Unified messaging is the integration of several different communications media, such that users will be able to retrieve and send voice, fax, and e-mail messages from a single interface, whether it is a wire line phone, wireless phone, PC, or Internet-enabled PC.
Unified messaging is one stop shopping for all your voice mail, email and fax communications. Unified messaging service lets you retrieve all your messages with one phone call or on visit to a website. Emails and fax headers are translated into voice messages presented to the user with an option to have them forwarded to a nearby fax machine (at a hotel for example).
Most unified messaging services let users prioritize messages, regardless of the form that it came in voice or email. If your boss leaves a message (and the UM service has him/her selected as a high priority sender) then it will be one of the first you hear— regardless of how many other messages are waiting in the inbox.
Features
Unified Communications: bring all of your communication devises together, and manage them in one place - phone, fax, cell, home, office, pager, email, voice mail.
Voice Mail: with personalized announcements, receive your voice mail via telephone or hear it through your e-mail account (WAV File), screen your voice mail while it's being left for you.
Easy Setup: via the Internet, phone or fax, make unlimited changes any time of day or night, 365 days a year.
Faxing: no fax machine required, get your faxes via the Internet, no more busy signals for your callers, and everything is confidential. Now you can route your faxes anywhere in the country.
Music On-Hold: the caller is entertained with music.
E-Mail: listen and respond to e-mails via your telephone or send them directly to your voice mail. Have your own private email address to give out, and do away with unsolicited email messages.
Notification of Missed Calls: via phone, pager, and/or e-mail. you will notify you when a call, voice mail, email or fax is delivered.
Caller ID: get caller information sent to your pager and to telephones that don't ordinarily display where callers are calling from.
Conference Calling: with up to 20 parties, record your calls or conferences for future reference.
Automatic Call Router: set up a custom phone menu system that allows callers to select phone options when they call you. Callers can choose as example option 1 to contact "Bill", press option 2 to contact "Lisa", or press 3 for a company directory. Another use could be to press option 1 for "Sales", press 2 for "Service", or press option 3 for "Company Information".
Detailed Call Reports: available via the Internet in real-time. View all of your calls both incoming and outgoing as well as real-time billing information.
Personal Phone and Address Book: store names, addresses, telephone numbers and email addresses in a web-based phone book and contact manager; access them via the Internet or from any telephone.
