{"id":120,"date":"2018-03-29T11:00:30","date_gmt":"2018-03-29T10:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"\/gb\/en\/blog\/?p=120"},"modified":"2023-01-17T10:27:33","modified_gmt":"2023-01-17T10:27:33","slug":"how-to-plan-your-business-communications-strategy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/gb\/en\/blog\/how-to-plan-your-business-communications-strategy\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Plan Your Business Communications Strategy"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>It was Benjamin Franklin who once said, \u201cfailing to plan is planning to fail\u201d, and no sentence rings truer with regards to implementing a successful communications strategy.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/gb\/en\/office\/unified-communications.html\">Unified communications<\/a> (UC)<\/strong> is a technology system that connects or &#8220;unifies&#8221; the different communication strategies in business. For instance, your <a href=\"\/gb\/en\/blog\/the-best-unified-communications-features-to-look-for\/\">UC solution<\/a> might include file sharing, instant messaging, email management, audio conferencing, and video conferencing. When properly planned and executed, a great UC strategy can drastically improve business productivity, improve internal collaboration, and build brand loyalty.<\/p>\n<blockquote><span class='bctt-click-to-tweet'><span class='bctt-ctt-text'><a href='https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fringcentr.al%2F2Qmipql&#038;text=Starting%20with%20the%20end%20user%20and%20working%20back%20from%20there%2C%20is%20one%20of%20the%20best%20ways%20to%20assess%20which%20communications%20and%20collaboration%20tools%20will%20work%20best%20for%20the%20business.&#038;via=RingCentralUK&#038;related=RingCentralUK' target='_blank'rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Starting with the end user and working back from there, is one of the best ways to assess which communications and collaboration tools will work best for the business. <\/a><\/span><a href='https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fringcentr.al%2F2Qmipql&#038;text=Starting%20with%20the%20end%20user%20and%20working%20back%20from%20there%2C%20is%20one%20of%20the%20best%20ways%20to%20assess%20which%20communications%20and%20collaboration%20tools%20will%20work%20best%20for%20the%20business.&#038;via=RingCentralUK&#038;related=RingCentralUK' target='_blank' class='bctt-ctt-btn'rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Click To Tweet<\/a><\/span><\/blockquote>\n<p>On the other hand, a poorly implemented system for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/gb\/en\/office\/unified-communications.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">unified communications<\/a> could have the opposite effect. With this in mind, we have decided to write a quick guide on how to implement a successful communications strategy for businesses.<\/p>\n\t<div class=\"cta-banner  CID-2FdM5dTp IID-69d0a1be64540\"\r\n\t\tdata-dl-custom-type=\"ctaButton\">\r\n\t\t<div class=\"cta-banner-img-wrap\">\r\n\t\t\t<div class=\"cta-banner-img\" style=\"background-image:url(\/gb\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/ucaas-component-digital-transformation-300x200.jpg)\"><\/div>\r\n\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t<div class=\"cta-body\" data-dl-custom-type=\"ctaButton\">\r\n\t\t\t<span class=\"cta-sub-heading\">Complete business communications system<\/span>\r\n\t\t\t<h3 class=\"cta-heading\">Find out more about RingCentral solutions<\/h3>\r\n\t\t\t<p>Call management, conferencing, HD video meetings, and team messaging in one collaborative solution.<\/p>\r\n\t\t\t<a class=\"rc-cta-shortcode btn btn-primary btn-lg\" data-dl-element=\"button\"\r\n\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/gb\/en\/\" class=\"btn btn-primary\"\r\n\t\t\t\ttarget=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-dl-additional-info=\"Find out more about RingCentral solutions\"\r\n\t\t\t\tdata-dl-name=\"Find out more about RingCentral solutions | Learn more\">Learn more<\/a>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n\t\n<h2><strong>Set your business communications strategy goals.<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1203 size-rcconnect_uk_2017-post-feature\" src=\"\/gb\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/set-your-goals-2-743x493.jpg\" alt=\"Set your business communication goals\" width=\"743\" height=\"493\" srcset=\"\/gb\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/set-your-goals-2-743x493.jpg 743w, \/gb\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/set-your-goals-2-300x200.jpg 300w, \/gb\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/set-your-goals-2-1000x664.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 743px) 100vw, 743px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>You can\u2019t score a goal if you don\u2019t know where the nets are, and you can\u2019t execute a communications strategy successfully unless you know where it\u2019s leading to. Before choosing a UC solution, think about the pain points of your business and what UC can do to resolve them.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Start with the end user.<\/strong><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Starting with the end user and working back from there, is one of the best ways to assess which communications and collaboration tools will work best for the business. By researching how the <a href=\"\/gb\/en\/blog\/unified-communications-adoption\/\">end users prefer to communicate<\/a>, whether they use their own devices for work and if they prefer any particular apps, it\u2019s clearer to see which UC vendor would be most suitable for their needs.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Assess the current infrastructure.<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>By performing a rigorous assessment of your business\u2019s existing infrastructure beforehand, it\u2019s much easier to determine which UC solution is most suitable.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-rcconnect_uk_2017-post-feature wp-image-1221\" src=\"\/gb\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/assessing-business-communications-infrastructure-743x493.jpg\" alt=\"Assessing business communications infrastructure\" width=\"743\" height=\"493\" srcset=\"\/gb\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/assessing-business-communications-infrastructure-743x493.jpg 743w, \/gb\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/assessing-business-communications-infrastructure-300x200.jpg 300w, \/gb\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/assessing-business-communications-infrastructure-1000x664.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 743px) 100vw, 743px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>With features such as <strong>IM, conferencing, video calling, team collaborations tools<\/strong>, and many others, it&#8217;s crucial to first determine whether the existing servers, <a href=\"\/gb\/en\/blog\/best-and-worst-voip-routers-2017-edition\/\">routers<\/a>, Wi-Fi, and data connections are capable of supporting the UC solution successfully.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Consider deployment options.<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Think about the various deployment options of UC. Does the company want to invest in full-cloud UC, on-premises <a href=\"\/gb\/en\/blog\/definitions\/private-branch-exchange-pbx\/\">PBX<\/a>, or a hybrid UC solution? Which of the three would be more suited to their needs? Can they afford to go all in or are there existing on-site investments to protect? Consider the benefits of all three options and compare them with the problems found in the \u201cset your goals\u201d step.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Plan for the future.<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>One of the most common mistakes many people make when building a business communications strategy comes from focusing too much on the present and failing to address the problems they may face in the future.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1224 size-rcconnect_uk_2017-post-feature\" src=\"\/gb\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/plan-your-business-communications-strategy-in-the-future-743x493.jpg\" alt=\"Plan your business communications strategy for the future\" width=\"743\" height=\"493\" srcset=\"\/gb\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/plan-your-business-communications-strategy-in-the-future-743x493.jpg 743w, \/gb\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/plan-your-business-communications-strategy-in-the-future-1000x664.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 743px) 100vw, 743px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>By determining where the company will be in three, five, and ten years\u2019 time and establishing what problems it will likely face further down the line, finding a UC solution that offers ongoing support and a greater ROI becomes much simpler.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Choose the right provider.<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>By researching the reputation of several providers and analysing reviews from existing businesses with similar needs, goals, and desired outcomes of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/gb\/en\/office\/unified-communications.html\">investing in UC<\/a>, it\u2019s easier to gauge whether the provider is suitable and will provide the needed service.<\/p>\n<p>A well-planned unified communication strategy with the right forward-thinking technologies, the best deployment options, and the ideal provider can set a business up for long-term success. When your UC solution is implemented correctly, it can provide a unique competitive advantage by allowing you to tap into the most beneficial communication strategies for both your brand and your customers. What&#8217;s more, a UC service can help to future-proof a business by streamlining the transition to more advanced technologies and methodologies.<\/p>\n<p>There&#8217;s no one-size-fits-all solution to the perfect unified communications experience, but the tips above should help you to choose something that&#8217;s well-suited to your organisation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It was Benjamin Franklin who once said, \u201cfailing to plan is planning to fail\u201d, and no sentence rings truer with regards to implementing a successful communications strategy. Unified communications (UC) &hellip; <a href=\"\/gb\/en\/blog\/how-to-plan-your-business-communications-strategy\/\" class=\"more-link\">Read more<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;How to Plan Your Business Communications Strategy&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":244,"featured_media":1202,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How to Plan Your Business Communications Strategy<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Implementing a successful business communications strategy can drastically improve business productivity and internal collaboration. Choose the right UC solution by reading our quick guide. Read more!\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/gb\/en\/blog\/how-to-plan-your-business-communications-strategy\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"RingCentral Team\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How to Plan Your Business Communications Strategy","description":"Implementing a successful business communications strategy can drastically improve business productivity and internal collaboration. Choose the right UC solution by reading our quick guide. 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