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While unified communications (UC) is poised to pick up even more steam across all industries, new results from a survey conducted by Elite Telecom, a UC provider, in conjunction with Swyx and Retail Week, found that the retail sector is falling drastically behind in this regard. In contrast to the results of an Ovum (News - Alert) study, which revealed that over 80 percent of businesses are implementing some form of unified communications, Elite Telecom’s survey indicates that only 34.9 percent of retail businesses would be willing to invest in UC technology over the next two to three years, with only 13.4 percent currently using unified communications within their operation.

It turns out, 68.9 percent of retail executives do not recognize or fully understand the advantages of unified communications. 41 percent even admitted to having never heard of unified communications. This does not bode well for retailers, who are at the forefront of customer service. 

“As an industry that is facing enormous pressure to adapt to increased competition, especially from digital and online channels, unified communications is an investment that many retailers cannot afford to miss out on,” said Elite Telecom CEO Matt Newing.

He continued, “Unified communications enhances the communication at every stage of the purchase cycle: Investing in UC allows retailers to optimize processes whilst improving quality in their user journey, offering loyalty to the customer to increase sales and profits.”

Ralf Ebbinghaus, CEO of Sywx, a vendor of UC technology, warns “As the customer becomes more discerning, and more likely to shop around, retailers need to recognize that to maintain customer loyalty. They need to offer a more unified interaction that takes into account all the possible information available, wherever this is stored.”

The survey discovered that the biggest obstacle for these retails is knowledge. 43.7 percent of retailers answered that understanding and knowledge of the platform stops them from investing in UC.

This is why it is important for business leaders to familiarize themselves with the capabilities and benefits of IP communications. Technologies, like IP Fax, are critical components of the unified communications picture, and if implemented properly, a fully converged communications platform can lead to considerable cost savings for retailers. 

Fortunately, there are plenty of resources available for anyone interested in applying a unified communications solution at their place of business on TMCnet and on the IP Fax Channel, sponsored by Sagemcom.