Communications overload can be crippling. It’s not just the volume of email, voice mails, instant messages and texts that is making working life difficult, the problem is exacerbated by the increasing number of communications channels and their lack of integration.Consequently, many companies are looking to the concept of unified communications (UC) as a way of reducing the complexity, cutting operating costs and introducing powerful new ways to collaborate. According to In-Stat and Wainhouse Research, a unified communications system includes elements of presence, instant messaging, IP telephony, audio conferencing, web conferencing or data collaboration, unified messaging, mobility, and/or video conferencing, all accessible through a single client interface or within an embedded application interface. The analysts have forecast a global market worth $49 billion by 2012.
“The way in which individuals communicate and collaborate in the business setting has changed dramatically in the last few years, but we are just on the cusp of even more dramatic change. Employees will increasingly have intuitive tools that allow them to control communications and presence, while expanding their access to critical information,” says David Lemelin, an analyst with In-Stat.
During the course of a day, an employee could use a dozen different ways to communicate. Each will have its own interface, log on, passwords, directory and so on. There can be as many interfaces as channels. The ultimate goal of UC is to unite these in a single interface.
Instant messaging may be the environment that unites many of these channels. Gartner predicts that by the end of 2011, IM will be the de facto tool for voice, video, and text chat and by 2013, 95% of workers in multinationals will use IM as their primary interface for real-time communications. Instant messaging systems have become a key part of the collaboration infrastructure and are increasingly displacing voice calls and emails to pre-planned meetings and video conferences.