Unified-View (Part 2)

By Art Rosenberg

Converging Push-to-Talk At The Desktop?

Back | (Part 2)

DOES THE DESKTOP USER NEED PTT?

Since PTT is available only as a wireless carrier service to specific mobile device/service subscribers and there is no interoperability across services (yet), it goes without saying that it won’t work with enterprise desktop wired phones. Is that a problem?

Only if you are concerned with exploiting the benefits of PTT with any member of a work group, even if they happen to be sitting at a desk without a special brand of handheld device that uses a particular wireless service. While the service offered by the carriers is useful, who really wants to be restricted unnecessarily? Certainly, the desktop and handheld users can make traditional voice calls to each other and even exchange text messages. Why should they have to switch devices when PTT will be most practical and cost effective? 

The vision of MMT is that people can communicate at a distance, regardless of the type of device they have or the surroundings they are in at the moment as long as they have the time to communicate. Clearly, the modality of choice will depend on the needs of both parties. If one party is mobile and the initiator has a quick question, it will make sense to utilize IM in voice mode. There is significant evidence of how desktop users exploit text IM for specific kinds of short, collaborative interactions that don’t necessarily require information exchange as well. Now we have to look at desktop users who have to communicate with mobile users for such short interactions where textual exchanges will be more time-consuming and perhaps less effective (e.g., tone of voice) than a voice exchange.

The heritage of “intercom” buttons of traditional office phones can be upgraded to allow PTT to work in a manner similar to the mobile handsets. However, the desktop user is slowly but surely migrating to softphones in the converged world of SIP-based MMT, which means that we really don’t have to have a special desktop phone with a special button for PTT. For initiating an immediate contact, the desktop user can exploit the softphone screen to determine the modality needs of the recipient because maybe textual IM will be most appropriate (e.g., in a meeting). 

As a contact recipient, the desktop user can get a screen-pop instead of just a tone signal, and dynamically decide to place a current call on hold in order to accept the mobile voice contact. Similarly, while engaged in a PTT voice exchange, an incoming call can be identified with a screen pop in order to quickly and intelligently make a disposition of the call rather than blindly send it to “voice mail jail.”  Conversely, the shortness of a PTT contact can also enable SIP to let a regular phone caller know that the recipient is not engaged in a long voice conversation so that waiting will be a practical alternative.

The bottom line is that PTT can be a useful flavor of voice conferencing at the desktop between people in a group who need to communicate regularly on an ad hoc basis for quick, short questions and answers, and particularly where one or more communicating parties happen to be mobile and using a handheld device. This suggests yet another point of convergence between wireless carrier services and enterprise communications technologies (CPE).

LET’S STOP SAYING “MULTIMEDIA” COMMUNICATION APPLICATIONS

The telecommunications industry is having a hard time adjusting to the converging world of telecommunications. It used to be easy because it was just voice interfaces and DTMF signaling, along with call and voice message management functions that were involved. We have increased visual interfaces, text messaging, and various flavors of real-time and asynchronous contacts. For lack of a better thought, some providers have started talking about “multimedia” communications to describe what is different about their converged, IP-based communications offerings.

The term “multimedia” still smells of advertising (media) or video and doesn’t really do justice to the convergence of communication functions of person-to-person contacts. “Multi-modal” is a more comprehensive term because it is focused on the user perspective, i.e., interfaces and devices, which is what the user experiences with any communication process. I applaud Microsoft for jumping on this perspective of multi-modality because they see the convergence that is taking place between person-to-person contacts and informational applications. Just a suggestion to our telecommunications industry friends!

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Do you see any value in enterprise use of PTT? How will carrier-based PTT services interoperate with enterprise voice communication systems? Will PTT mobile handsets and services become standardized soon through SIP and “buddy lists?” Do you see a need for special desktop phones (SIP-based, of course!) to support PTT?  Will desktop PTT replace the intercom button on office phones?  What will the new user contact etiquette be like for PTT usage in a multi-modal environment? Send your comments to [email protected]

THE UNIFIED-VIEW AT ENTERPRISE USER GROUP CONFERENCE

I will be speaking at the annual conference of the Siemens user group (JUST-US) conference in Palm Springs, CA (May 23-26), to discuss the initial findings of a new ongoing survey of enterprise organizations about their migration to converged, multi-modal telecommunications. Whether you are a Siemens customer, an old Rolm user, or just an interested prospect, the conference is open to all enterprise users and the informative program is available at the JUST-US web site.

Let us know your thoughts by sending your comments to [email protected]. You can also participate in our forums.

ENTERPRISE SURVEY OF CONVERGED COMMUNICATIONS MIGRATION
The Unified-View has started a comprehensive survey initiative to track the migration of enterprise organizations towards converged communications management. The ongoing survey is accessible through CommWeb and is open to enterprise technology managers responsible for current telephone or messaging communications and their migration to a converged network infrastructure and multi-modal communication devices.

Participants in this study will be rewarded with up-to-date perspective reports of how enterprise organizations are selectively migrating from their current communication technologies to support various user needs for enterprise-wide mobility and multi-modal communications.

To participate in this survey now, go to: http://cmp.inquisiteasp.com/surveys/e42wy8 and be sure to type in “TMC” as your Group Identification Code on the first page.

New White Paper
Don’t forget to pull down your free copy of our latest white paper, “Migrating to Enterprise-wide Communications: The Branch Office Dilemma,” on enterprise-wide communication applications in a distributed enterprise. Simply go to our Web site – www.unified-view.com, fill out the form, and download the paper.

Art Rosenberg and David Zimmer are veterans of the computer and communications industry and formed The Unified-View to provide strategic consulting to technology and service providers, as well as to enterprise organizations, in migrating towards converged wired and wireless unified communications. They focus on practical user requirements, implementation issues, and new benefits of multi-modal communication technologies for individual end users, both as consumers and as members of enterprise working groups. The latter includes identifying new responsibilities for enterprise communications management to support changing operational usage needs most cost-effectively.

Considered to be objective industry thought leaders, Art Rosenberg and David Zimmer have been publishing their highly-acclaimed syndicated column on unified messaging and unified communications for over four years to a worldwide audience of consultancies, technology providers, service providers, and enterprise technology managers. Both principals are popular speakers at leading technology conferences and organized the first programs in the industry focused on the subject of unified messaging/communications. The Unified-View's website (www.unified-view.com) is also considered to be a leading source for information on the evolution of unified communications.

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