutions commitment. Amongst the largest organisations, we have have also helped to improve patient experience and seen quoted savings of ?3.5m annually, $10m over two years optimised staff efficiency. In some cases UC has helped to and even $28m annually through the adoption of various UC overcome the effects of staff shortages through rapid access solutions. to expert opinion and collaboration with team members.In the financial sector, UC collaboration tools such as video, Based on our most pessimistic predictions, we would expect IM and the Web have all been leveraged to help organisations the average increase in profit for a healthcare organisation remain competitive through improved customer service, in the Global Top 2000 to be at least $3.7m, potentially rising better channel and business integration, optimised staff to as much as $51.3m for a few exceptional cases.contactability and leveraging technology investments. Benefits include cost savings through reduced travel costs, Developing a flexible roadmap to UC has become an urgent faster turnaround on product processing, reduced need for consideration for corporate decision makers that are actively staff training and even lower CO2 footprints. seeking to leverage its u... [download for more]
