Hello dickb-ga,
You have a challenging situation in helping your staff adjust to your
new technology tools. There have been a lot of changes in the use of
telephones and voice messaging in the last ten years. Some people
eagerly embraced the new capabilities while others saw each “new new
thing” as an imposition. In the course looking for the statistics you
want to cite to help convince the skeptics on your staff, I’ve found a
lot of information that should help you make your case while also
providing you with some insights about their reluctance to change.
First of all, I was able to find some statistics that relate to the
point you want to make. These statistics were discussed in articles
that deal with the implementation of voice messaging. This technology
is not the same as traditional voicemail and is part of the movement
to universal messaging.
In the past twenty years people have gotten used to using voicemail
both at work and at home. Although the complaints about “voicemail
hell” are frequently justified, most people still prefer to leave a
voicemail message rather than call back or give a message to someone
who will then relay a written or oral message to the intended target.
I’ve collected some references with a variety of statistics on
voicemail usage.
Next, I’ve also included some resources on SMS (Short Message Service)
and Unified Messaging to help you make sense of the new technologies
for Integrated Messaging. SMS is very popular with young people,
especially in Europe. It enables the sending of short (160 character)
messages to cell phones. This technology may be of interest to your
agents who are happy cell phone users. Unified Messaging aims at
joining e-mail and voicemail and creates new ways of staying in touch
within the organization as well as with those outside.
I hope that this research will help you make your case to your
skeptical staff. Please ask for clarification on any of this if you
need further information. I wish you well in moving your organization
toward new ways of working.
czh
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VOICEMAIL USAGE AND STATISTICS
==============================
http://www.tmia.org/main/about_mmec.html
Multi Messaging Educational Committee (MMEC),
Early in 1993, the committee released the results of a comprehensive
study of voice mail subscribers and callers, "Voice Messaging: A Vital
Link in Business Communications."
Despite these concerns, callers surveyed consistently chose voice mail
over alternative forms of call answering. Nearly 60% of respondents
said they prefer leaving recorded voice messages to leaving messages
with an administrative assistants or receptionists. Similarly, 78%
preferred leaving detailed voice mail messages to waiting to reach an
operator or hanging up and calling back later.
http://www.commserv.ucsb.edu/hpage/docs/vmail/whyvmail.htm
We Can't Afford Voice Mail - Or Can We?
A few years ago, AT&T conducted an extensive study on the
effectiveness of the telephone in the work place. The conclusions of
this study were:
· 75% of all business calls are not completed on the first attempt.
Put another way, three out of four calls do not reach the desired
party.
· 50% of all calls are for one-way transfers of information. In other
words, one out of every two calls is to either deliver or request
information.
· 67% of all calls are considered to be less important than the work
they interrupt.
· 50% of all calls are longer than they need to be due to "chit chat";
people talk about the weather, their vacations, their weekends, etc.
http://www.tmcnet.com/articles/itmag/0998/featurearticle004.htm
Voice And Fax Messaging In An Internet World, September 1998
Intentional messaging means deliberately leaving someone a message
instead of placing a phone call, and then only leaving a message if
you can't connect directly with the person called. Intentional
messaging elevates voice mail technology from an erstwhile role as an
answering machine to the status of effective business tool and
productivity expander. Why? Reflect on these business scenarios: (See
several examples.)
http://www.crsonline.net/techarticles/tech_column-56.htm
Voice Messaging - It's Your Call
In 2002, I believe callers not only expect voice mail but also prefer
it. From my own experience, I am far more comfortable leaving my own
recorded message than relying on a third party (receptionist or
administrative staff) to interpret my message.
http://www.poctalk.com/docs/WhitePaper.doc
CallexÒ PocketPC with ETPlayerÔ Market and Technology
Unlike email, voicemail has not generally been used as an intentional
messaging medium despite the fact that research shows 50% of all
business calls are intended only for a one-way exchange of
information. Most real-time business conversations are initiated with
the intent of conveying or requesting specific information. Many
times callers prefer to make certain calls at a time when they expect
to receive voicemail in order to avoid more lengthy real-time
conversations with time-consuming chit chat. Yet voicemail systems
generally don’t have the flexibility of email with regard to replying
and forwarding messages because of widespread voicemail system
incompatibilities
http://www.opengroup.org/comm/the_message/magazine/mmv5n3/managing.htm
Managing the Trend Toward Increasing Use of Electronic Messaging Tools
The CommCore/EMA/CCM survey revealed 20% of workers use e-mail
specifically to avoid speaking with someone in person. And many call
when they know the caller will not be there, and they can leave a
message.
=====================================================
USER ATTITUDES TOWARD EMERGING TELEPHONE TECHNOLOGIES
=====================================================
http://www01.sbc.com/About/NewsCenter/ShowRelease/1,1018,430,00.html?NID=1998
'Basic' Telephone Service, 122 Years after Bell's Invention, Has
Evolved to Reflect Lifestyles in the '90s
Survey Shows Most Consumers Polarized Between Desire to be High-Tech
or High-Touch
http://cyberatlas.internet.com/markets/wireless/article/0,,10094_1438421,00.html
SMS Still Not Picking Up in U.S.
Respondents were asked about deployment prospects for such messaging
products as short message service (SMS) [define ] text messages,
instant messaging for wireless calling, multimedia messaging service
(MMS), unified messaging and unified communications, and the reach of
presence and availability services into wireless.
http://uk.gsmbox.com/news/mobile_news/all/81359.gsmbox
SMS Trends Revealed
For SMS services network operators and service providers must identify
and market those services that will have mass market appeal and
consumers will pay for. In fact, SMS was not developed as a
person-to-person technology, but was made so by the youth market.
http://www.160characters.org/
SMS and Mobile Messaging Association
http://www.globalsoftwaresolutions.net/realestate/realestate.htm
This section is dedicated to Real Estate Agents and Industry
Professionals.
=================
UNIFIED MESSAGING
=================
http://www.verbx.com/marketinfostudies/messaging/vm&um.pdf
US Enterprise Voice Messaging and Unified Messaging Market Share and
Forecast 2001 Market Statistics -Gartner/Dataquest
This is a 40 page report
http://www.business.com/directory/telecommunications/business_solutions/unified_messaging/
Home > Telecommunications > Business Solutions > Unified Messaging
This is a directory for articles and market research reports on
Unified Messaging as well as links to a long list of vendors.
http://parallaxtechnologies.com/support/pdf/vpim.pdf
A discussion of Voice Profile for Internet Mail (VPIM) and AVT's
NetConnect TMDigital Networking Voice & Fax Networking Over the
Internet: White
Paper
"Consider the findings of a study conducted on the effects of
messaging in business communications
-- 75% of all business calls are not completed on the first attempt
-- 50% of all calls are for one-way transfers of information
-- 67% of all calls are considered to be less important than the work
they interrupt
-- 50% of all calls are longer than they need to be due to "chitchat"
The calls represented by these percentages would be better handled by
intentionally messaging the recipient. Voice mail has not been a
common tool for intentional messaging due to wide-spread system
incompatibility. This problem is now solved with the VPIM protocol.”
http://www.ema.org/vpim/about/paper.html
Unified Messaging: The VPIM Initiative
VPIM resolves long-standing difficulties in simply transporting
messages between disparate voice mail systems, and enables inexpensive
transport via TCP/IP intranets and Internets. It also facilitates
intentional messaging: the creation and sending of voice messages
without any real-time involvement with the recipient (or his/her voice
mail system or answering machine). Sending an intentional message
means not having to call the distant party, see if someone answers,
ask for the person you want, find out they are not n, then listen to
that party's voice mail greeting before leaving a message.
This relatively new use of voice messaging differs from voice mail's
original application--replacing secretaries and handwritten message
slips. Intentional messaging didn't take hold until users became
familiar with and learned to trust voice messaging's forwarding, reply
and distribution list functions. Then frequent travelers began using
it to handle multiple messages on a single call and reduce calling
expense. Today it is in widespread use among people who interact
regularly. Short, directed, intentional voice messages have become the
predominant way that workgroups accomplish their daily tasks in many
corporate environments.
http://www.tmia.org/main/glossary.html
Intentional messaging – A subscriber composes a message from within
their mailbox and sends it to another subscriber’s mailbox.
http://www.unified-view.com/finalreport.html
Unified Communications Consortium
The Unified View: Organizational Perspectives on Unified Messaging: A
Market Study
http://www.voicecom.com/industries/real_estate_messaging.cfm
Advanced voice messaging for real estate industry
This page illustrates how new features can be applied in this
industry.
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SEARCH STRATEGY
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callers prefer leaving voicemail
voice messaging survey user preferences
voice messaging
intentional voice messaging
voice messaging productivity statistics
intentional one way messaging |
