The Virtual Workplace will become normative! Gone would be the era of
centralization. Desktops and desk phones would disappear from the scene
only to be replaced by mobile devices like laptops that take on additional
office capabilities.
"If your enterprise communication tools are available to you only from
within the enterprise, then you can't achieve decentralization." is how
Minhaj Zia, National Sales Manager, Unified Communications, CISCO India,
would like to phrase it.
As teams working on one project based in places as far removed as New
Jersey and New Delhi become the norm, virtual workplaces are the only
answer. Also, with expanding business processes and networks and mobile
workforces, it is imperative that workers are empowered by their
organizations to efficiently carry out their job responsibilities from
anytime/anywhere. And to achieve this sort of business efficiency, they
need access to information and communication channels that can integrate
the different devices that they are using today.
Zia gives an example from his own work life. "I start my working day at
home taking calls from customers, coworkers on my mobile. Sometimes these
calls carryon even when I am traveling towards the office. So, in essence,
I am working while on the move. The question is- can UC be used to enhance
the experience of a worker like me while he is traveling? And if yes, then
how? So maybe a unified communication solution can help me transfer this
call from my mobile to my laptop to my office landline in a seamless
fashion."
Like most experts, Vibhu Ranjan, Director, Unified Communications,
Microsoft, feels that every part of the value chain is affected by
communication! "Today, if! want to contact anyone within the organization
or outside, I call or email them. But I am blind to the fact whether they
are available; are travelling; or are in a meeting.
Let's say, my boss wants an update on the quarterly figures and is unaware
of the fact that I am travelling. He sends me an email; waits for my
response and then maybe a couple of hours later, finds out that I am
travelling. It would be great if he knew the best channel/device on which
he could reach out to me even before he requested for the information. That
would make our lives more simple and our work more efficient." |
