Benefits of Instant Messaging and Presence

IM and Presence is the core of all UC solutions. These two features are often packaged together, and sometimes are simply referenced as only “instant messaging.” IM is a feature most organizations will deploy on day one of a UC deployment. Presence is one of the major drivers for UC, because it is at the core of providing an increase in productivity to end users. Presence introduces the real-time availability of users, which allows organizations to see greatly increased productivity through more efficient communications. This benefit is best described in the scenario that follows.

Assume that Randy and Alex both work for CompanyABC. The company does not have a UC solution deployed today. Randy works in the Manhattan office and Alex works in the San Francisco office. If Randy wants to get in touch with Alex, he has two options: send Alex an email or call him on the telephone. The problem starts here: Randy does not know when Alex will respond to that email or whether Alex will be around to answer the phone when he calls. Most likely, time will be wasted with missed calls and emails while Randy is attempting to reach Alex. This type of inefficient communication impacts their overall business productivity.

Now, introduce a UC solution that leverages IM and Presence into this scenario. When Randy wants to communicate with Alex, he simply needs to look at his Presence indicator. If Alex shows as available, Randy can send an IM to Alex and ask whether he is available to talk. In some cases, an IM might be all that is needed to cover what Randy originally needed to talk to Alex about. If they need to communicate through voice, this is often a quick escalation in the same UI. If Alex is showing as not available, Randy will know what the most efficient way to communicate with him is. Randy could tag Alex’s contact for status alerts, which would alert Randy when Alex becomes available. Randy could also communicate either through an email, or a phone call to voice mail, or Randy could simply wait until Alex is available to start an IM conversation.

The scenario just described clearly outlines why IM and Presence is a critical component for UC, and a major driver for organizations to introduce a UC solution to their environment.