Glossary / Unified Communications
💬 Unified Communications covers the tools and platforms that combine voice, video, messaging, and collaboration into a single system. This section contains 13 terms, from the basics of UC and UCaaS to contact centres, omnichannel support, and CPaaS.
On this page: Unified Communications · UCaaS · Video Conferencing · Screen Sharing · Instant Messaging/Chat · Presence (UC) · Team Messaging · Collaboration Tools · CPaaS · Contact Centre/Call Centre · CCaaS · Omnichannel · Warm Handoff
Unified Communications (UC)
A framework that integrates multiple communication channels into a single platform: voice calls, video conferencing, instant messaging, email, voicemail, and presence. Instead of using separate tools for each channel, UC brings them together so you can switch between a chat, a call, and a video meeting without leaving one application. UC improves productivity and reduces the number of tools a business needs to manage.
Related: UCaaS · Presence · Collaboration Tools
UCaaS (Unified Communications as a Service)
A cloud-delivered model of unified communications. Instead of buying and maintaining UC hardware on-site, you subscribe to a service hosted by a provider. The provider handles servers, updates, and maintenance. You access everything through a web browser, desktop app, or mobile app. UCaaS is the most common way small and mid-sized businesses adopt unified communications today.
Related: Unified Communications · Cloud PBX · CCaaS
Video Conferencing
A technology that allows two or more people to hold a face-to-face meeting over the internet using cameras and microphones. Cloud PBX platforms often include built-in video conferencing so you can escalate a phone call to a video call with one click. Features typically include screen sharing, recording, virtual backgrounds, and participant management.
Related: Screen Sharing · UCaaS · Collaboration Tools
Screen Sharing
A feature that lets you show your computer screen to other participants during a video call or online meeting. It is used for presentations, demos, troubleshooting, and collaborative work. Most UC platforms let you share your entire screen, a specific application window, or a browser tab.
Related: Video Conferencing · Collaboration Tools
Instant Messaging/Chat
Real-time text communication between two or more people within a UC platform. Unlike email, messages appear instantly. Business chat supports file sharing, emoji reactions, message threads, and search. It is the preferred channel for quick questions, status updates, and informal team communication.
Related: Team Messaging · Presence (UC) · Omnichannel
Presence (UC)
A real-time status indicator within a unified communications platform that shows whether a colleague is available, busy, in a meeting, away, or offline. Presence is automatically updated based on calendar events, active calls, or manual settings. It helps you choose the right way to reach someone: call if they are available, message if they are busy.
Team Messaging
A persistent chat workspace for groups, organized into channels or rooms by topic, project, or department. Unlike one-to-one instant messaging, team messaging creates a shared record that new team members can read later. It supports file sharing, integrations with other tools, and threaded conversations. Examples include Slack, Microsoft Teams, and built-in chat in UCaaS platforms.
Related: Instant Messaging/Chat · Collaboration Tools · UCaaS
Collaboration Tools
A broad category of features within a UC platform that help teams work together beyond voice and video. This includes shared document editing, whiteboards, task management, file storage, and project boards. The goal is to keep communication and teamwork in one place so people do not need to switch between many different applications.
Related: Team Messaging · Video Conferencing · UCaaS
CPaaS (Communications Platform as a Service)
A cloud platform that provides APIs (programming interfaces) so developers can add communication features to their own applications. With CPaaS, a business can embed voice calling, video, SMS, or chat directly into a website, mobile app, or CRM without building a phone system from scratch. CPaaS is aimed at developers and businesses that want custom communication workflows.
Related: API · UCaaS · Click-to-Call
Contact Centre/Call Centre
A department or system designed to handle a large volume of customer interactions. A traditional call centre focuses on phone calls only. A contact centre handles multiple channels: phone, email, chat, social media, and more. Cloud-based contact centres use ACD, IVR, call queues, and analytics to route and manage interactions efficiently.
Related: ACD · CCaaS · Omnichannel
CCaaS (Contact Centre as a Service)
A cloud-delivered contact centre platform. Instead of installing contact centre software on your own servers, you subscribe to a hosted service. CCaaS providers offer features like omnichannel routing, workforce management, real-time analytics, and AI-powered tools. It is the contact centre equivalent of UCaaS.
Related: Contact Centre/Call Centre · UCaaS · Omnichannel
Omnichannel
A customer service approach that provides a seamless experience across all communication channels. Whether a customer contacts you by phone, email, chat, or social media, the agent sees the full history of previous interactions in one place. Omnichannel goes beyond "multichannel" (offering many channels separately) by connecting all channels into a unified view.
Related: Contact Centre/Call Centre · CCaaS · Warm Handoff
Warm Handoff
A customer service technique where one agent introduces the customer to the next agent before disconnecting. The first agent explains the customer's issue and context so the customer does not have to repeat themselves. In a contact centre, a warm handoff can happen across channels: a chat agent might transfer the customer to a phone agent while passing along the chat transcript.
Related: Attended Transfer · Omnichannel · Contact Centre/Call Centre
Related Sections
🔀 Call Routing and Features — IVR, queues, forwarding, and 30+ call handling terms
📬 Voicemail and Messaging — Voicemail, transcription, and fax over IP
📡 SIP Trunking — How your PBX connects to the telephone network
🏗️ Deployment and Infrastructure — Hosting, failover, and integrations
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