Customer Relationship Management (CRM) has sparked the business-driven technology revolution where market success depends on customer centricity. Effecting all spheres of enterprise, gone are the days when CRM was just about front office automation. And in the age where the click of a `send` or `receive` button has escalated response expectations, unified messaging is fast becoming a critical component of organisation`s CRM strategies.
Customer interaction with a company rarely involves a single point of contact with one individual. Customers nowadays interact with multiple contacts within an organisation, whether it be administration, sales, support or logistics departments. Add that to the fact that the average executive now sends and receives over 100 messages per day and companies have a strong case to leverage customer contact and response times through unified messaging.
The basis of unified messaging (UM) provides true convergence of voice, fax and e-mail messaging for employees. Unified messaging provides a single point of access to these messages from virtually any communications device - telephone, personal computer, PDA, palm or Web browser through the Internet.
In the user`s familiar email inbox, a unique icon identifies each message type. Voicemail and e-mail can be read over the phone, faxes routed to a nearby fax machine right through to SMS alerts on your cellphone for urgent messages. This single point of access and control increases employee productivity while improving communications with both customers and co-workers.
Traditionally, AmVia - Voicematix channel was split into two sectors - data and voice. Data partners are primarily involved in implementing RightFAX solutions in client server environments whilst Voice partners were involved in implementing AVT and Active Voice solutions which ranged from voicemail systems, IVR, auto attendants etc.
Anticipating the inevitable convergence of voice and data, AmVia - Voicematix has been aggressively campaigning for the last two years for its resellers to build both skill sets and provide a converged offering. AmVia - Voicematix Mission Controller, Kevin Hurwitz says, "In a world where everything is fast becoming IP, resellers must realise that voice will fall into the data domain and vice versa. Corporate demand for a holistic offering is inescapable."
AMVia - Voicematix expects the UM market to rapidly pick up momentum over the next few years. The UM CPE market in 1999 was $145.02 million worldwide, up from $70.02 million in 1998. It is predicted to reach $6.3 billion by 2004 for a five-year compounded annual growth rate of 112.6 percent.
Hurwitz concludes, "UM provides a new lucrative revenue stream and is a definitive component of CRM. The channel must build their skill sets in both data and voice environments in preparation of increased market demand."
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