Communication Journey: Wire to Wireless

During a discussion with one of my friends,I was left wondering how things have evolved radically for Enterprise communication, from desk landline phones to Mobile App based calling. Now, one can have features like presence, file sharing, messaging, video calling, auto attendant and much more at their disposal, anywhere.

Many enterprises still communicate in the old school way, tying employees to their desk and expect utmost efficiency.Below are few of the issues faced by users following the old way:

• Can’t leave the desk for fear of missing calls
• Can’t take leaves or work from home
• Multiple communication channels, difficult to manage
• Difficult to know other’s availability and presence
• Difficult to communicate while traveling

Low cost smartphone technology and data which is thriving worldwide, has turned out to be a savior here. A simple mobile app with tons of features offer Unified Communication and Collaboration solution for enterprise clients.

A study commissioned by Salesforce.com suggests that 60% of employees now use apps on mobile devices for work-related communication and nearly a quarter (21%) use dedicated department-specific business communication apps. As a result, enterprise apps boost worker productivity by more than 34%.

Enterprises are gradually prioritizing the necessity to mobilize their employees making Enterprise Mobility the new big thing.Below are the key features that are of interest to enterprises:

Unified Communication

• Single channel of communication, be it Call, Messaging, email & Conference
• No more tethering to desk all the time, freedom to roam and still work
• Huge saving on incoming and outgoing calls and infrastructure

3rd Party Integration

• Integration with corporate email / CRM / ERP / Accounting / Support tools

Increase Availability

• One global number to reach
• Doesn’t matter if one is on leave or traveling, he is well connected and reachable

Security

• Enterprise controlled tool for all communication
• Utmost security

BYOD (Bring Your Own Device)

• Freeware app that would sync and offer most of the service
• Saving on CapEx
• Quick go-to market

The research major IDC has said that transport, communications, utility, media and BFSI would be key driving verticals for enterprise mobility. IDC predicts that cloud services market is expected to reach US$ 3.5 billion by 2016.Enterprise Mobility is getting widely accepted across the globe and is acting as magnet, pulling both enterprises and users with their benefits.

Benefits to Enterprise

• Lowers communication cost
• Quick and easy communication
• Simplified, Unified and personalized Communication tool
• Boosts Work efficiency
• Improves customer satisfaction

Benefits to User

• Converge Communication – Managing Voice, Video, Messaging and Data on single device
• Effective and Timely communication
• Time and Cost saving
• 24 x 7 Connected and Available
• Convenience during roaming

Mahatma Gandhi said “Be the change you wish to see”, enterprises need to change the way they communicate and will definitely see constructive results. Inmy opinion, enterprises that have taken the initiatives to change will see significant benefits.