In today’s technologically advanced world, the use of voice messaging is more prevalent than ever. With most businesses now using several forms of online communication, the challenge can be not only trying to prioritise who to get back to first, but also how to manage the technology to ensure businesses don’t miss that valuable message they have been waiting for.
A recent survey by AT&T confirmed that
- over 50% of people actually prefer to leave a message to voicemail than with a real person
- 75% of business calls were not completing first time
- over 60% of telephone calls were less important than the work they interrupt.
While 76% of communication is not time sensitive, that still leaves over 20% that are – that’s over a fifth of the messages businesses receive that are more important than the job in-hand.
Ian Hilton, director of Lancashire-based telecoms company Tech Advance, has been speaking to HR Aspects about how to manage communications and get to the messages that count.
“When you factor in the growing use of online communication, social media and the many platforms now considered vital for businesses, it can be easy to feel like you are working for your technology, constantly checking for messages in many different places”
“A useful telecoms technology has been introduced to relieve some of this frustration quickly and easily. It’s known as Unified Messaging.”
“One description of unified messaging is using your email inbox as the hub of your communications, directing all of your messages, including your incoming office phone messages, fax, and social media notifications into one place. Incoming faxes are converted to picture files, and voice mail messages from your office telephone system appear as audio files, all landing into your email inbox.”
“Most of us have got a smartphone and have access to an inbox in real-time, pretty much anywhere you are. Having all forms of online communication being redirected to it means you can access and organise everything a lot quicker.”
HR Aspects appreciates the contribution to this article from Ian Hilton of TechAdvance who has worked in telecommunications for over 20 years. For more information, contact Ian on 0845 389 2311
