You probably know at this point that UCaaS has the potential to save your business a lot of money. Connecting your communication tools on the cloud reduces the demand for multiple bills from different providers. The cloud also means that you don’t have to worry as much about pesky on-premises installations and maintenance.
However, that doesn’t mean that UCaaS doesn’t have various fees that you need to consider. Since your budget is likely to play a significant role in any digital transformation strategy you approach, it’s important to know what your UCaaS prices will look like.
Let’s take a look at the factors that affect the cost of Unified Communications
The Common Costs of a UCaaS Strategy
The first thing you should know is UCaaS is a lot more affordable than on-premises UC. An on-premises deployment comes with extra upfront charges to consider, like trunks, PRIs, and the various provisioning and maintenance costs that come with your devices.
The up-front and long-term costs of UCaaS aren’t as significant.
If you’re accessing your communication systems over the cloud, these are some of the elements that may influence how much you pay:
- Licenses: You’ll buy licenses for each of your users to access the communication tools of your UCaaS vendor. You may invest in different levels of licensing depending on the unique needs of different employees. Make sure you consider the costs of power users, as well as the standard seat licenses you’re going to need for each employee
- Connectivity: The cloud is at the heart of your UCaaS environment, and you’ll need a strong internet connection to access it. Consider the expenses of your internet connection, but also any backup connections, gateways, or PSTN connections you need too
- Devices: Desk phones are one of the most common hardware devices to consider when building your UCaaS budget. However, in the modern age of hybrid work, you may need to look at things like room systems, webcams, and microphones too
- Software solutions: Aside from your UCaaS functionality, you may also need to access additional software that integrates with your UC. This might include workforce management tools, solutions for recording and reporting or analytics services
- Other charges: You need to address charges for things like DID numbers, 911 services, and similar quotes. Remember that the best way to get a complete view of your costs is to see an actual bill from your service provider. If you’re using things like direct routing to connect to Microsoft Teams, you’ll need to check the cost of the connection to
- Extra aaS offerings: Some companies are beginning to offer additional aaS solutions alongside UCaaS, like contact centre as a service, or CPaaS. It may be cheaper to get everything at once
Other Elements that Affect Your Costs
The biggest factors impacting your UCaaS costs will usually be the number of employees you need to support, and the number of phone lines you need. You’ll also pay more for advanced features, such as compliant call recording systems, and tools that allow you to intelligently route calls to the right person. However, some other additional fees can add to your UCaaS bill too.
