Presence Goes Mainstream

By Aron Aicard

It has been long known that the convergence of voice and data networks can improve business processes through a number of emerging applications, such as powerful presence management capabilities. However, the value that presence management offers businesses historically took a backseat to what was optimistically perceived as more concrete efficiencies in the eyes of the customer, such as the reduced costs associated with hardware. infrastructure and toll charges.

But this is now changing. Recent trends clearly indicate that both large and small organizations are recognizing the strong value that presence management brings to their sales organizations, customer service departments, and business processes as a whole. Improving efficiencies between remote sites, increasing productivity among mobile professionals and maintaining a competitive advantage against larger companies with more resources are notable benefits. For these reasons, businesses are showing renewed interest in integrating these tools into their communications systems.

Today’s acceptance of presence management is being driven by two factors. First, the urgent need for businesses to improve operational efficiencies in environments where they maintain remote sites, teleworkers, and mobile employees. Secondly, there is the influx of new employees entering the job market that expect the workplace to provide similar tools to what they have become accustomed to using. This group was the first to take full advantage of instant messaging, a basic presence management application. With instant messaging, users can tell at a glance when their peers are logged onto the web and are ready to chat. Now that these users have entered the job market they’ve come to expect, at a minimum, this same level of presence awareness for coworkers and associates.

Today’s presence management solutions go well beyond a simple “who’s on line” determination. Companies that deploy the full suite of presence and Voice over IP technology are realizing higher sales, faster time to market and reduced operating costs than their competitors without it.

Businesses are quickly realizing that presence technology is an essential part of their day-to-day routine. One company uses presence tools specifically in its accounting department. A staff member was on one call with a customer, when a second call from a vendor came in. Via a pop-up menu, the accountant’s computer informed her that she was receiving an incoming call, along with the identity of the caller. Through the individual call routing rules she had set up, the presence management tool determined that this was not an urgent call. As a result, the application routed that call directly to voicemail. The presence application then sent her an email with a recording of the message that was left. All of this within an instant, without the accountant having to interrupt an important call with a valued customer.

Another real world example of presence management comes from a large realtor in the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C. This firm specializes in the residential real estate market and employs some 70 licensed agents working out of three locations. The lifeline for these agents is their ability to acquire listings and bring the right seller together with the right buyer at precisely the right time. Every incoming call is a chance to make a sale or get a listing. Every missed call is an opportunity for their competitors to do the same.

Agents are frequently out of the office showing properties to prospective buyers, meeting with homeowners to secure listings, or attending closings. Their ability to maintain and manage communications while on the go is paramount to their success. Good agents make a customer feel like they are the only client that matters-in spite of juggling priorities, resources and time.

It was this need for a need for a close client relationship that drove the real estate firm to integrate presence management and call routing tools within their exiting calendar software. High priority callers, like current clients, can now be directed to the appropriate device(s); including current location, other offices, personal cell phone or PDA. They can also choose to route calls to an associate for immediate handling or to voice mail.

Personal greetings can be created to greet clients by name and let them know and keep them apprised of activities. This is especially useful in situations where the realtor is unavailable and must have a call handled by a colleague. The greetings can also help extend presence information out to the caller. For example, “Hi Pat, this is Barb, I’m in a closing at the moment and can’t take your call right now. I’m going to forward you to my co-worker Robert. You met him last week. He’ll be able to help you.” This extension of presence out to the calling party is a relatively new concept and has a powerful impact on customer service. Less essential incoming calls can also be routed to any number of specific destinations, like a receptionist or voice mail.

Additionally, the agents use an application that has both browser interface and speech recognition. They can change the settings of their presence management application from the Internet or from their cell phones at any time, further enhancing their ability to deliver the kind of customer service their clients expect.

Call routing is just one component of presence management. A key element of the technology is a user’s ability to share their status with other individuals, whether they’re in the cubicle next door or the branch office across the country. The capability to immediately gauge the status of individuals and initiate an immediate multimedia conversation when they are available is a powerful tool - particularly for those companies that rely on a geographically dispersed workforce. Combining presence management with other powerful applications, such as collaboration tools, increases workplace productivity and efficiency.

Consider as another example the daily operations of a computer game developer. This company, which lists brands like Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo as its customers, is the perfect example of a modern, geographically dispersed company. Its corporate headquarters are in Paris, it has a development team in Montreal, its sales and marketing organization resides in San Francisco, and its production facilities are located in China. It is a company spread all over the globe and has key employees in time zones that are 12 hours apart. As complex and cumbersome as communications in this environment appear, the company has found tools that streamline its processes.

They’ve integrated a presence management engine into their communications system. The company’s employees can easily check on the status of co-workers around the globe. As a result, they can immediately assess who is available for conversations or conference calls, saving innumerable steps and wasted time trying to track down associates in other locations. Identifying the status of individuals is only one part of the equation for this company. The organization has also linked presence and collaboration tools to significantly boost productivity.

For example, once the Montreal-based developers ascertain that the Chinese-based production team is available, they use collaboration technology to send over schematics and other technical literature. They can then immediately initiate a telephone conversation to discuss the project. No false steps trying to track people down. They know exactly who is available and how to reach them, regardless of location. The IT staff even downloads and configures software to any PC on the network without leaving their office. This saves huge sums of money in lost production time and reduced travel costs.

Going beyond the company’s enterprise network, the remote sales teams use the technology to review forecasts and deliver sales presentations from any location that has an Internet connection. They routinely create ad hoc audio- and Web conferences from mobile devices to remain in touch with prospects and colleagues from around the globe.

Although it was at first misunderstood by the business world, presence management is now filling a critical need for those looking to better manage business communications. Presence management is a powerful business tool that helps organizations shorten sales cycles, improve operations, enhance customer service and control costs. It is a flexibile technology that can be applied in ways that make the most sense for your business, whether it is a company-wide deployment or a tactical deployment to maximize the productivity of a given department. Strategic use of presence management greatly enhances the value of Voice over IP technology, and most importantly, provides a sound business rationale to invest in converged communications. IT

Aron Aicard is Director of Product Marketing for Inter-Tel, Inc. For more information, visit the company online at www.inter-tel.com.

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