What Do Users Want From Converged Multimodal Communications?
by Art Rosenberg
Posted 6/2004; Published 11/2003

Abstract:

The vision of “unified messaging” and “unified communications” has had to wait for the practicalities of a converged voice/data network infrastructure to make implementation possible. The market movement towards IP telephony and instant messaging is now helping make this vision a reality. In the meantime, wireless handheld mobility has also become a “must-have” capability for more and more enterprise end users, and this, too, has reinforced the need for converged communications.

Mobile users will need the ease and flexibility of changing modalities to match their situation and those they are communicating with. The necessary intelligence to minimize the confusion in making contact with others will be found in a cross-network, multimodal capability that dynamically coordinates the needs and priorities of both parties.

What end users really want from converged communications will be flexible, easy-to-use, mobile and remote communication services that will save them time and effort in communicating with others, and, sometimes more importantly, will save others’ time in contacting them. Of course, the technology should be relatively cost-efficient, but, unless it does what they really need, end users won’t bother with it even if it is free!

About the author:

Art Rosenberg is a principal of The Unified View.

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