Unified Communications Services
MacRoberts has installed Microsoft Unified Communications Services throughout the firm. This enables us seamlessly to integrate voice, video and live meeting technology both within the business and with our clients.
For clients with Microsoft OCS we are able to link our communication systems with theirs, affording a more cost effective, integrated client focussed communications strategy to facilitiate better teamwork and collaboration
Voice
Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 works with older telecommunications infrastructures. So clients can deploy Voice over IP (VoIP) technology and maintain their current PBX and telephony hardware.
Messaging
With Microsoft Unified Communications technologies, e-mail, voice mail, faxes, and calendar events all arrive in one in-box. That means people can prioritise and color-code voice mails and faxes in the same way as their e-mail messages.
Instant Messaging
Instant messaging (IM) is the prime option for quick communication, and can be used for impromptu conferencing as well. Using rich presence, users can obtain contact information at a glance and send an IM to one person or invite multiple people to a conferencing session within the IM window for easy, convenient communication with just a click of a button.
Presence
It is increasingly common for people and teams to work from different locations and time zones using diverse means for communication which can make knowing when to contact someone challenging. Rich presence, the foundational element of Office Communicator 2007 R2, helps users make the right communication choices by providing detailed information about a person's availability and status.
Presence status can be controlled directly by the user or set automatically based on Microsoft Office Outlook calendar, login status, and other information sources. Users can individualise access levels for different contacts to share information with them. Presence is available throughout Microsoft Office applications so users can make a phone call from within Outlook or share a comment with a business document author from within the context of work.
Conferencing
The Microsoft Office Live Meeting service supports the voice and videoconferencing tools in Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 with a rich, online meeting environment. Office Live Meeting enables customers to effectively collaborate on, train for, and deliver interactive presentations with anyone, virtually anywhere -using just a PC connected to the Internet.
With Office Communications Server 2007 R2, users get Web based conferencing with integrated audio and video, which provides a rich experience for instant collaboration and meetings.
High definition video has been added to video conferencing and offers the highest video quality available for a clear conferencing experience.
Web conferencing allows one-click desktop share in Office Communicator so that documents, applications, and media with integrated voice and audio can be shared in real time as if the people in your conference were gathered around a table in the meeting. Users can easily initiate meetings with anyone from within Outlook and Communicator - right from an active conversation or a meeting request.
Audio conferences can even be started from a mobile phone and then moved onto a PC once the user gets into the office.
Office Communicator Web conferencing uses the same client as the Office Live Meeting Service for a consistent experience
How we use Unified Communication Services
We are able to federate with clients for an integrated communications solution; we are able to utilise state of the art video conferencing both from purpose built factilities and from desktops better to link with clients in a more productive manner.
The ease of use of Unified Communication Services means that fee-earners are able to work remotely, whether from home, client premises or remote locations as if they were at their desk thereby increasing efficiency and productivity.