A united front for mobile working29 June 2006
The future of corporate communications is an idea known as unified messaging. In fact, research firm In-Stat expects that conventional voice mail will all but disappear from the telco scene by 2009, replaced by services that bring all modes of communication together in one convenient package.
What is it?
Unified messaging is the integration of different message using just one inbox. Like push email forwards email messages to mobile phones in text form, a unified messaging inbox grants people access to their voice messages, faxes and emails all in one place, on one number at the same time.
The mobile phone can effectively become the equivalent of your workstation, including PC, phone and fax machine. Some services will include voice recognition software allowing hand-free inbox navigation, while for others you will merely need to move through simple navigation menus using the mobile's keypad.
Unified messaging users can also organise their inbox, just as they would the folders in a PC programme. It is possible to prioritise messages from a specific person or place, ensuring the most important information to arrive is always dealt with first. Less important messages can be stored, deleted, or forwarded to a third party, and if a hard copy of a fax is required the message can be forwarded to a machine nearby. Workers will also have access to the calendar information familiar from the PC, enabling meetings and other appointments to be scheduled.
For example, last week BT announced it was working with Microsoft to develop a unified messaging product specifically for financial traders. In this fast-paced working environment it is vital to have a quick and convenient form of communication with colleagues. In addition to combining PC and phone functions, the ITS Myriad Real Time Collaboration programme will let traders keep track of colleagues, showing when they are on the phone and when they become available. A speed dial can be set up to save even more time, with a trail of contact activity kept and stored as a back up.
The firms hope to be able to extend the service and meet the needs of other working environments in the future, while internet-enabled devices such as PDAs and Blackberrys are increasingly joining the mobile office realm of unified messaging.
Who benefits?
With wireless broadband for more than four users and BT now rolling out broadband with an even faster download speed of 8Mbps, a more flexible approach to working for small businesses has never been easier.
There's secure remote access to the PC for the international traveller, a host of business email options and services to keep home workers and office-based employees in close contact.
So whether you're sitting at the desk at home or stuck on the bus en route to a meeting, it's easy to stay in touch with colleagues, log onto office networks and send emails. Unified messaging will complete the mobile office set-up, with faxes, emails, voice and even video messages all easily accessible and kept in one convenient location.
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