VoIP Chat Client Highlights
For most businesses leveraging a hosted VoIP service today, employees often have access to a VoIP chat feature that allows them to text message important contacts when they’re out-of-the-office, in a hurry, or simply unavailable to speak for any reason. Also known as IM&P (standing for instant messaging and presence), these chat services play a critical role in increasing employee efficiency and productivity, and ultimately redefining the way modern businesses function.
Business VoIP Desktop Client
Using a desktop or laptop computer, employees will be able to initiate a VoIP chat session with another employee directly from their desktop VoIP client. Usually, this voice chat clients have an active contact directory (exactly like a buddy list) that shows the availability and other information for each contact. From here, employees can click on the individual and begin directly messaging him or her. Many VoIP clients (including the DOTVOX One client) also allow group chat and collaboration features that allow employees to chat with multiple users at once, share files, video conference, and engage in a screen sharing session.
Business VoIP App
On a mobile VoIP app, employees have the opportunity to engage in similar chat activities as the aforementioned desktop client above. The main differences here, however, are the mobile capabilities the mobile app is able to facilitate. Employees who leverage the app are able to message contacts while they’re out in the field, in a meeting, in a noisy environment, or in any other place with a Wi-Fi or cellular data connection. Additionally, they even have the chance to engage in a video conference opportunity directly from their smartphone or tablet if they so choose.
Rich Presence
On both the desktop client and mobile app, employees are able to set their availability status as well as view the status of their contacts. Also known in the industry as “presence status,” these status settings include:
- Available
- Away
- Busy
- Offline
The status indicator also signifies if a user is on a call or in a meeting, and can also be used to note the current location of that particular employee if he or she chooses.
Benefits
Productivity Increase – No matter where employees are in the world or what they’re doing, they’ll have the opportunity to keep business continuing through text. Seen in the past as an unprofessional way to communicate, modern businesses now understand the mobile and multi-tasking capabilities text communications can offer, and are beginning to harness its real power through a hosted VoIP chat client.
Efficiency Increase – Not all information is best received through a voice conversation. Using a business voice client, employees can easily and quickly transmit important, easily forgotten information (such as names, addresses, phone numbers, etc.) and store them in a place that can be accessed on the go. Chat histories are saved, so previous conversations with a contact can be reviewed anywhere, at any time, on any VoIP compatible device.
Costs Saved – Rather paying for separate service providers, software, and/or devices to provide a proper communications system for employees, companies have the opportunity to consolidate these costs into a single bill from a single provider. Employees also can use their own devices with these VoIP chat clients, so companies can save money even further by cutting out the need to pay for separate cell phones and data plans.