While offering the ability to work remotely can boost engagement and productivity, sometimes this perk can be a double-edged sword. Dispersed workforces can work well in certain situations, but often communications can break down, even when workers are fully “plugged in,” so to speak. One way to ensure that this breakdown doesn’t occur is to utilize some sort of unified communications technology. However, these aren’t off-the-shelf solutions; careful consideration must be taken to ensure that the right technology is selected. First, it’s important to involve end-users in the planning process. One major misstep management makes that can cause unified communications projects to fail is leaving out the individuals who will be using the solution in the first place. In fact, according to a survey released by Softchoice, 77 percent of employees say they weren’t consulted before a new technological tool was rolled out, and 58 percent said they weren’t consulted on the usefulness of that tool after it was deployed. Secondly, it’s extremely important that managers offer support post-implementation in the form of training. A unified communications tool will only work when employees want to use it, and they won’t want to use it if they don’t know how.