In the final article of our 4-part series, we provide a synopsis as to why utilizing all the features within office 365 can provide your CU with a robust and affordable unified communications solution. 

Bringing unified communications to credit unions can provide their members and employees with the most efficent, innovative and secure communication solutions utilizing the many features built within Office 365 and Microsoft’s Skype for Business platform. With nearly 50,000 companies deploying Office 365 every month,there are now more than 100 million active Office 365 commercial users. If your credit union is one of the many using the platform for email and the Office Suite, but not taking advantage of the advanced communications features it offers, including voice, you could be missing out on achieving the true efficiency it is capable of.

Office 365 – Using Office 365 is attractive to credit unions because it uses the preferred Microsoft Office Suite that most employees already have a working knowledge with, including Outlook for email, Word, PowerPoint and Excel for documents and spreadsheets. Along with collaboration tools, Office 365 offers credit unions efficiency with the ability to work anywhere and anytime, ultimate security because of connection to the cloud, and continual updates.

Skype for Business – Skype for Business can transform the way your credit union completes work. The integration with Office 365 allows employees to get in touch with someone on IM to get quick answers, view their calendars to check availability, schedule Skype meetings within Outlook and join in a single click from your calendar, set up video conferences and web meetings on the fly, and much more. Travel between branches by management is greatly reduced when meetings and trainings can be conducted easily over web conferencing. Remote, smaller branches can feel more connected to departments at larger branches and headquarters with instant messaging.

Hosted Skype for Business – Utilizing Hosted Skype for Business in a credit union frees up time for what matters most and leaves the tricky technology for someone else to worry about. A hosted solution is ultimately the better decision for any sized credit union because the DIY solution will anticipate higher costs to upgrade and refresh their solution, whereas a hosted solution is future proof, with no outdated hardware or software to worry about, and ability to scale up or down as needed. This blog offers a more in-depth look into the difference between DIY and hosted solutions.

AltiGen’s Hosted Skype for Business Cloud PBX for Office 365 – Skype for Business Online, which is included with virtually all Office 365 plans, adds Instant Messaging, Presence, and PC to PC voice and video calling capabilities to Office 365 – but lacks the connectivity to the public switched telephone network (PSTN) to enable customers to replace their existing PBX phone systems. AltiGen delivers Skype for Business Cloud PBX, a complete Microsoft-centric, enterprise-wide unified communications solution fully integrated with Office 365. AltiGen’s Hosted Skype for Business is a complete Cloud PBX and Unified Communications solution for Office 365 delivered as a managed service, enabling credit unions to completely replace on premises PBX systems, and not forego advanced calling features your call centers and branches need, such as auto attendant, advanced call routing and more.

Deploying a unified communications strategy for your credit union means more time for guiding the member’s journey, trend analysis, and analytical work that will set your credit union apart from the rest. When communications run seamlessly, members become important advocates for your brand and employees have more time to make those members stay loyal. Not sure how to start the transition from silos to unified communications? Contact the AltiGen team to help you effortlessly slide into a more efficient and innovative solution for your credit union.