8 Unified Communications Market Trends to Watch Out for in 2022
Ever think about future trends in unified communications? You should — they’re already happening. Since ‘20, a number of unified communications market trends emerged that suggest big things are on the horizon.
Let's Take a Look at the Trends
The burgeoning 5G revolution: With two major U.S. telecoms activating their 5G networks in January ‘22, the fifth generation of broadband cellular networks truly arrived. Better than 4G? To say the least. With 5G, stutters and delays for remote collaboration tools like video conferencing will start going the way of the dodo.
The continued convergence of unified communications and contact centers: After a thunderclap of digital transformation circa '20/'21, businesses are reaping the benefits of an integrated platform for unified communications and contact centers. Not just with remote-worker collaboration. Not just with APIs that add voice, video, and more. But with customer experiences, too. Do most businesses need to consider unified communications and contact centers in '22? No. All businesses do.
The rise of collaborative video: At the pandemic's start, video usage grew 20x in a few weeks. Patients connected to doctors. Proctors monitored test takers. Presenters broadcasted to millions. And they did it with unique network connections and devices. Why are businesses saying “We love video” in ‘22? Because customers do.
The ever-increasing concern for video privacy: All the world wanted was good “picture phones.” Next thing you know, it got security threats, compliance issues, and great video productivity tools. Somewhere along the way, a whole lot of responsibility cropped up. Turns out video demands vigilance. And '22 will bring even more of it.
The routing of calls from unified communications software into collaboration software: Will the businesses in '22 that integrate unified communications platforms into their collaboration solutions boost teamwork? Will they maintain phone numbers, equipment, and existing call center integrations? Or give their collaboration solution dozens of calling features? Yes, yes, and yes.
The increasing importance of contextual communications: Great collaborations have long relied on phone calls, SMS, and MMS. But those collaborations are happening in context in ‘22 — within CRM, productivity, and collaboration apps — because users love their streamlined workflows.
The mainstreaming of AI: Sifting through documents to prepare for meetings? Or leads to focus on likely-to-close opportunities? Time consuming. Tedious. In '22, users will instead turn to AI-powered collaboration tools to locate relevant documents and prioritize prospects.
The increased adoption of real-time communications: If employees didn't need answers right away, all they'd need is asynchronous ways to communicate. But they need answers yesterday. So if colleagues aren’t spread out across eight time zones, real-time communications — a video call instead of an email — is the go-to in 2-2.
Employees and customers alike are speaking through their preferences, and their message is clear. It's going to be a pivotal year for the collaboration, contextualization, and technological trends that started gaining steam in ‘20/‘21.
