Could Outlook Groups Improve UC and Call Accounting?
October 19, 2015
By Susan J. Campbell
TMCnet Contributing Editor
Groups are gaining in popularity. We can find groups on Facebook, at church, in the coffee shop, on LinkedIn (News - Alert) – will it ever stop? Of course not – as you can see, some of these groups are new and some are tried and true. They offer benefits like collaboration and support, which makes them very appealing to members. In the world of call accounting, they can also improve Unified Communications (News - Alert).
In fact, according to a recent blog post by call accounting solutions provider, ISI (News - Alert) Telemanagement Solutions, another change could impact Unified Communications in 2016 – the addition of groups to Outlook 2016. Given the advancements made since the introduction of groups with Outlook 365 in 2014, the support of collaboration and mobile employees has been a consideration. With this next addition, business collaboration will reach new levels.
The first introduction gave us groups as a web-based option only. It did, however, offer features to increase employee productivity and output as it kept everyone on the same page. For Microsoft (News - Alert) to make groups a larger focus in 2016, it seems as though some success has been the reality for active users. Microsoft is calling this move a big step forward in the transition from a set of productivity apps to a set of apps and services that are not only connected, but designed to support modern work, collaboration and teamwork.
With the groups feature, everyone can use the same platform, whether they are on traditional or ad hoc teams. This saves time and stops the use of disparate apps that may or may not be easy and familiar for all users. The tool can also eliminate the long email chains created by users trying to stay in the loop. Anyone can jump into a conversation stream and dropdown menus enable users to share the most recent documents to ensure quicker access. This keeps everyone literally on the same page and working on the same document without wasting time.
Plus, One Note works within the groups to track questions, ideas, meeting minutes and contributors, allowing groups to behave much like other unified communications applications available as a single platform. As such, one question may pop up throughout the industry – will this help or hurt current Unified Communications applications? Will project management applications find they are quickly replaced by groups within Outlook simply because it’s seamless and already part of a subscription-based platform. If it eliminates an unnecessary cost – why not jump on board?
This is a common question in call accounting as communications is often the lifeblood of the organization, yet costly to a fault. Outlook could help combat this cost over time, streamlining operations and helping to contribute to a healthier bottom line.
Edited by Stefania Viscusi