Voicemail. Requires a voice, and requires a "mailbox" to put that voice into. Simple, right? Not so fast there, Chief. There's voicemail and then there's voicemail. It used to be that you'd get back to your desk after lunch, a meeting, or a water cooler break to find that bright red LED telling you that someone out there was thinking of you in your absence. (Always gives me a nice, warm feeling, it does.) You'd sit in your comfy, ergonomic desk chair and go through the subconscious, repetitive motions to find out who these thoughtful folks are. You'd punch in your extension, followed by your cat's or spouse's name or a significant date (i.e., the day you first met or married said spouse) as your top-secret password. While hitting the listen-rewind-delete keys and getting through the messages speedily and effortlessly, you scribbled down names, digits, and choice bits of information on your customized, company-issued notepad. (You know, the ones whose sheets always came off too easily when you tried to keep one page intact for future reference and write on the one below it.) After this came callback time, which inevitably left you sneaking about in other people's voicemail systems ("Tag, you're it."). After dutifully returning calls, you again strolled away from your desk for another undetermined amount of time to repeat the process time and time again until 5:00. Once at home, you'd go through the wrong-numbers and telemarketers' quick-sells in your home voicemail.
Now, however, the options are more extensive and, to some, more confusing. (You probably have more work to do as well.) You've got a few different message options for both internal and external incoming calls. You've got group and departmental mailboxes. Out-of-office and after-hours recordings. Personal lists. And for those of you with - insert ominous, dissonant organ chords here - unified messaging, you've even got fax mailboxes and email inboxes tied into your voice mailboxes. Creepier and more complicated still, these all appear on your virtual desktop. Phew!
Voicemail's Been Good To Me So Far
What more can we want from our trusty, simple voicemail (VM) systems? While the standard variety probably can't get much simpler to use, you can make them better (and certainly fancier). Heck, even the world of voicemail changes now and again to accept new features, functions, and firms into the fold. The industry's been alive and kicking in recent months, and the value-added-feature lists continue to grow.
To gain a competitive edge, companies have to distinguish their products from others on the market. Jer Mehta of SpeechSoft recently discussed with me how difficult it is to simply offer "vanilla voicemail" these days. SpeechSoft, she said, has added to its CallMASTER product email notification and broadcasting; ODBC-compatibility (which enhances IVR capabilities by offering a common interface to nonrelated dbases); and an Out Dial feature, which lets you call or fax to a batch of phone numbers. The last allows you to check database criteria for appointments or reminders. The system can even distinguish between human voices and fax machines. Pretty clever. So clever, in fact, that Teleconnect awarded CallMASTER a CT Expo Best of Show in 2000.
Now let's turn to the component that drives many a server-based voicemail system: the OS. SpeechSoft, among other voicemail makers, gives Windows 2000 a two-thumbs-up because the OS simplifies features that users may have found intimidating in its predecessor, Windows NT; or because NT didn't apply to their business. (How many small companies really need - let alone have the administration or tech staff to effectively support - NT?) Because Windows 2000 makes more sense (and cents) for small to midsized businesses, a routine upgrade from Windows 98 gets them an easier-to-implement OS with less administration and security required, and one they'll surely feel more comfortable with. To boot, NT folks can make use of 2000 for newer applications.
Besides these new additions, look for new and future voicemail systems to feature unified messaging. Though it's been around for a few years now, the industry's been slow to embrace UM technology. One would think a product giving access to all of one's text, voice, and fax messages in one place would have gone over like gangbusters. In recent years, however, the technology seems to have intimidated some telecommunications folk. But it's getting less complex and cleaner all the time. And, say some observers, acceptance should achieve critical mass this year.
Mary Jo Anderson, vice president of sales at ABS TALKX, says the company will be introducing Web-based UM to its Uni TALKX NT voicemail platform in the early part of this year. This, she says, will enable mailbox owners to use a browser like Explorer to retreive all messages easily via the Internet. Because Uni TALKX NT is expandable, a company can start small with a four-port system and add an email reader, faxmail, or additional ports (all as readily available modules) as the needs arise. Port capacities can scale to 1,900, and the system provides support for various interfaces, including analog and the ever-popular T-1/E-1. Great for those of you on the go or working from home, it gives quick, at-a-glance access to any and all verbal, written, or faxed missives headed your way.
Jason Beckett, director of sales and marketing for Samsung Telecommunications America, notes his company's interest in adding UM to its products in coming months, with pricing "suitable for the small business marketplace." Samsung is not targeting the large enterprise market because most large businesses firms already have complex UM systems, says Beckett. Samsung believes that its strategy to provide sophisticated UM functionality at a low price will nab for the company a slice of the small business market which, until recently, has resisted the technology. Samsung's newest offering, the SVMi-4, sets up in minutes, says Beckett, and its menu options are logical and quickly learned.
In addition to these fresh changes, more products are being designed with ACD and auto attendant features. Ernie McFarland of Teltronics says the company's VisionWorks product features station-to-station and DID screen pops, server dialback using a CTI link, and the ability to add folders and label messages (just as you do with your emails). Users with display-screen phones connected to VisionWorks will also see the number of messages waiting - a handy and thoughtful plus.
Things Are Getting Smaller All The Time
In my study and analysis of voicemails past and present, I began noticing one or two things more prominently and consistently than others ("trends," as we might venture to declare). Aside from the aforementioned UM being integrated into some of the industry top guns' offerings, their products are being scaled down and aimed directly at the SOHO (small office/home office) market. VM firms are wise to the fact that more and more people are either starting "homegrown" (literally) companies or are working from home at least on a part-time basis, and their wares certainly display this.
