Surveys repeatedly say today’s workers want to abandon the traditional office environment. This trend is reinforced by Gartner’s findings that 75% of mobile solutions will be fully integrated into enterprise communications infrastructures by 2016.

Several components play a role in making mobility work, but it is the “presence” capability that serves as the key to empowering the “anywhere, anytime, any device” mantra today’s professionals hope to achieve. Where a person works no longer matters, and when utilized fully, presence gives a user access to knowledge that improves decision making.

Presence information, especially when coupled with other UC tools like calendar access, messaging, and video allows colleagues to immediately know where their peers are and whether or not they are available. It is wise to train users on presence best practices so they can make more intelligent communication choices. For instance, focus on how to use presence to address a customer’s question by locating accessible and available experts within the system – and whether it’s best to reach that individual via messaging, voice or video.

Using presence to maximize mobility is one of the most significant components of improving productivity. Extending UC tools to mobile staff improves their productivity up to 10%, as well as the productivity of those who are dependent on their availability and responsiveness. So encourage your entire user base to explore and share how they are using presence to improve productivity, flexibility and collaboration — both in-house and with external partners.

For details on how Unified Communication solutions and presence tools can improve the way you do business, contact us today at: (800) 787-4848 or email jnolte@chesapeaketelephone.com.