The majority of companies with call centres in Europe see unified communications (UC) as a competitive differentiator.

The results, based on a survey by UC provider Aspect Communications of 270 companies across France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and the UK, are hardly surprising, given that call centres have traditionally been early adopters of UC, drawn by the promise of increased efficiency.

Nonetheless, 85% claimed that UC enhances customer satisfaction by improving service levels and raising the number of calls resolved on the first instance.

Despite the many benefits of UC, adoption still doesn’t come cheap. Almost 70% of respondents said that UC would deliver cost advantages within three to five years, far beyond the 18 months considered average in the IT industry.

Interestingly, half the interviewees said the initiative behind a UC project should come from the IT department, while the other half said the customer service department should drive implementation.