I was speaking with some product developers at Garmin the other day, and they mentioned the next quarter release of their nuviphone, a handset that looks a bit like Apple's popular iPhone, but with a mix of features that might appeal to business users as well. Later in the week, I was looking at the Packet8 website and reading about their VoIP services and how they integrate with Salesforce.com. Business leaders take note: as new communications applications add features, your team needs to re-assess which technologies are in place at your organization for communications. A phone is no longer just a phone.
Take the nuviphone again from Garmin. With its ability to find locations easily, its integration with Google Local Search, its information integration, suddenly the idea of mashing this phone against a salesperson's Salesforce.com customer database and lining up visits in a location-based order becomes a simple integration. Back at the office, as phones and our CRM software platforms reside on the same server, clicking on a customer's name now brings anything from voice, to IM, to video, to email up as a communications method, depending on preferences and/or the end customer's status options.
With a few other advances, such as my BlackBerry Curve's built in ability to switch from cellular service to wifi when presented with an available network, the reality of business phones that are at once un-tethered and still economical is very much here. Mash this with robust call routing and management software, integrated digital voicemail, smart attendant features, and location based services for business, and the future of business communications grows more and more intriguing. What comes next in communications devices is a fascinating trend to watch over the next several months, and we'll stay on it.