Unified Communications basics

The term Unified communications (UC) refers to a set of products designed to integrate various communication channels, both real-time and non-real-time, under a unified interface.  UC allows a message to be sent via one communication channel and then be retransmitted over other communication channels. The purpose of unified communications is to optimize multi-channel communication, reduce processing overheads and nullify dependencies.

Unified communications came into being as a natural consequence of the deployment of IP telephony. With telephone data being transmitted over IP (same as other types of communication like e-mail or instant messaging) it gradually became apparent that it would be very efficient to unify all communication methods under a single banner.

UC integrate a large variety of systems and technologies such as telephony, multimedia communication, voice mail, conferencing, instant messaging, e-mail, fax, collaboration tools and so on. All these systems are connected through various gateways to a single IP network. For example, an email sent to another person could be transmitted through the IP network, arrive at a gateway that converts it to a fax, and then be sent as a fax to the recipient. Various protocols have been developed to manage this communication, with the predominant one being SIP (Session Initiation Protocol). SIP has the advantage of being independent of the communication method used; it initiates, manages and terminates sessions, leaving the users to negotiate the mode of communication in the process.

In a company using UC, every employee can be connected to the network. Depending on factors such as location and time of day, each employee can be connected via one or more communication channels. For example, when he is at the office in the morning, he can be reached via his office landline, e-mail or fax, while when he is at home in the evening he can only be reached via his mobile telephone. To manage availability of various communication modes, the concept of presence was developed. Presence information includes a person’s location and availability of communication channels. Information of whether they can be contacted in real-time or they are currently busy (thus an asynchronous communication method such as e-mail should be preferred) is also a part of presence. This information is what makes unified communications stand out, by enabling very efficient business processes to be deployed. Presence servers are usually tightly packaged with SIP servers.

UC have become an integral part of today’s contact centers. They naturally fit in the multi-modal communication modes employed to interface with the company’s customers. UC in a contact center are most useful for internal communication of employees and associates; for example, when a customer service representative talking on the phone wishes to get some help from an expert on an issue, he may check presence information to see who is available and get the information via instant messaging, while keeping the customer away from unnecessary transfers.