SLIDESHOW: Unified Communications Puzzle Smaller Companies

So, what would convince a small or midsize company to invest in unified communications? No surprise here: the top answer is saving money. Other possible UC drivers include the need or desire for specific features, and replacement of a broken or outgrown legacy telecom system -- though all of these are cited significantly less often than cost.

Interestingly, only 16% see UC as a way to gain competitive advantage, but in the long run, that's UC's big opportunity. As Don Van Doren, principal of Unicomm Consulting, puts it: "If we limit our vision of UC to only user productivity opportunities, we misunderstand the impact of where and how this market will develop." Boosting individual productivity might save $5,000 per user, Van Doren says, but using UC to eliminate communications bottlenecks and transform how a company operates can reduce cycle times, eliminate process steps, and cut staff requirements, saving up to $200,000 per user.

The problem, though, is that those savings are company-wide, while the costs are all in the telecom department. So we can expect UC to take hold first in areas where its payback is concentrated and obvious. High-volume call centers are an obvious choice, as are highly compensated professionals and executives whose time is extremely valuable (and often billed in 6-minute increments). Shaving off seconds and minutes in these areas offers immediate and obvious return on investment. Then, once the benefits of UC are established and other employees see the advantages of UC, it should be easier for the technology to spread throughout the company.