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Connecting Your Sr. Living Community with TCI Managed UC & Infrastructure Solutions

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TCI designs, deploys and supports the technologies you need to bring your entire senior living community together.

We offer a full suite of integrated services, bringing the ‘TCI Advantage’ to your community with Managed Voice, Core Network and Infrastructure services to connect what counts…

TCI Host

Connect your community with Mitel-powered communication features and built-in mobility, customized app integrations, professional cloud, on-prem and hybrid deployments, and 24/7 support.

  • Voice & Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS)
  • All-in-one Phones, Video Meetings, and Messaging
  • Integrations with Your Business Apps
  • Contact Center Solutions

TCI Connect & Manage

Managing a complex communications infrastructure is no simple task. We handle the day-to-day details so you can focus on your strategic priorities.

  • Wired Infrastructure & Managed Wi-Fi, Data Centers & Broadband
  • 24/7 Help Desk, Monitoring, Alerting, Response & Resolution
  • Asset Management, Data Backups & Recovery

We back up your Assisted Living technology with outstanding TCI support…

  • 24/7 Remote Monitoring
  • On Call Technicians
  • Emergency Service

TCI’s customized technology and communications services keep your families and caregivers in touch, providing the peace of mind they deserve and expect.

Let’s talk about new ways to serve your Senior Living Community: Contact your local TCI experts at (703) 321-3030 or GetHelp@tcicomm.com.
 

The Best of Cloud & On-Prem – 3 Big Advantages of Hybrid UC Deployments

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For years, the focus of IT and telecom decision-makers has been on moving communications to the cloud. Many accepted the idea that all communications would eventually be handled as a cloud-based service.

However, the notion of a “cloud utopia” starts to break down when you consider the significant investments that many organizations have made in on-premises solutions. There’s also a common perception that business communications are too important to relinquish total control.

As a business leader, you may be faced with the decision of whether to go all-in on the cloud or maintain an on-premises communications infrastructure. The good news is that there’s a third option that can provide the best of both worlds: a hybrid approach.

A hybrid solution allows you to leverage the benefits of cloud-based communications while still retaining control and customization over your on-premises systems.

3 Advantages of a Hybrid Solution for Business Leaders

1. Innovate Today, Migrate Tomorrow – The key benefit of a hybrid approach is that you can deliver enhanced communications capabilities, like video conferencing, mobility, and team collaboration, from the cloud while retaining your existing on-premises platform for telephony services. This allows you to manage your growth by deploying new UC and contact center (CC) solutions in the cloud with a flexible, OpEx-based model, while still leveraging your previous on-premises investments for long-term ROI. Additionally, you can expand communications to frontline workers using a serverless, cloud-based approach that integrates with your on-premises UC system, providing a consistent user experience.

2. Different Needs, One Platform – As a business with diverse locations and user requirements, the challenge of going “all-in” on cloud or on-premises is accommodating the exceptions. A hybrid architecture allows you to tailor your communications solution to meet the specific needs of your organization. For example, you can keep telephony on-premises at locations that require it for regulatory reasons or internet redundancy, while deploying cloud-based UCaaS at smaller remote sites. This mix-and-match approach ensures you can meet the unique requirements of your multi-location business.

3. Everything Has Its Place – Unified communications is often a suite of loosely integrated applications, which creates an opportunity for a hybrid approach. You can continue to deploy mission-critical call control on-premises while moving less critical applications to the cloud. Additionally, you can integrate cloud-based UC services, such as mobility and collaboration with your on-premises telephony to optimize virtual team meetings, enable remote access, and even allow for programmable communications through cloud-based APIs.

A hybrid communications approach can provide the flexibility, scalability, and control you need to meet your evolving communications requirements. By leveraging the strengths of both cloud and on-premises solutions, you can innovate today while maintaining your existing investments for the long-term.

Connect with our UC experts to discover new ways to customize communications that will future-proof your enterprise. Contact TCI today at (703) 321-3030 or GetHelp@tcicomm.com.
 

The Benefits of Connected Healthcare – Introducing the ‘Internet of Medical Things’

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Spurred by the growing need for services outside the traditional office setting, the connected healthcare market is rapidly expanding…

Quality medical care has always been built on strong personal connections, but recent developments in telehealth are spurring ‘Connected Health’ – the delivery and management of healthcare services using remote technology.

Connected Health utilizes the ‘Internet of Medical Things‘ (IoMT) to give practitioners real-time insights into patient vitals, allowing them to monitor conditions and provide treatment without requiring physical visits.

Introducing the ‘Internet of Medical Things’

The Internet of Things (IoT) is all around us. It refers to any device capable of exchanging data online, usually via the cloud autonomously. In connected healthcare, IoMT devices monitor and treat patients at home, extending doctors’ reach beyond the clinic or hospital. Some examples of IoMT devices:

  • Personal emergency response systems
  • Wearable biosensors such as smartwatches
  • Smart medication dispensers
  • Remote insulin pumps
  • Blood pressure or heart rate monitors
  • At-home dialysis machines
  • CPAP machines

Connecting for Remote Diagnostics

These tools provide caregivers with a continuous stream of data, giving them a more comprehensive view of their patient’s conditions than intermittent clinical visits or temporary hospital stays. Wearable devices can provide real-time patient vital signs monitoring, while AI algorithms can analyze this data to flag potential health issues.

The Benefits of Connected Healthcare

Connected healthcare offers numerous benefits for patients, physicians, and healthcare organizations.

  • Better access to care – Telehealth is an equitable mode of care, as it removes barriers like cost and travel time for patients with limited mobility or who live in remote areas. Patients can interact with their doctors and receive clinical-grade treatment from the comfort of their own homes.
  • Increased efficiency – IoMT devices autonomously monitor patient vitals or deliver treatment without direct provider intervention. Clinics can devote in-person resources to acute cases while chronic patients receive care at home.
  • Improved patient outcomes – Patients often thrive better in familiar environments rather than hospital settings. Wearable devices, medication dispensers, and at-home diagnostic systems keep them engaged in their treatment while still being able to go about their routines. This leads to greater patient satisfaction and better recovery rates.

Integrate Your Communications with HIPAA-compliant Mitel Healthcare Solutions

TCI can help innovative healthcare companies offer patients a more proactive care experience using connected devices, endpoints, and other sensors.

For instance, if a provider has a patient with a heart condition, they could receive a notification directly on their smartphone if the patient’s heart rate moved above or below an acceptable range – thanks to IoMT sensors and wearable devices. Similarly, a smart pill case could alert staff that a patient missed a dosage, even if they’re at home. Solutions like these can reduce the chances of an emergency and proactively support patient health.

Connect with a TCI expert to learn new ways to connect and future-proof your practice with secure, scalable UC technology. Contact TCI today at (703) 321-3030 or GetHelp@tcicomm.com.
 

Focus on Hospitality – How to Surpass Guest Expectations with Effective Communications

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Enhance your guest experience, elevate staff performance, and stay ahead of the competition with the latest integrated communications technology. You and your guests can enjoy seamless service that is sure to impress.

Challenges You Might Be Facing

1. Reliability is not negotiable – Whether it’s a simple wake-up call or acting in a professional and efficient manner in an emergency, there’s no room for errors. Stability is an essential requirement for your communications platform to ensure guest satisfaction and increased positive ratings.

2. Universal device access – Both business and leisure travelers want to use their own devices and get the service they require immediately. From personal conversations and interactions with chatbots to voicemail and email, give your guests the power to choose when, where, and how they communicate with you.

3. Security threats on the rise – Ensuring guest privacy, maintaining data security, and integrating smart devices should be at the forefront of your IT priorities.

4. Profitability from productivity – As a manager, improving operational efficiency is a top priority. You must streamline processes, explore new communication methods, and enhance guest experiences to make your organization more effective and profitable.

5. Experience is everything – As customer expectations continue to evolve, it’s crucial to meet their demands across all channels and devices and provide the right experience. Failure to do so could negatively impact staff productivity and customer loyalty.

Questions You Should Ask

1. Is your communications technology stable? What level of support do you offer?
What measures do you have in place to ensure reliable and uninterrupted communication services? Can you provide details about any backup and redundancy mechanisms?

2. What experience do you have serving the hospitality industry?
How long have you been serving this industry? Who are your biggest clients?

3. Does your system integrate with smart devices and high-speed internet?
How can this help promote revenue-generating guest services? Can your solution help us provide personalized services for our guests?

4. How flexible is your solution when it comes to customization?
Do you offer secure third-party integration? Which applications and platforms do you provide full integration with?

5. Can you manage multi-site, multi-location, and multi-national hospitality businesses?
Is your system compatible with multiple brands and languages? Can it scale if we expand our business in the future?

How the Right Communications Drive Results

  • Influence online ratings – By utilizing your communications technology, you become more proactive in addressing guest and maintenance concerns. This results in improved staff productivity and higher customer ratings, ultimately leading to better online reviews.
  • Improve guest experiences – Adopt multi-channel engagement to ensure your guests interact with your organization directly through personal devices, including mobile check-in, text, and chat.
  • Cut your costs – Unifying communications into a single service solution means automated efficiencies, smoother workflows, integrated apps, budget-friendly fees, and reduced operating costs.
  • Connect your staff – Connecting staff creates a seamless guest experience. Streamlining experiences means issues are resolved quickly and efficiently, ensuring superior service is provided every time.
  • Ensure data security and system reliability – Look for a partner with a strong track record of industry clients and a reputation for secure and stable networks.

Seamless communication lies at the heart of exceptional hospitality.

Find your perfect-fit solution with the help of TCI. Contact us today at (703) 321-3030 or GetHelp@tcicomm.com.
 

Set Up Your Business for Success with Customized ‘Your Way’ UC as a Service

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Get Ahead of the Game

If you haven’t done it yet, now is a great time to take stock, reassess where you stand, and make commitments to improve your technology this year.

TCI offers a range of customized solutions, including Mitel’s unified communications platforms. Mitel UC solutions combine voice, chat, email, video meetings, file sharing, and more – providing the tools your team needs to get ahead.

Flexible deployment options

Mitel’s core UC systems offer the most flexible deployment and payment options on the market. TCI and Mitel put you in the driver’s seat to implement the latest business communications, your way.

For example, as your organization’s IT strategy evolves – from distributed servers in multiple sites to a single private cloud – Mitel UC evolves with your business – delivering a strong, futureproof solution with a low total cost of ownership.

Premises Options

  • Mitel SMB Controller
  • Mitel EX Controller
  • Industry Standard Server

Virtual Software Deployments

  • VMware, Hyper-V, and Nutanix virtualization
  • Single or multiple virtual machine option

Public Cloud Deployments

  • Amazon AWS
  • Microsoft Azure

Private Cloud Deployments

  • This solution leverages virtualization and physical infrastructure for public cloud-like scale and efficiency, but in a private, dedicated system within your data center. The protected nature of a private cloud provides an extra layer of security and control to meet industry-specific compliance requirements.

Meet New Hire and Employee Expectations Head-on

Talented job candidates are more likely to make employment decisions based on their workstyle and preferences now than at any time in history. We can enable your organization to activate a hybrid or fully remote workforce. Your employees can collaborate, communicate, and share information from anywhere.

Arrange a time to discuss your business challenges and communication needs. Contact TCI today at (703) 321-3030 or GetHelp@tcicomm.com.
 

7 Ways TCI Host Cloud Voice Makes Your Life Easier

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In today’s remote working world, it is essential for your team to be connected seamlessly no matter what device they are using. If you are exploring ways to improve how your team communicates, TCI Host provides a locally supported, customized service with all-in-one collaboration and mobility tools, so your business won’t miss a beat.

Here are 7 ways TCI Host helps you keep your employees connected – wherever they are – and how it makes your job easier…

1. Never Lose Your Place with One Stop for Communication.

How much time do you waste by losing the thread of a conversation? TCI Host makes all your communications available from a single hub on your desktop. It’s always there but never in the way. Keep an eye on every call and message and never lose sight of important details.

2. Work from Anywhere, together.

Gone are the days when teams worked in close proximity and shared a simple project document. In paper, no less. Nowadays team members can be anywhere – at home, on the road, in another country. To stay connected, video meetings and desktop sharing are essential. Everyone on your team can collaborate in real-time.

3. Take the Conversation Smoothly from Text to Voice with Ad-Hoc Meetings.

Big deal on the table? Need fast thinking and even faster decision-making? TCI Host helps you connect with the one person who has the information you need to close the deal – at the precise moment you need their help. With one click, start a meeting and keep the conversation going.

4. Get to The Right Person at the Right Time.

The flexibility to work anywhere is a benefit – except when an answer is needed fast. With presence, employees make their whereabouts known to everyone in the organization. So, when a customer calls in asking a question only a subject matter expert can answer, everyone knows where and how to reach them.

5. Be as Productive on the Road as in the Office.

Working outside the office is often frustrating because employees don’t have access to the tools they have in the office. But TCI Host transforms this experience. With its mobile app, employees take the office everywhere and get the same experience on the road as they do at their desks. Whether in the office or on the road, they can join a meeting with a single click, without the need to enter those cumbersome participant codes. It’s that easy.

6. Live in Your CRM…

Which does your sales team love more? Their phone or their CRM? Please, don’t make them choose! When you integrate your phones with your CRM application, salespeople never have to switch between the two. They stay in the CRM to make and receive phone calls. Plus, it saves them from the dreaded task of data entry. Just by answering their phone, items are automatically added to their to-do lists.

7. …Or in Microsoft Outlook, Teams, or Google Workspace.

Sales teams shouldn’t be the only ones who have all the fun. TCI Host also integrates seamlessly with Microsoft and Google apps, easing the adoption of your new phone system throughout your business.

Our project team handles all the transition details to get it all going for you. Contact TCI today at (703) 321-3030 or GetHelp@tcicomm.com.
 

4 Ways to Show Your Customers You Value and Appreciate Them with Contact Center Tools

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There are dozens of creative ways to express customer appreciation, and a full-featured call center software suite can help get your message across with minimal fuss.

Small business owners and their teams can handle customer calls efficiently while indulging their VIPs with something extra — all without missing a beat.

Here are four ways to show your customers that you care…

1. Make Your Customer’s Experience the Center of Your World.

Everyone wants to feel valued. When a customer calls in, you must give them your undivided attention. If your team is worried about finding contact records or scripts, they’re not paying attention, leaving your customers feeling overlooked.

Keep the focus on the customer – not shuffling application windows – with screen prompts and automated workflows that flow seamlessly from your CRM to your contact center solution. An integrated contact center solution can empower CRM-based workflows with in-call screen pops and recommendations to help your team stay engaged with customers.

2. Anticipate What Your Customers Need with The Right Call Center Software.

Do you know your customers well enough to finish their sentences? Knowing what your customers need, even before they do, can help them feel like you truly “get” them — the basis of a fruitful relationship. Look at your data and reporting to understand customer pain points, past purchases, and other behavior.

Consider reaching out to selected customers on “quiet” days to ensure a problem was resolved to their satisfaction or simply to thank them for their business. And if you’re experiencing a service issue, contact them proactively and let them know you’re working to resolve it.

3. Customize Offer Recommendations.

Tailoring your interactions with your customers builds stronger relationships and a better customer experience. Take advantage of the capabilities of an integrated, multi-channel customer experience solution to create user profiles and make custom offer recommendations based on what your customers like. As always, meet your customers where they expect to find you, whether through email or web-based chat.

4. Partner for Pampering Experiences.

Today’s shoppers are spending more on experiences for themselves and others.If your business is rooted in products rather than experiences, consider partnering with others for a joint offer. Have these offers ready so any team member can easily share and give a great experience recommendation when they connect with a customer. Take that offer to the next level by delivering it in the method the customer prefers, email or chat, with a multi-channel call center solution.

With the right contact center solution and complementary partner, you’ll spend less time managing your phone system and more time providing customers with an exceptional experience.

When it comes to improving your customer experience and contact center solutions, TCI experts can customize, deploy, and support your technology. Contact us today at (703) 321-3030 or GetHelp@tcicomm.com.
 

TCI Makes Mitel Access Control Easy – Improve Your Building Security from Your Phone

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Much has been written about protecting customer and employee data, but what about protecting your customers and employees from physical threats?

Even more than a secure network, a secure facility provides peace of mind and protects customers and employees from bad actors who would do them harm. For that reason, security cameras have become standard equipment at schools, hospitals, hotels, and other businesses where the front and back doors represent a front line of defense.

There are dozens of security camera manufacturers today, ranging from inexpensive doorbell cameras to high-resolution surveillance cameras. While this freedom of choice gives businesses more flexibility, exterior cameras are often “outsiders” regarding business communications systems.

Specifically, organizations struggle to incorporate these video feeds into their broader unified communications (UC) platform, instead managing them as separate solutions. This can mean toggling back and forth between different screens and applications at a time when split-second decisions may be required.

Guard the Door While Sitting at Your Desk

Imagine, for a moment, how much easier it would be if you could manage building admissions right from your phone. Live video could be displayed directly on your video phone when someone approached your doors, with a live audio feed to communicate with them, and a pop-up button on your phone could either lock or unlock doors and even send out a notification to employees, students, or local police/fire departments in the case of an emergency. Well, a solution like this is no longer limited to the realm of imagination — it’s a reality that Mitel MiVoice Business customers can enjoy today.

The Mitel Access Control solution was developed in response to a clear need from our customers to integrate security cameras with their UC platform and IP desk phones. Offered as a customized solution through TCI and Mitel Professional Services, the Access Control setup integrates any H.264-compatible phone that uses the real-time streaming protocol (RTSP) with Mitel 6900 IP Phone Series, MiVoice Business, and, optionally, Mitel Revolution mass notification system. Together, these components create a new solution to the age-old problem of guarding the gates against intruders.

Our solution improves communication between visitors and staff and assures the security of your employees, customers, and students. You can view, talk, and take action from your Mitel IP phone.

Let’s look at an example of the Mitel Access Control solution in action:

  • A visitor arrives at the front, back, or delivery door and rings the video doorbell camera.
  • This triggers a call to the receptionist’s IP phone.
  • The phone’s video screen displays a real-time video feed with text indicating which door is the source of the call, and a voice connection is made.
  • After a brief conversation, the receptionist may choose to open the door via an on-screen button or, if they feel danger is imminent, they can select the “evacuate” button to notify security or emergency services and, if they have Mitel Revolution, send out a mass text notification to a distribution list right from their IP phone.

Stay Ahead of Potential Threats

The Mitel Access Control solution is just one example of how TCI and Mitel Professional Services can combine different technologies to create a unique solution to a specific problem. In developing this solution, Mitel extended the functionality of its existing products by integrating them with third-party solutions and services.

On the Mitel portfolio side, MiVoice Business ties voice, video, and messaging together, the Mitel 6900 IP Phone Series supports real-time video feeds and touch-activated prompts, and Mitel Revolution supports text-based messaging for emergency and non-emergency situations.

Beyond those components are third-party products that TCI and Mitel Professional Services can bring into your UC environment, such as the video cameras, screen-capture software (e.g., VLC media player), SIP-enabled remote access control system, application server, and local alarm service (e.g., F24).

TCI and Mitel can turn your IP phone into a security command center that controls communication, identification, and notification by tying everything together.

Contact your local TCI team to get started: (703) 321-3030 or GetHelp@tcicomm.com.
 

AI and Your Phone System… The Good, Bad and Ugly

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We expect the evolution of AI to be as earth-shaking as the creation of the semiconductor, the personal computer, the Internet, and the mobile phone. AI will change the way people work, learn, travel, get healthcare, and communicate with each other.

Evolving phone systems will be just one aspect of its far-reaching influence as AI revolutionizes industries and our society.

Where will AI take UC?

“2024 may well be the year of reckoning for AI. So far, the main application of Gen AI has been with chatbots and voice-enabled bots. The real value is transitioning from front-end chatbots to ones that can act based on their process inputs. The next step will be for customer support software to go beyond just answering questions and move toward enabling true end-to-end task automation.”
– Martin Bitzinger, Mitel SVP, Product Management

AI will improve customer service in phone systems in several ways, including:

  • AI-supported Contact Centers: AI will reduce the likelihood of human error with improved user satisfaction, shorter call times, and more accurate information for callers.
  • Personalization and Customer Satisfaction: AI-powered systems will enable businesses to provide more personalized responses, leading to improved caller satisfaction rates.
  • 24/7 Availability and Quick Response Times: AI will allow for round-the-clock availability of virtual assistants, leading to quick response times and improved customer experiences.
  • Automated Call Transcription: AI call transcriptions will enhance call quality assurance, aid in targeted training of new representatives, and help identify key service trends and recurrent issues, ultimately improving customer service.
  • Chatbot-Based Customer Support: Web-based chatbots powered by AI will enable customers to find solutions without calling customer service, thus enhancing the overall customer experience.

More powerful smartphones

Companies like Google, Qualcomm, and Apple are heavily investing in AI to evolve smartphones, with a focus on generative AI, which can create new content and provide personalized recommendations based on text and image inputs.

Trouble Ahead

The use of AI in phone systems won’t be without its challenges. Scammers are already using AI to clone voices, making phone scams more sophisticated and believable.

Experts recommend adopting a “code word” system with your loved ones, always calling back to verify the situation, and setting social media accounts to private to prevent publicly available information from being used against individuals.

AI-enabled phone scams have raised concerns about the increasing threat of advanced phishing and targeted scams, prompting more calls to regulate the use of this powerful technology.

Let’s explore new ways to leverage and safeguard the technology in your business. Contact us today at (703) 321-3030 or GetHelp@tcicomm.com.
 

Winning the Race – 3 Reasons You Can’t Let Your Communications System Fall Behind

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Like winning athletes, high-performance companies are always looking for new capabilities to help them beat the competition.

We’ve all watched high-performance athletes lose a race by mere fractions of a second. It’s heartbreaking because whatever the margin, it meant the difference between winning and losing.

The business world isn’t much different. Competition is extremely tight in almost every industry. It’s too easy to be left behind by competitors who are faster to market, work more efficiently, and do more to keep their customers happy.

Your business systems are crucial to increasing your competitive edge and winning the race, no matter what industries or markets you serve. Every system you rely on must reliably operate at peak performance levels — especially your business communications system.

You can’t afford to let your communications systems fall behind for many reasons, but here are three important ones.

1. Seamless Communications Accelerates Time to Market

It takes unconstrained teamwork across every area of your organization to get new offerings to market faster. Every member of every team needs the ability to quickly and easily connect, collaborate, and share information from anywhere, at any time.

If your communications system isn’t up-to-date, your teams can’t leverage the latest features and functions available in the web, mobile, and desktop applications they rely on to stay connected. Like high-performance athletes, your teams need every advantage they can get. No matter how seemingly small that advantage is, it makes a difference – especially if you multiply the effects across your organization.

Keeping your communications system up to date means your teams always have the most recent voice, messaging, video conferencing, screen sharing, and file sharing capabilities at their fingertips.

2. Lost Productivity is More Costly than You Think

A Grammarly Business survey of over 1,600 business leaders and knowledge workers found that 72% of the workweek is spent on communication and collaboration. When you add up the lost time, those inefficiencies cost more than $1.2 trillion, or $12,000 per employee annually.

But productivity losses aren’t only measured in dollars. Almost half of the survey respondents also said that inefficient communication and collaboration had created friction with co-workers and other departments. While those losses are more challenging to quantify, no business can afford them.

Communication technologies and systems that provide more features and functionality are crucial to making communications and collaboration more efficient. The capabilities that were cutting-edge just a short while ago are no longer at the forefront of what’s available.

3. A Great Customer Experience Depends on Great Communications

Customers’ communications with your organization are central to their experience, increasing revenue. The key is to ensure your customers have a great experience at every touchpoint across your organization. To do this, you need to look beyond your contact center technology and the service your contact center agents provide and take a holistic approach to the customer journey.

Every single person in a company plays a direct or indirect role in determining whether it provides consistently good or consistently bad human or digital interactions. Your business communications system plays a significant role in those human and digital interactions.

When evaluating the current state of your current communications system, think about how customers interact with your sales team and employees located at remote sites. Also consider how your internal teams connect and collaborate to deliver on customer requirements, especially when customized solutions are required, delivery dates change or supply chain issues slow down processes.

If your communications system doesn’t provide the capabilities needed to ensure customers have the best possible experience, they can become disillusioned. Worse, they may stop calling.

To maintain your edge to beat the competition, schedule your Business Communications planning session today. Contact TCI at (703) 321-3030 or GetHelp@tcicomm.com.