Intermedia news
Just because UCaaS is on the rise, it doesn’t mean that email is on the decline
According to Frost & Sullivan, the North American Hosted Internet Protocol (IP) Telephony and UCaaS (Unified Communications as a Service) market is expected to experience double-digit growth, expanding from $3.75 billion in 2016 to $14.83 billion in 2023. I asked our VP of Collaboration, Costin Tuculescu, for his thoughts on why the UCaaS market is forecasted to grow so rapidly:
“The internet and mobility are enabling a different paradigm of information collaboration, and a millennial-dominated workforce is on the horizon. This requires a complete overhaul of communication services. Much like video calling is becoming the norm in the consumer world with millennials, video conferencing will become ubiquitous in business, bridging the gap between distributed teams, vendors and customers — creating stronger bonds between stakeholders. We’re entering the era of digital cubicles, and integrated communication services will be the main vehicle for driving success in tomorrow’s businesses, small and large.”
In other words, as teams become more distributed, the way people work will continue to change as well. But let’s take a step back for a moment. How is UCaaS defined?
Unified Communications, or UC for short, is a service that:
- Provides an intuitive and consistent user experience and interface
- Enables improved productivity and collaboration for an increasingly mobile and remote workforce
- Allows users to utilize multiple communication devices including desk phones, mobile phones, computers, and browsers
This definition raises the question – what is email’s contribution to UCaaS?
Email’s place in the future of workplace communications
Every day, people are working from their mobile devices in their homes, in transit, and in other cities. Whether you formally call email part of UCaaS or not, the trend is clear. Businesses are fast adopting a range of communication and collaboration tools that help them create a more productive and efficient workforce, so employees can work at their convenience wherever they are. We’d argue that email plays a critical role in that mix of solutions, right alongside chat, video conferencing, and file sharing, to name a few. The biggest determining factor as to whether a communication or collaboration tool is effective? Mass adoption within your organization.
Email is communication’s jack-of-all-trades. Email continues to be a steadfast communication platform that most companies leverage every day. With the creation of a vast pool of communication and collaboration tools, the way we utilize email will continue to evolve. However, it is still an integral part of the way we communicate today and will continue to be tomorrow. In other words, just because UCaaS is on the rise, it doesn’t mean that email is on the decline.
