Unified Messaging - Redefined?

With the advent of the Internet, the lines between the telephone industry and the computer and networking industries began to merge, producing a class of services known as Unified Messaging (UM). Companies such as U-Reach, AccessLine and even J2 Communications (formerly known as JFax) along with their subsidiary eFax have over the years defined these services. The basic offerings include internet fax and voice mail, some of which are completely advertising-supported. The most robust services start with voice mail and notification, progressing to "smart" services such as follow-me roaming and functionality based on location or time. In these cases faxes are still offered, but more as an afterthought.

UM services have long appealed to a core group of professionals who want to be more available than their competitors, having the ability to be in almost constant touch with their clients. And, they are good. We have used them successfully for years to deliver messages to us wherever in the world we happen to be on a timely basis. But, our take is that this business model is about to change.

Enter the VoIP companies. When the current offerings of companies such as Vonage, Lingo, VoicePulse and others are reviewed and compared to typical UM services, it becomes apparent that these folks are on a collision course. Problem is, it is not apparent that they have noticed!

The best VoIP providers have lots of extra features included with the service as standard. They are trying to compete with the premium Telco offerings providing Caller ID, Distinctive Ring, etc., so they realised long ago that these things must be a part of the service. But in addition, they are all offering free voice mail, most are offering call diversion (some even based on time of day!), call forwarding, 3-way calling and other call controls. In a word, they are moving into the UM space quite quickly.

Most of the services also offer a 2nd number using their primary adapter. This second line brings in more service possibilities, such as call hunting or call distribution. Some of them allow this number to be a fax line, which would connect to a physical fax machine in the customer's office. How simple would it be to make that a virtual fax, instead? Why limit the offering on the adapter to a physical machine? Is this simply because the VoIP companies have so much on their plate that they just aren't thinking about it yet? But this kind of thinking out of the box will make for a more robust service.

OK, maybe the VoIP supplier does not have the time or inclination to do this, but J2/eFax or one of their competitors certainly should be interested, so why not simply put the products together in a way that is seamless to the end user? Fax machines are great for sending - everyone should have one - but, I haven't received a fax on a physical machine in my office for years. I use a J2 number because it is simple and convenient. And, because I can get my faxes anywhere, even re-directing them to a physical machine close by if necessary.

And, don't forget virtual numbers. One of the moneymakers for the VoIP folks is that they can get you virtual numbers in lots of different places which point to your phone. In the old days with the now-gone Bell System, we used to refer to these as "Remote Call Forward" or "Remote Exchange" services. A business in New York would take out a number in Los Angeles with no physical phone but the ability to point all incoming calls to his New York location. We would charge them from $15-20/month for this priveledge, plus the costs of calls, but with these VoIP offerings you can have them for as little as $2/month, depending on the service, and there is generally no fee for incoming calls. You can even get an overseas number from some of the services - we have a London number on our Vonage account.

Once again, these features sound suspiciously like what we have come to know as UM. Or at least a component thereof. This is why we believe that convergence between these two kinds of services must eventually take place. In the long run, it may be the only way the traditional UM companies will survive. And in the VoIP game, it will be a way to enhance service offerings to keep a step ahead of the competition. Now let's see if anyone picks up on it!