Call Management – an ICON View

 “Today’s telephone solutions are all about call management, and if you are using your phone only to make and take calls you are probably not using it to its full potential or working as productively as you could.”   Mark Shane, Sales Director at ICON.

Productivity, cost control and customer service

The PBX has grown up and with it call management.  The range of applications that are classed as call management has expanded considerably.  Modern communications platforms, such as the Wave IP from Vertical Communications include call management applications such as,

• Campaign tracking
• Instant messaging
• Intelligent call routing
•  Real time presence
•  Contact centre

These are just a few of the call management applications available and, along with a host of other applications, are all about making a business more productive, reducing operational costs, providing the tools to build customer service, and helping it grow – a far cry from the limited range of call management tools of yesteryear which focused mostly on measuring, controlling and reporting.  

Call management for the business and the user

The traditional call logging and statistical analysis tools are still there but in contemporary communications platforms the call management applications have been put into the hands of the user.  

The introduction of communication platforms that simultaneously provide business and user level call management applications is a powerful development for businesses and has been facilitated by developments in user interfaces such as Vertical Communications award winning Viewpoint.   



These interfaces put the call management functions onto the desk top and into the hands of the user, and often that means into the hands of every one who has an extension number, whether that be a desk phone, a remote extension or a mobile extension. 

At a business level

Call management applications are usually built into the communications platform and are ready to use. There is no need for additional servers or boxes.  Modern communications platforms typically include as standard contact centre capability with skills based routing, meet-me conference rooms, advanced call recording capabilities with multiple recording options (by extension, trunk, team etc.), voice mail options as well as the traditional call logging applications and the tools for managing trunk utilisation.

At the user level

Typically call management functions such as call recording, conferencing, and call transfer are all available on the user’s desktop through Viewpoint type user interfaces.  What is more, in the leading edge communication platforms these call management solutions are available to mobile phone users, and remote extensions.  Often an individual  call log management application is available for each user 

Large and small

In contemporary communication solutions all these business productivity innovations come packaged in a single platform delivering the same functionality to the 10-man business as to the 1000 man business putting advanced call management solutions within the reach of every business no matter what its budget.

Selling solutions

The transformation of the traditional PBX from a clunky call router into a sophisticated solutions/applications platform is not without consequences.  The process of selling the package has had to change.  

The modern call management application is not a feature to be sold as an add-on to make a telephone system look attractive.  That is missing the point.   

Today’s call management tools are the building blocks and fundamental elements of a customised business solution that will impact productivity and profitability throughout the company.  

With today’s communications  platforms the new call management solutions enable businesses to amongst other things:

• Automatically track print, electronic, direct mail and online marketing campaigns.
• Redirect customers on credit hold to the accounting department when they call in.
• Extend call recording to mobile phone users wherever they are.

This means that when selling a new communications platform you do not demonstrate a call management solution at its functional level you identify and sell it as part of the total business solution.   

In today’s competitive market the winning presentation is the one that presents and demonstrates the communications platform that will achieve the company’s objectives whether these are productivity, customer service or financially focused.