Achieve More Business Goals with Phone-Based Applications
There are at least 10 times as many telephones in the world as there are computers. As organizations of all sizes become accustomed to the integrated management capabilities of IP-based networks, developers are discovering a small but burgeoning applications market for IP phones.
IP phones combine the most crucial capabilities of phones, pagers, and computers, in that they can be used for signaling, voice communications, and data communications.
Applications developed for IP phones are especially effective in places where phones are more convenient, or ubiquitous because:
- An IP phone is less likely than a computer to need frequent upgrades or servicing to withstand the rigors of dust and vibration found on factory floors
- IP phones are less expensive to maintain than PCs
- Using a phone for multiple purposes saves space
How IP Phone Applications Can Work for You
A variety of examples of innovative and interesting phone-based applications exist today.
Emergency Warnings: Tornado warnings are usually announced by the media, but those who need information sooner can buy decoder boxes that pick up National Weather Service (NWS) radio signals and begin flashing a red light in response. The 17-school Frederick County School District in Virginia had installed such decoders, but they were only effective if someone was in the office to see them. Cisco partner AAC created a system to transmit the signal to the phones: Now, NWS warnings are automatically delivered to the LCD screens and speakers on all the district's IP phones, even wireless units.
Security: This era of heightened security also makes IP-based phones appealing for public-address systems. The headquarters of the U.S. Department of Commerce uses Berbee InformaCast to make announcements through the speakers of the agency's more than 4,200 IP-based phones. In cases of evacuation orders, the announcement can be made quickly and simultaneously. In Charles County Public Schools in La Plata , Maryland , the phones interact with the Verizon phone system. A 911 call automatically sends a detailed campus map of the caller's location to police headquarters.
School Attendance Tracking: Most schools now have Ethernet connections throughout their campuses, so they can use IP-based phones to transmit text or graphics without a major infrastructure upgrade. Attendance applications such as CalAmp ExtendTime and AAC PhoneTop K-12 Application Suite can provide parents ' contact information, so if the school hasn't been alerted that an absent child is sick, staff can contact the parents more quickly. In an emergency, they can also provide medical information about the student and quick access to medical help or police.
Time-Card Tracking: Attendance tracking is also useful in industries that have workers who are paid hourly, are highly mobile, or both. Being able to "punch in" using a phone keypad, or by swiping an ID card through an attached device, has advantages over the traditional time-clock system or even applications on computers.
Other compatible markets for IP phone applications include vertical applications, such as in the healthcare industry, where people often need fast access to information and phones are usually more easily accessible than computers.
Considerations
Although phone-based applications can benefit operational efficiency and communications, they have different technology support and training issues. IP phones are more computers than traditional phones:
- Realize IP phones have more features, so give users more time for training for functions beyond typical calling
- Benefit from technicians spending less time repairing them because they can be swapped out so easily
- Think about cultural and procedural changes that IP-phone applications might bring, much like the changes PC software first brought in terms of freedom and independence
