topic no. 8 unified communication

ST. PAUL UNIVERSITY QUEZON CITY

Unified Communications

Emerging Technology

Submitted to:

Dr. Raymond Macatangga

Submitted by:

Abaya, Martin Jonard M.

Atienza, Lara Denniece L.

Belarmino, Edlyn Abigail Joy R.

Domagsang, Lady Joemica B.

Fugata, Irish Dianne J.

Getueza, Paolo C.

Ingreso, Anna Clarisse M.

Linsangan, Rudolph Jasper B.

Martinez, Julie Ann S.

Pomer, Nina Marie M.

Regala, Maria Angela P.

Sancho, Lorenzo Miguel P.

Villanueva, Ramon Carlos S.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Table of Contents 1A. Introduction 2B. User Interfaces 3

1. PORTALS 3a. Contact Center 3

2. Office Applications 4a. Telephony 4b. Voice Mail & Unified Messaging 5

3. Devices 6a. Collaboration 6b. Conferencing 7

4. Service Applications 8a. Mobility 8b. Presence 9

C. The Top Five Reasons Why Unified Communications Fail 10D. Value of Unified Communications 11E. Advantage and Disadvantage of Unified Communications 12

References 13

Unified Communications by Group 3 1

A. INTRODUCTION

What is Unified Communications?

According to the International Engineering Consortium, UC is an industry term used to describe all forms of call and multimedia/cross-media message-management functions controlled by an individual user for both business and social purposes.

It is a new technological architecture whereby communication tools are integrated so that both businesses and individuals can manage all their communications in one entity instead of separately.

Unified Communications Encompasses the following:

Unified messaging and multimedia services: It includes voice communication in all its forms, voicemail, email, fax and other types of multimedia elements like pictures, animations, video etc.

Real-time communications: In real-time systems involve getting immediate processing and response after input. Examples are conferencing, call screening, instant messaging, paging etc.

Data services: It includes information delivery like web data, online services etc.

Transactions: It covers transactions made online, through the web or otherwise, like e-commerce, enterprise applications, online banking etc.

Develop a Unified Communications strategy:

Enhance the end user experience by introducing advanced communications tools and making it easier to understand which to use, and when to use them.

Streamline daily communications by improving end user availability and reachability, enabling rich collaboration from any location and any device.

Accelerate key business processes through tight integration of real-time communications features with core business applications and workflows.


B. USER INTERFACES1. Portals

a. Contact Center

Introduction:

A Contact Center (also referred to as a customer interaction center or e-contact center) is a central point in an enterprise from which all customer contacts are managed. It typically includes one or more online Call Centers but may include other types of customer contact as well, including e-mail newsletters, postal mail catalogues, Web site enquiries, Web Chats and the collection of information from customers during in-store purchasing. It is generally a part of company’s customer relationship management (CRM). Today, customers contact companies by calling, emailing, chatting online, visiting websites, faxing, and even instant messaging.

Actual Contact Centers in the Market:

ePacific (http://www.epacificglobal.com/) Amberbase Solutions (Eastwood City-Libis) eTelecare Call Center (Eastwood City-Libis) Global Contact Services (Eastwood City-Libis) Platronics (http://www.plantronics.com/us/solutions/contact-center/) And a whole lot more

Misconceptions:

“What differentiates a contact enter from a call enter?”

A call center is a voice-centric, public switched telephony, a network-based center where agents handle service calls from customers or end users, business partners, internal company associates and/or anyone else usually for servicing and surveying.

A contact center generally refers to a center where agents handle additional types of customer, partner and/or associate contacts. Those contacts could come through email, public switched calls, Web-based calls (a.k.a. Voice over Internet Protocol), fax, Web chat or any other channel of communication. A contact center could handle everything.

Further Definition:

A contact center, also known as customer interaction center is a central point of any organization from which all customer contacts are managed. Through contact centers, valuable information about the company are routed to appropriate people, contracts to be tracked and data to be gathered, it is generally a part of company’s CRM Strategy.

A call center is a centralized office used for purpose of receiving and transmitting large volume of request by telephone. It is operated by the company to administer incoming product support or information inquiries about consumers.


http://www.plantronics.com/us/solutions/contact-center/

http://www.epacificglobal.com/

2. Office Applications

a. Telephony

IP-telephony is a set of hardware and software that, together with VoIP technologies, enable voice communication over an enterprise using IP as a native transport for voice and call signalling.

The main components of an enterprise IP-telephony network are:

IP-PBX – software that has functions of a traditional phone system and is installed on one or several enterprise servers.

IP-phones – the phones that get connected directly to LAN.

Gateways – the devices that join an IP-network with traditional phone systems (PSTN and analogue PBX) or connect analogue phones, faxes and modems to an existing IP-network.

Enterprise VoIP network topology

Compared to a traditional phone, an IP-phone has many more functions and, in some cases, it can even be used to replace a computer to organize a workplace.

Unified Communications solutions utilize the IP telephony system which, in turn, is based on VoIP technologies.

Compared to a traditional phone, an IP-phone has many more functions and, in some cases, it can even be used to replace a computer to organize a workplace.

IP-telephony forms a unified communication network; it manages a set of available phone numbers, a set of specific services and availability of IP-telephony service for users regardless of their current location.


b. Voice Mail & Unified Messaging

Unified Messaging is having access to e-mail, voicemail and faxes via a common computer application or by telephone. For example, unified messaging may send faxes and digitized voicemail to a mail server that turns them into e-mail attachments. Audio-based systems convert e-mail messages to speech, or text to speech, in order to deliver messages to a desk phone or mobile phone.

Other examples of unified messaging are Cisco Unity, AT&T Unified Messaging, AVST'sCallXpress. As the titles represent big names from the technological industries, each brand has their unique capabilities and features.

Some key benefits of Unified Messaging are: To access and exchange information Play on mobile phone Call answering On-waiting Message Indicator Call and Voice Mail Notifications via SMS Protected Voice Mail

Voice mails are essentially digital recordings of outgoing and incoming voice messages that are managed either by an on-site or off-site system. Its systems make phone systems more powerful and flexible by allowing conversations and information to pass between parties, even when both aren't present. Voice mail typically is integrated with the on-site phone system, allowing both inside and outside users to utilize many features. Such features include off-site access to messages, paging and urgent message delivery, among many others.


3. Devicesa. Collaboration

Fle3 is a free collaborative and cross-platform (Windows, Linux, Mac) learning environment available in many languages. The software has as components the WebTops, Knowledge Building and Jamming applications. WebTops is for teachers and students who need to store items such as documents, links and notes. This application offers participants the ability to organize document items to folders. All folders are available in the Knowledge Building and Jamming applications. The Fle3 Knowledge Building tool creates databases for theory building and debates. The Jamming tool is a space for the construction of media-like pictures, text, audio and video.

Horde Groupware Suite is a free collaboration suite. You can share calendars with Kronolith for users or groups. The application can show many calendars in an overlaying view with reading, editing or full permissions for users and groups. Memo is a note manager with sharing features that allow work groups to use a common notepad or leave private notes for individuals. Horde has a multi-user task list manager called Nag, where users can create task lists for individual users and groups. You can set due dates and completion times for task lists that can be imported and exported in many formats. There is also Trean for bookmark managing, the Gollem file manager, and Turba for address book and contact management functions. Time-tracking and Web mail management are available, as well as minor content management applications.

Plone is a free collaboration suite that offers cross-platform and multilingual content management. This software allows you to have comment capabilities on documents, working copy support where you can keep the previous document intact while uploading a new document and versioning abilities that will allow you to revert content. You can drag and drop to organize content and have multiple mark-up formats, and there are powerful search capabilities among its many features.

Project Pier is free and completely Web-based software that organizes your projects. Project and task management includes managing task milestones, messaging clients, message management, email notification of clients or co-workers, and file-sharing through upload and file management. The software allows you to manage multiple clients with security measures to limit access to restricted content areas. Project Pier is operating system neutral, which allows you to use it on Windows, Mac and Linux systems.

Simple Groupware is a free Web-based application that has a content management system with the ability to manage all types of document formats such as .pdf, .doc, .odt and .docx that is centralized and secure. Other functions include calendars, emails, notes, bookmarks and spreadsheets.

Redmine is a free application with Multilanguage capability. You can track time, manage news, documents and files, create Gantt charts and create a calendar. Attach repositories to each of your projects and view the contents and change sets, differences and annotations. Email is available.


b. Conferencing

Web conferencing is where a presenter can deliver a presentation over the web to a group of geographically dispersed participants. The terms ‘web conference’ and ‘webinar’ are used interchangeably to refer to the same type of service.

A participant can be either an individual person or a group.

Applications for web conferencing include:

Meetings

Training events

Lectures

Short presentations

Video conferencing is a communications technology that integrates video and voice to connect remote users with each other as if they were in the same room.

(Also known as VTC) facilitates face-to-face collaboration among companies located in different cities or countries, and within any organization with more than one location.

Each user needs a COMPUTER, WEBCAM, MICROPHONE, and BROADBAND INTERNET CONNECTION for participation in video conferencing.

Users see and hear each other in real-time, allowing natural conversations not possible with voice-only communications technology.

ADVANTAGES

Ability to meet with people in remote locations without incurring travel expenses or other expenses associated with face to face communication.

PowerPoint and other visual displays can be shared with everyone attending the conference at the same time, giving the feel of everyone being in one room and keeping everyone on task and focused.

Because of this technology information and knowledge are often disseminated at more rapid rates, and collaboration between people occurs more willingly and freely.

Students can take advantage of video conferencing to take classes at distant locations that would normally be unavailable.

Video conferencing can stimulate better brainstorming, knowledge sharing and information gathering.

DISADVANTAGES

The price may be the biggest drawback for some people, though there are very cheap options if you do not require the more advanced features.

There are some human ways of communicating that do not translate very well over a distance, such as eye contact.


4. Service Applicationsa. Mobility

Enterprise Mobility Solutions

Enterprise mobility solutions provide timely access to critical information, when most needed. On the whole, mobility solutions not only bring improvements to the mobile worker but also deliver key enhancements to the broader business process. User productivity and improvement in business operations are key drivers for businesses deploying SFA, FFA, CRM, and other industry-specific applications.

Understanding the challenges and complexity involved in mobilizing your employees. Addressing the challenges with your industry’s best practices and experience for your industry to have a strategic approach to mobility. The Sales Force Automation (SFA) helps businesses automate tasks such as inventory control, sales processing and tracking of customer interactions making the organization manage the customer relationships better. Field Force Automation (FFA) solutions on the other hand improve field worker productivity by automating the collection and validation of field data and enhancing customer service.

Best Practices

Document management system (DMS)

Customer relationship management (CRM)

Point of sale (POS)

Sales Force Automation

Field Force Automation

Financial Management System (FMS)

Human resource Management Systems (HRMS)


b. PresenceWhat is Presence? Knowing where intended recipients are, and if they are available, in real time. It is a key component of unified communications. It identifies available skills or capabilities.

The Concept of Presence

It represents the availability and willingness of a person to communicate

Example: the list of buddies you have in your instant messenger. When they are online (meaning they are available and willing to communicate), your instant messenger gives you an indication to that effect.

It can also be enhanced to show where you are and how (since we are speaking about integrating many communication tools) you can be contacted. Example: if a buddy is not in her office or in front of her computer, there is no way your instant messenger can have you contact her, unless other communication technologies are integrated, like pc-to-phone calling. With unified communications, you can know where your buddy is and how you can contact her but of course if she wants to share this information.


C. THE TOP FIVE REASONS WHY UNIFIED COMMUNICATIONS FAIL1. Shiny Object Syndrome

Rather than choosing from all of the fancy features available or just going with what your IT department decides, take a close look at how your business really operates and how the users will be interfacing with the system. If you choose a UC system that is too complicated or cumbersome to use because it is the "newest shiny object" available on the market, your users will most likely avoid the system.

2. Biting Off More Than You Can Chew It is important to only buy as much system as you need. Unified Communications are designed to help your business operate more efficiently by allowing people to communicate and/or exchange information across various devices. You can always implement a UC system in phases or add on more components as they are needed in the future. It usually takes 1 - 2 years to roll out a successful implementation. Be patient and give your users time to adapt to the system as well as giving yourself time to start seeing the return on your initial investment.

3. Determining Cost of Ownership

It may be difficult to determine the total costs associated with buying, owning and operating a unified communications platform until it goes live, be sure to factor in time that the IT department may need to spend answering questions and teaching people how to use the system. Another consideration is long-term costs.

4. Communication

It is important for the management and IT department to provide clear direction, guidance and expectations for the implementation of a new system. An effective change management program begins with a clear plan for when each stage of the deployment will take place and setting expectations about what types of changes users should make and see as a result. Providing ample training opportunities is also key to a successful implementation.

5. Vendor and Partner Selection

There are a few unified communications vendors that offer complete enterprise-wide solutions as well as expert help in assessing your company's needs and customizing a solution for you. You need to consider your partner choice carefully and should plan to evaluate at least four vendors before making your final selection. According to the Info-Tech Research Group, "The fact is that for most enterprises, the selection of the product itself should be secondary to the strength and vision of the vendor, and the knowledge and expertise of the integrator."

Because a unified communications implementation is one of the most important decisions your company will make, be sure to shop around for the best solution for your specific needs, your budget, and the most supportive partner to help you create a solid strategy and plan for success. Change happens slowly at times but it often turns out to be exactly the kind of change an organization needs to improve operations, reduce costs and remain competitive.


D. VALUE OF UNIFIED COMMUNICATION

Unified Communication is sold on human productivity improvements.

Internal enterprise support - Unified Communication can make company executives more efficient and benefit internal organizations such as finance, human resources, facilities and IT.

Product or service development - The developers of a product or service will always be working with a time constraint. Competition will drive the schedule for the development. Reduction of the time to market

Marketing the product or service - Marketing needs to prepare a number of tools to bring the product or service to the attention of the customers. Continuous fast and effective communications are needed for marketing campaign.

Producing the product or service - This phase will include external part delivery, service providers, packaging and shipping companies and other organizations that need to be coordinated -- especially if just-in-time scheduling is the goal.

Selling the product or service - Increasing sales productivity and market penetration are the primary goals of the sales organization. Sales may be made directly through agents or retail stores.

Delivering the product or service - The delivery of a product/service is a logistics issue. Delivery of product and services varies from the different factors present in the environment.

Customer service - Treating the customer right, giving immediate help to the problems encountered and keeping the customer satisfied -- even happy -- should be the goal of any organization.


E. Advantage and Disadvantage of UC

ADVANTAGES

1. Cost Savings

Unified communications can increase information sharing, lower costs, and improve revenue opportunities, which could offer a competitive advantage to a business.

2. Improved Productivity

Employees do not have to spend time learning how to work with different interfaces regardless of the device they use.

3. Build on a Future-ready FoundationBecause unified communications technologies use a software approach–instead of a rip and replace hardware approach–your business can stay flexible and embrace innovations as they come.

DISADVANTAGES

1. Interoperability Problems

Hardware must support those technical software elements. In the meantime, maintaining a set of high quality business applications for all users is important.

2. Cost of investmentWhile the upfront costs of UC systems may appear manageable and within budget, it is usually the longer-term costs that eventually put a UC project into the red.

3. Return on InvestmentDetermining the return on investment (ROI) for UC platforms can be complicated.


REFERENCES

http://searchunifiedcommunications.techtarget.com/definition/unified-communications

http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=Nf1tcvd77So

http://www.viddler.com/explore/webgenius/videos/2/

http://searchunifiedcommunications.techtarget.com/tip/Whats-the-value-of-unified-communications

http://www.brighthub.com/office/collaboration/articles/90048.aspx

http://www.rapidsofttechnologies.com/enterprise-mobility-solutions.html

http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Top-Five-Reasons-Why-Unified-Communications-Fail&id=6117363

http://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia_term/0,,t=unified+messaging&i=53423,00.asphttp://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb125141.aspx#overviewunifiedmessagingservices

http://voip.about.com/od/unifiedcommunications/a/UnifiedComm.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unified_communications

http://hornonline.com/images/div/DS/2/Midscan3.jpg

http://callcenterinfo.tmcnet.com/Analysis/articles/45590-call-center-contact-center-whats-difference.htm

http://www.rdc.uk.com/what-is-a-contact-centre

http://bradtlindemann.wordpress.com/2011/03/28/do-you-really-think-a-call-center-is-the-same-thing-as-a-contact-center/









http://hornonline.com/images/div/DS/2/Midscan3.jpg