why unified communications is key to customer growth and retention – and better margins for you 

We explore why unified communications (UC) has become make-or-break for MSPs, break down the real costs of not offering it, and explain how smart partners are building UC practices without upfront investment. 

This one’s for every MSP or reseller who’s ever lost a deal because they “don’t do UC” – and wondered if they should! 

what exactly is UC and why has it become so critical? 

Unified Communications integrates all your business communication tools into one system – voice, video, messaging, file sharing, and presence indicators working together seamlessly. 

UC isn’t just a fancy phone system anymore. It’s become the backbone of how modern businesses operate, especially since remote and hybrid working became the norm. 

Traditional phone systems simply couldn’t keep up with how businesses actually communicate today. When customers need to hop from voice calls to screen sharing to instant messaging, without missing a beat, separate systems don’t cut it. 

what are the real costs of not offering UC to your customers? 

Based on our experience with hundreds of partners, the cost of avoiding UC isn’t just lost revenue – it’s lost competitive positioning. 

Lost deals: MSPs without UC report losing 30-40% of opportunities where communication needs are discussed. 

Customer churn risk: Existing customers increasingly ask about UC, and if you can’t provide it, they’ll find someone who can. 

Revenue gap: UC customers generate £150-300 per user on average every month. For a 50-user business, that’s £7,500-£15,000 monthly revenue you’re not capturing. 

UC customers also tend to be stickier, buy more services, and refer more business because communications are central to daily operations. 

how do modern UC licensing models work and what does “100% margin” mean? 

Traditional UC licensing: buy licences upfront, mark them up and hope customers buy them. High risk, high complexity, lots of cash tied up. 

Modern UC partnerships work differently. Instead of buying licences to resell, you become a service provider. Customers pay you for UC services and you pay wholesale rates. 

Practical example: 

• Customer pays you: £25 per user per month 

• Your wholesale cost: £0 (during promotional periods such as our free UC licence offer) 

• Your margin: £25 per user per month (100%) 

For a 20-user customer, that’s £500 monthly recurring revenue at 100% margin. 

what’s stopping most MSPs from offering UC services? 

Usually perceived complexity and investment anxiety. Many MSPs and resellers think UC is impossibly technical, but modern platforms are designed to be channel-friendly. 

The traditional model required significant upfront investment before seeing returns. Modern UC partnerships remove those barriers – you can start generating revenue immediately without capital investment. 

If you’d like to have a chat about building your UC practice without any upfront investment, we’d welcome a conversation. Get in touch and we’ll show you exactly how the model works.