VoIP is all about making phone calls more efficient. Yes, it?s also a tool that is used to lower calling costs for companies of all sizes. But even more than its low price, VoIP is used by businesses because the streamlining of voice and data through one location makes business run more smoothly. Because this kind of streamlined productivity is such an important aspect of what?s happening in technology today, it comes as little surprise that the recent winner of Internet Telephony Magazine?s ?Product of the Year? award is a VoIP product with extensive capabilities for more efficient calling.
The award was given to uReach Technologies for a product called the Intelligent Call Manager (ICM). From the press release:
?Intelligent Call Manager (ICM) allows VoIP, wireless and landline carriers to offer their customers a unique way for calls and messages to reach their desktop. ICM provides a live screen pop while an incoming call is ringing, providing the user with picture caller-ID, and with instant call handling options, such as switch to desk phone or cell phone, send caller to voicemail, and live reply. ICM also notifies the subscriber of missed calls, e-mail messages, faxes, and calendar events.?
Breaking this down into a simpler description, ICM appears to be a way to organize your phone calls through your computer desktop. This speaks to another important aspect of businesses today: multi-tasking.
Let me digress for a minute. I recently attended a presentation on how to educate ?The Cybernetic Teen?. One of the main things that was taught at this presentation was that teens today are increasingly multi-taskers. They rarely want to make phone calls because the phone requires their undivided attention. Instead, they prefer instant messaging and texting because they can carry on conversations with multiple people at once while simultaneously doing homework or engaging in entertainment activities.
Although this type of communication multi-tasking is a skill primarily developed in youth growing up today, it?s something that successful business people have learned to adapt to in order to get more done. How many times at work today do you find yourself doing more than one thing at a time? A desktop calling feature such as this one allows you to move calls through your computer where you are able to multi-task in a way that you can?t when you?re taking calls only through the phone. Combining the technology of VoIP with the new multi-tasking skills we?re developing, we can increase the efficiency of our businesses.
