talkbase Blog

As previously summarized in one of my blogs, there are major differences in terms of architecture between today's attendant solutions. The three present-day architectures are attendant solutions without a server, server-based and web-based attendant solutions.

Today I would like to discuss web-based attendant solutions. These attendant solutions shift the user interfaces to web browsers and therefore introduce a technological change. 

Following on from recent blogs in which we primarily addressed topics relating to Unified Communication, today's blog is dedicated to the topic of software licensing. Software is now available for all conceivable requirements and applications. But in addition to requirements to be met by the software, customers should also think about how they wish to acquire the software. For as most people already know, there are basically two different acquisition methods:

• perpetual licensing (purchase), i.e. the customer buys the software or
• subscription licensing (leasing), i.e. the customer leases the software.

This blog explains what exactly the differences are and the advantages and disadvantages of the two models. For you must have already wondered whether the increasing number of subscription models on offer really offer additional advantages over perpetual licensing or not.

The telephone plays a key role in everyday life. Whether for private or professional reasons, we speak to others on the phone several times a day. The focus is always on making a good impression. It is therefore important not to forget yourself when on the phone, simply chatter away or make the other person on the phone aware of your bad mood. The trick is to always come across as positive, irrespective of whether you have achieved your own objective or that of the caller or not. Only then will you be considered a trustworthy contact person on the phone for future calls. In this way, you not only do yourself justice, but also the reputation of the company is at least not impaired due to a negative attitude on the phone. It can only be improved. This applies in particular to receptionists or telephonists at the switchboard. This is precisely where it is important - also in today's digital age - to make a professional impression and to quickly handle and put through the call in the queue. 

Have you already noticed that there are big differences with regard to architecture in current attendant solutions? This article highlights the key differences of the various architectures and the resulting possibilities for companies who make use of them and for their attendants.

The digital age has an ever increasing impact on the way in which we communicate with each other. In view of this, our penultimate blog discussed the requirements to be met by a modern attendant solution. Yet before a new attendant solution can be commissioned at all, companies have to think about how this will be implemented. As you certainly all know, two scenarios in particular are under discussion in this connection: should the Unified Communication solution be obtained from the cloud or should it be operated on the company infrastructure? In the case of UC from the cloud, experts refer to UCaaS (Unified Communications as a Service) or also Hosted UC, i.e. the UC service is taken from the cloud. If, on the other hand, a company uses its own servers for implementation, it has opted for an on-premises solution.

The digital age is becoming apparent in more and more areas of everyday life and of course also influences communication, i.e. telephony and call handling. Let's look at the telephone switchboard. Incoming calls in a queue can still be calculated using analog means. At the same time, the technology for call acceptance answers calls fully digitally and provides workflows for handling incoming calls as quickly as possible in order to ensure shortest possible waiting times.

How have the requirements to be met by an attendant solution changed as a result of this digital transformation? Let's look at four aspects in this regard:

Many companies are using Office 365 with Enterprise Voice. This also provides Skype for Business and all UCC features. There is, however, a snag with this solution from Microsoft known as "Cloud PBX": the functions can only be used within the company. But employees also want to reach external contacts and be reachable for them, as they are used to from the existing PBX telephone system. This is not automatically possible for Skype for Business, which is integrated in Office365, as it does not have access to the PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network). However, only access to the PSTN enables Skype4Business users to call any telephone numbers worldwide. 

After focusing in the last few blogs on subjects related to call handling and everything this entails, today I would like to address the topic of support. We all have our "tools", whether for private or business purposes, which we need in order to cope with our everyday life. But the day will come when the application stops working and we have to contact support. In my opinion, three things are necessary for a successful support which serves our customers' needs.

Come and meet us at UC Expo in London - the largest Unified Communications and Collaboration event in Europe.

Come and meet us @CeBIT - the global event for digital business. You find us in Hall 13 – the home of IoT and Communications – at the Microsoft partner booth.