* A rich communications suite can be helpful—if you know which way to turn
Most knowledge workers have desktop phones, mobile phones, softphones (either as part of the corporate communications system or an IP-based service such as Skype), along with a host of other data/multimedia communications methods.
Do we need all of this? Have we overcomplicated communications?
It depends. Multiple ways to communicate can be a good thing, providing you know when to use which method. The only way to do that is to have a presence engine wrapped around the different applications.
Consider this: Virtual workers may very well have a communications suite or individual applications that include desktop phone, mobile phone, chat, unified messaging, Web conferencing, audio conferencing, and video conferencing. It’s time to contact a colleague in another city. Which method do you use?
Depending on the urgency of the situation, you could send an e-mail (if an immediate response isn’t required) or an instant message, desktop phone call, or mobile phone call (if you want a quick reply), or you could launch a Web conference (if multiple people are needed)… You get the point.
Deciding which method of communications to use can be an annoying and time-consuming process in and of itself. If you don’t know the best way to reach the person or people at that moment in time, you risk wasting more time trying several methods than the productivity savings you were expected to gain!
That’s why it’s imperative for anyone implementing a multi-faceted communications system to integrate presence data. Employees simply view their contact lists, determine the best way to reach the person at that moment, and use that method.
Considering 83% of companies are virtual workplaces, and organizations overall are experiencing an average 11% growth in the number of branch offices, a cohesive communications system is vital.
But just implementing new communications applications definitely will do more harm than good. It will frustrate employees because they won’t know when to use which app. So make sure you include presence in your planning as you discuss VoIP, collaboration, and overall unified communications strategies.
