Investing in Unified Communications
When then-candidate Barack Obama decided to use the social
messaging phenomenon Twitter to send out news of his appearances,
views and the top issues it may have been a defining moment in the
campaign, and a key element of his ultimate success.
Obama recognised the vital importance of connecting with the
younger voters who would get excited by and involved in his
historic Presidential run, as well as the fact that these emerging
social technologies now form an integral part of the way that a
huge number of people now connect with each other. To ignore the
benefits and usefulness of these tools would be to waste a golden
opportunity.
For businesses today it is no less important to be aware of new
technologies and how it drives potential and current employees –
particularly those in the Generation Y (aged 16-19 years) and
Generation Z, those about to join the workforce – to choose,
to remain with and to function effectively at an employer.
Generation Y – also known as “Millennials” – and Z are the most
technology-savvy groups ever seen, and they take their high
expectations for networking and connectivity into the workplace
with them. After all, why shouldn’t they? They’ve been brought up
with accessible technology that has made instant, effective
connectivity, wherever and whenever a given in their lives.
Even the older Generation X (aged 30-44 years) will benefit from
taking a cutting-edge view to IT in the workplace, indicates CIPD’s
GenUp report, which looked at generational differences in
the workplace: “Gen X sees the workplace as a place to socialise as
well as to work … Organisations that offer a sense of workplace
community are therefore more likely to attract and engage this
generation.” Obviously, enterprise communication tools, such
as instant messaging, conference calling and desktop video, are
ways to ensure that this thirst for connection is served.
For businesses facing tough economic times,
fast and efficient recruitment and retention of valued staff are
both ways to cut costs, so some firms are, like Obama, setting out
their stall as technology-friendly from the outset. They use
facebook and text messaging to contact potential recruits, for
example, says Tim Wise of High Flyers Research, with law firms, he
says, leading the way.
These firms, says Wise, have “phenomenal communications networks
and networks that recruits can tap into as trainee lawyers, and
they showcase that benefit in the recruitment process.” Later
on, word-of-mouth comes into play, he says, perhaps luring an
employee away from a less IT-led firm: “Once people get into a job
and begin to talk to their peers – and one might be showing off a
state-of-the-art laptop or BlackBerry – they very much start to see
whether the grass is greener on the other side.”
Where companies are having to cut back on traditional
remuneration and retention packages, investing in IT that meets
employee expectations can take up the slack. As Deloitte Consulting
notes in its report, Retention Strategies in Difficult
Times (September 2008), many companies are trying to ease the
strain on employees by improving their work environment and an
element of this are programs that make balancing work and family
easier. “While these programs won’t put dollars in employees’
pockets,” says Deloitte, “they can go a long way toward helping
employees view their company more favorably, making them less
likely to leave.”
A quick survey of recent research clearly shows that this need
to recognise the needs and wants of employees will play an
important role in enterprise IT decisions in the future. Analyst
Gartner predicts that, between 2007 and 2012, the majority of new
information technologies that enterprises adopt will have their
roots in the consumer market.
Gartner also reports that the failure of IT departments to adapt
quickly to new technologies will cause more than 50% of enterprise
users to become dissatisfied by 2013.
Meanwhile, a survey by market researchers Redshift last summer
showed three-quarters of UK workers want access to unified
communications (UC), which combine email voice and video
conferencing. Seventy-three percent said it makes workplace
communications more efficient – and more than half said it helps
them work outside the traditional office.
While unified communications doesn’t replicate the consumer
experience, it does provide a suite of tools that create easier
access to colleagues via the desktop or softphone, making it easier
to foster a sense of collaboration and community. And it actually
has the potential to provide an additional function that Twitter,
facebook and other consumer applications can’t match – the vital
element of Presence.
The average employee uses five types of communications device
(for example, desktop phones, mobile phones) and four
communications applications (IM, conferencing, etc) says market
research and consultancy firm Chadwick Martin Bailey which, last
July, looked into UC application use by US enterprises.
While using these tools should lead to easier coworker access,
said its research, the net effect can be counterproductive if they
are not properly integrated, particularly as the workforce becomes
more mobile. What really happens is that, often, employees must
guess which method (e.g., desk phone, cell phone, email, instant
messaging) is the best way to reach a colleague at any given time
and, where UC is not an option, 40% of people fail to reach a
needed colleague on the first try once a day.
Here’s where Presence saves the day. Want to have a quick IM
chat with a colleague? See if he’s available first, by checking
where he is and what device he can be contacted on. If he’s only on
his mobile, maybe a quick voice call is best, enabled by one click
on your on-screen directory of contacts. This, says Chadwick Martin
Bailey, translates into up to 20 minutes of time saved per employee
per day – clearly a benefit in time, money and perhaps a few
incidences of desk rage. It’s no wonder then, that, as Forrester
has reported, 36% of UK firms rate Presence technology as “very
important” to “important” to their business.
UC also makes escalation easy, seamlessly passing the user from
one application to another. For example, when that IM chat begins
to get too complex, it can be escalated to a videoconference. If
you need additional expertise, simply look up another colleague’s
availability and invite her to join in.
So, while an investment in cutting-edge communications may not
pay off quite as spectacularly as President Obama’s, it is sure to
have a positive impact on both employees and customers – and on
your organisation’s bottom line.
If you'd like to talk through any of the issues in this article,
just call
0800 964 9596.
