In the world of today, organizations have the advantage of using talent from all parts of the world. Companies that are larger, which have a greater infrastructure, and which have made their presence felt globally are especially aware of the problems of having to manage a diversified workforce.

With the rise of globalization it has become possible for companies to draw their workers from all parts of the world. This is an essential feature of companies trying to develop a worldwide influence. As a result, different departments and divisions may have separate commands. But the need to send out a single message does arise from time to time, and this is where the conference call becomes so very important.

This view, of course, looks at only the global picture. If we were to reduce this scale and look at the working of different departments on a local level, we would find that the conference call method has made life a whole lot simpler for business houses. After all, not everyone can be present at a single venue at a given time. Hence, the conference call has continuously gained in popularity. Even today, with the rise of the Internet, and thereby, of web conferencing, the conference call continues to hold its own.

A conference call is of two basic types. In the first type, the person or party that is called is allowed to join in the discussion. In the second type, the person is allowed to listen to the call but he may not participate. The first type is very useful in having discussions with remote clients. The latter is commonly used in providing updates and imparting training to the workforce.

What are the benefits of using the conference call device? Well, it is very convenient in that people do not need to go elsewhere to attend a meeting. This saves energy and does not subtract from an employee's performance.

A conference call also helps in cutting costs. Every business house looks to increase its revenues while cutting down on its expenditure. A conference call helps one achieve this by reducing the travel costs that employees would have incurred otherwise.

And cutting costs does not only mean the money costs. A waste of time can mean the loss of a great business opportunity. The conference call helps speed up the business process. Moreover, it is possible to record the calls and use them for future reference.

Web conferencing is an online-based system of interaction that utilizes modern audio-video facilities and digital compression technology to facilitate real-time and remote, face to face conferencing. This communications facility comes as an enhanced version of the video conferencing facility introduced in the 60s that was sparingly used until the late 80s due to inherent glitches in the process of converting analog data to digital format. Compression technology available at that time was deemed inefficient to result in poor picture and audio quality during the conference.

Incidentally, the infrastructure running video conferencing systems ranging from proprietary equipment such as the T1, ATM and IDSN lines were very expensive. Moreover, pertinent software and network requirements only increased cost parameters relevant to the system.

The late 90’s saw the emergence of a viable web conferencing system with the availability of Internet Protocol (IP) platforms and more reliable video compression technology. The use of “Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP)” or Internet Telephony to route conversations to the internet even extended the cost-effective attributes of web conferencing. Apart from VOIP being cheaper, it is location-independent and could therefore be accessed from any global location where internet access is available. Furthermore, VOIP can be integrated with other internet services such as data or file transfer and audio-video conferencing.

Today, web conferencing has become a popular venue for the conduct of remote meetings, conferences and presentations between individuals based in different global locations. This technology also provides a host of benefits to businesses in terms of time and cost savings given a viable alternative to personal, face to face meetings.

Why Unified Messaging Is Replacing Traditional Voice Mail Systems

When voice mail systems first became available, it was considered by many to be a major breakthrough in communications technology… after all, it featured the benefits of an answering machine with additional features and the ability to check your messages from any phone. In recent years, however, more and more individuals and businesses are moving away from voice mail systems in favor of unified messaging due to the added functionality and convenience that unified messaging offers. While unified messaging does offer features that are similar to those featured in standard voice mail systems, these new systems offer additional benefits which voice mail simply can't match.

Multiple Message Types

One major advantage that unified messaging has over traditional voice mail systems is that it isn't limited to a single type of message that can be received. In addition to allowing callers to leave voice messages for the recipient, unified messaging allows for the receipt of faxes, e-mails, text messages, and even video messages which can all be stored within the same system. This can eliminate the need for additional pieces of equipment such as fax machines while allowing the recipient a much greater number of options in regards to how they can receive messages and other communications.

Easy Access, Wherever You Are

Another important feature of unified messaging systems is that users are able to check their messages in a number of ways, in most cases without regard to the message type. Cellular phones, computers with internet access, and even standard landline phones are all able to check most types of messages when using the majority of unified messaging systems, with voice messages delivered as e-mail attachments on computers and e-mail or other text messages converted to speech by text-to-speech programs when using a landline phone. Users are generally able to respond to messages just as easily, regardless of the method that they used to check their messages.

E-mail and Phone Integration

As unified messaging becomes more popular, many companies are working to develop compatibility with this messaging type in their products. Many popular cellular phones are now designed with a number of these messaging features built in, and a number of commonly-used e-mail programs also have support for sending and receiving various types of messages. Several of the more popular e-mail service providers also feature their own text-to-speech features, allowing users to check their e-mail from their cellular phone in much the same way that unified messaging allows users to listen to text messages and faxes.

Messaging for the Digital Age

Unified messaging takes full advantage of the digital technology that exists today, allowing users to receive digital-quality audio and video as well as easily-convertible text and e-mail. This can be especially useful in a business environment, as these messaging systems can be integrated into the company's existing network in order to allow all users to take advantage of the options that unified messaging provides. This can allow business owners and CEO's to customize the way that their employee messaging system works, integrating it into popular programs and allowing employees to receive alerts on a wide variety of devices whenever they receive a new message.