Analysis Of The Development And Current Need Of Automated Communication

The implementation of a Unified Communications environment with that of full voice functionality is quite the undertaking when you are looking to deploy it while simultaneously removing a legacy voice environment. Often times it is thought that voice systems consist of simple signaling and end points, e.g., telephones, modems, faxes, etc. Legacy PBX systems were primarily separate from the data network platforms, and thus considered to not be as complicated to install and maintain. This was largely true, however, as the computer industry evolved and expanded, so did voice services as they became integrated with data platforms as well as expanded their functional offerings. Phone line connectivity has moved beyond hard wired, two wire punch downs, large refrigerator size units housing large multi-function boards that provided various services, e.g., analog ports, digital ports, announcement, call routing, PTSN connectivity, etc. As I expand on the evolution of traditional, legacy voice systems and their multi-layered use/functionality, I will also draw the connection between legacy phone systems, VoIP phone systems, Cloud PBX and that of unified communications offerings. Understanding the evolution of the legacy environments is crucial in being able to not only understand what is being replaced, but how it plays into current and future offerings.

The need for automated communication increased from the expansion of the population. No longer was it feasible to simply send a messenger, write a letter and wait an unspecified amount of time for its delivery and eventual response. Out of necessity comes invention. It is recorded that alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone in 1876, and by 1877 there was a reported three thousand active private phones by the bottom of the year. As the wired service expanded, the need to manage the connection of calls became essential, thus ushering in a new level of employment, the Switchboard Operator in 1878. By 1946 there were over 250,000 switchboard operators. The speed in which the phone expanded gave way to the first long distance phone call in 1881 from New York to California. Although the evolution of the early telephone system provided cutting edge advancements for its time, it took nearly 80 years to develop the first Private Branch Exchange (PBX) system. A PBX is a private phone system that is typically utilized by corporations, however, they can be used by private homes as well if they have a need for multiple phone lines and handle a greater than normal call traffic. PBX systems are used to communicate internally with the use of extensions for each end point, as well as connect to external endpoints. Should there not be the availability of a PBX that combine phone calling requirements, individual lines (POTS – plain old telephone service) would need to be provided per end point, thus costing more to install and maintain. The PBX industry took shape for corporations throughout time with power players like Avaya, Cisco, Nortel, etc. in the forefront. The PBX allowed for inbound and outbound calling activity, utilizing varied communication channels, e.g., DID (direct inward dial numbers or direct extensions), ISDN, T1, POTS, etc. The expansion of the corporate voice environment also gave way to features and functionalities that increased beyond dial tone and basic voice mail. The availability of cheaper, multi-line phone systems gave way to the creation of the call center which allowed for numerous blended call scenarios to route based on the caller’s selections presented via automated interactive voice routing and accompanying announcements. This technology flourished on basic PBX platforms until the late 1990’s when Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) was integrated and began the blending of the voice and data environments. According to William A. Flanagan, author of IP Technology Disrupts Voice Telephony states that the new generation of voice services and telephony will be based on packet networks rather than TDM transmission and switching which is used by legacy voice systems. VoIP technology allows communication platforms to migrate to digital delivery and multimedia sessions thus allowing for expanded communication mediums like video conferences on mobile devices, tablets, etc. Such technology has taken another step forward by pulling in all interactive communication devices and medias, thus ushering in the age of Unified Communications platforms. With Unified communications taking shape and providing a wide range of connectivity offerings on a single, user friendly and consistent platform, it has quickly become the direction of many corporations stuck in the legacy systems stone ages. Unified Communications (UC) is a voice and data system that increases the productivity and mobility of end users, both internal and external to a corporation brick and mortar location. Unified communications provide voice, video, data, chat, presence, and other features into a single platform, and you can achieve a streamlined, IP-based communications environment. Corporate employees can easily use an application on their desktop or mobile phone to place calls, send chat messages, hold audio/video conferences, or respond to SMS communications. Additional, employees can receive files, take phone calls via traditional end points or use PC to PC calling capabilities as well as collaborate with team members in the field. Essentially, there presence and ability to communication on any platform is anywhere they are. Using an on-premises phone system naturally limits your ability to capitalize on the advantages offered by the remote workforce. Without advanced system setups and expensive service upgrades, these systems generally lack a direct connection to your workers on the go. A business phone system in the Cloud eliminates these technological boundaries. Because these systems are based in the Cloud, it can route phone traffic to any connection endpoint with the use of an Internet connection. It’s just as easy to route calls to your worker’s home office as it is to their physical office phone. Voice features and functions associated with the office can be used remotely, including voicemail and call transfers to other business extensions.

Moving the large, space consuming physical business phone system to the Cloud makes mobility an option for all employees, not just remote ones. Employees across the board are increasingly using their personal devices for business tasks, e.g., BYOD (bring your own device). We can leverage this functionality with the adoption of a Cloud based environment. In addition to the base UC platform offerings, the tie in with call center functionality is available. CCaaS (Call Center as a Service) is a hosted platform that offers, inbound, outbound calling availability, IVR, skill based and attribute based routing, CRM (Customer Relationship Management, CTI (Computer Telephony Integration), call monitoring, call surveys quality management, etc. Integrate with critical contact center applications and devices. You gain a significant customer service advantage when you migrate a physical business phone system to the Cloud. A cloud solution gives you call-center-level functionality without the expense and operating demands of a call center. This functionality includes integrations configured to enhance customer interaction and simplify overall operations. Because cloud phone systems are software-driven, they’re easier to integrate with leading customer relationship management (CRM) platforms like Salesforce. When a customer calls, an integration can call up that customer’s account information pop the gathered customer data onto an agent screen. That way employees can reference key account information and better serve the caller. Information from the call can be collected and entered as well. This helps agents keep up with customer preferences and decisions, thereby improving and personalizing interactions with that customer.

Legacy and IP phone systems are called a “single point of failure.” If it goes down, employees and customers do not have a recourse. No calls can go in or out until that single point of presence is fixed. A phone system in the Cloud bypasses that issue by hosting its service in data centers across the country, and even across the world. When one datacenter’s service is interrupted, a provider can easily reroute calls through other datacenters. You don’t notice that there’s a problem because voice services continues without interruption. IP based phone systems also allow for the maintenance of multiple locations from the comfort of your workstation. The challenge with multiple locations, at least when you have an on-premises system, is that you need an independent system for every location. This is expensive, and integrating the systems can be difficult, complicating simple business functions like extension calling and transferring calls. A phone system in the Cloud allows all locations to plug into the same virtual service via the Internet. This enables extension calling — even between offices in different geographical locations. It also gives the appearance of “one big system” to callers while preserving location-specific routing, hold music, and more. Managing system settings across multiple locations can also be tricky if you’re navigating between different on-premises solutions. With a cloud phone system, you can centrally manage all communications, regardless of their location, through a single browser-based portal. When you have an on-premises system, you usually must be in-office to make any moves, adds, or changes. Cloud phone systems don’t require you to be physically present in-office to change system settings. If you’re away from the office, but have to make an emergency change to the phone system, you can do so using the online administrator portal. You’re free to make updates anywhere. And it’s so simple that you can do so without the help of a technician or third-party provider.