Optimizing Finance Business Operations with Unified Communications

The financial industry is rapidly changing, but there are many ways to maintain a competitive edge. For example, an updated approach to communications can optimize business functions and create a positive customer experience. Specifically, with Hosted Unified Communications (UC), your business can bring together phone, voice messaging and email services, all in a single package. Utilizing this solution can optimize your business communications, leading to an expanded client portfolio and maximized profits. 

Trends come and go, so businesses in the financial industry should consider implementing Hosted Unified Communications to stay competitive. Here are five notable benefits of UC: 

Personalized Experience

When it comes to financial management and planning, customers want their time and money allocated according to their preferences. To better interact with customers, financial institutions can utilize UC and provide the following options for communication:

• Messages are a convenient way for customers to interact with representatives quickly and directly, which is helpful in the fast-paced world of finances. 

• Video conferences are a great way to interact face to face without the commute required of in-person meetings. 

• Auto attendants can help create a menu that allows clients to navigate to the appropriate representative.

• Voicemails can be transcribed into email, making them much easier to reference and skim. 

• Customer relationship management (CRM) integration connects the phone system to a CRM platform so representatives can view detailed client information in a pop-up screen. 

Consistent Contact 

Financial markets are constantly changing, meaning customers have to be able to quickly contact advisors if a financial emergency needs to be mitigated. To increase representative availability, Hosted Unified Communications solutions provide the following benefits:

• All solutions live in the cloud, allowing representatives to access the features of a desk phone through a computer or smartphone. 
• UC allows representatives to make or receive calls with their work number on any device, meaning customers receive contact from a consistent number and representatives maintain a professional image. 
• UC provides a presence function that indicates a representative’s availability. 
• Representatives with multiple devices can create an order in which phones ring to increase their chances of being contacted. 

Protected Information

In order to protect financial and personal information, financial firms comply with meticulous documentation standards. Compliance regulations, such as the Dodd-Frank Act, mandate records of all customer communications. 

In order to support compliance, Unified Communications provides call recording — a feature that records conversations between customers and employees, then stores the information and makes it readily accessible. Record-keeping of interactions through email, voice, video and instant messaging is also available. 

Reliable Communication

In the current financial industry, many millennial professionals are choosing to freelance instead of working in full-time positions. On average, more professionals are working from home than ever before, which requires varied modes of communication. Unified Communications provides these modes to financial institutions through mobile devices that have a single number, instant messaging, video conferencing and email. 

Improved Collaboration

The financial market is constantly changing, so representatives need to be able to make trades in real time and act on the right opportunities. Using Unified Communications tools, financial teams can quickly communicate to make an investment decision at the right time.