Before I flew out to China last week, I had my AT&T iPhone unlocked because tech support couldn’t figure out why my roaming service did not work the last time I was out there. I swapped out the SIM card with a China Mobile one which included an unlimited 4G data plan. The cost was less than $20!
That’s nice but how do I connect with my team and clients back in the US? Email still works great but what about call, text, video and group chat without incurring additional charges and answering my office calls? The UC apps downloaded to my iPhone solved this problem. (Note – RingCentral and 8×8 apps were used and noted for this blog).
With the unlimited data plan, I was able to use the UC apps anywhere in China. I answered a client’s call deep inside a narrow alley on the outskirts of Guangzhou. The client had no clue that I picked up his call halfway around the world. My team and I group chatted regularly and no one flinched that we had a 16 hour time difference between us. I even texted my iPhone contacts using my RingCentral number through the app which is my office number with no worries of incurring any international text charges. Being out of the country no longer means being out of business. UCaaS knows no boundaries.