Wifi Revolution

Gaining full access to enterprise voice services on mobile phones is an important step toward the full world of enterprise communications everywhere. By enterprise voice services, I mean the sophisticated features typically available with IP PBXs —such as speed dialing, contact lists, call logs, forwarding and conferencing, and other features. When mobile enterprise workers utilize these powerful features, their productivity rises dramatically. And if they could access these when mobile, their productivity would increase even more. But because of a variety of factors, such as technology differences among handsets and PBXs, it’s proving difficult for enterprises to achieve enterprise communications everywhere. Here, then, are three critical success factors that must emerge for enterprises to reach the communications ‘promised land.’

 

 

Mobile communications software must support the same features and functions on multiple devices, operating systems and PBXs. Enterprises often don’t use a single hosted or customer-premised-based PBX. Instead, IT managers must deal with a heterogeneous legacy and make ongoing selections based upon what works best for each location. Nor do all of their mobile workers use a single device or services from a single carrier. That’s because you can’t force employees to use devices they don’t want. Besides, it makes no sense to dictate which carrier service will be used, since service reliability varies tremendously by location (e.g., homes, offices, customer sites) and employees are generally the best judge of what service is best for them. Because of these factors, any successful enterprise communications solution must integrate with all of the major technology/product options.

 

 

When mobile communications software looks, feels and works the same way on each device, peers and IT staff can easily train new workers to use the features and functions and provide support when a problem surfaces. For example, if Joe can’t figure out how to set up a conference call, his co-worker Bill will be able to show him how to do it. By giving users the choices they demand and making the administration and support of mobile devices clear-cut and doable, we maximize the odds that these productivity devices are deployed and used by employees. I like to think of this as granting freedom of choice without enabling anarchy.

 

 

It’s not easy for an enterprise to manage multiple devices, connections to PBXs and maintain security. The best way to accomplish this is to use a server/gateway component to centralize and manage all features and control security. Integrating this server component with the handset software offers additional benefits, such as the ability to obtain call detail from mobile devices. Tight integration also means enterprises can determine in real time what handsets are out there, how many minutes are being used, what version of software they are running, etc. Using this information, enterprises can better manage their enterprise communications. For example, my business obtains a full call detail record of all calls so our accounting team can negotiate better carrier rates. Let users choose carriers and handsets for maximum productivity. Meanwhile, give enterprises a new level of visibility into mobile communications, so they can maintain superior control and cash in on savings.

 

Enterprise communications everywhere isn’t a pipe dream anymore. Placing enterprise voice service capabilities on mobile phones is taking us there. But the journey isn’t simple. For enterprises to arrive, they must be able to use mobile technology that takes into account these three critical success factors. Fortunately, wireless technology suppliers and integrators are working together to ensure this becomes a reality.

 

 

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