As I sit in my home office without internet, a working phone line or any 3G connectivity, this seems a strange article to write. However, it is a complete possibility that Alexa, or similar products from the likes of Google, Cisco or Microsoft, could replace the business phone.
Handsets on desks to softphone
There is a saying that I detest in this industry. “Voice is still king”. Voice is still king, the most used channel, because businesses are yet to offer a replacement medium that means you don’t need to call. If I could live chat everything I needed immediately, I would do so. That may be with a chatbot, or a human, or a mix of both. I can continue with other tasks whilst my questions get answered. Everyone is different, but my personal productivity levels rise when I’m not waiting on the phone.
Accepting that voice is still king, we must look at the fashion that is softphones. Users of a certain age won’t have ever dialled from a telephone keypad. If you’ve just finished university and take an office job, putting a Polycom or Cisco handset in front of that qualified, intelligent person will be a new device and interface to learn. Why would anybody opt to pay for that privilege when a softphone is available at a fraction of the price, on a device that the user is already used to?
Again, everyone is different and certain generations and personas will prefer or require a desk phone. The trend, albeit not complete, is leaning towards softphone adoption.
Could the softphone replace the traditional business phone (handset)? In time, I think yes it could. Is this why traditional vendors like Yealink and Snom are branching out into conferencing equipment and other devices? I’m not sure, but it must certainly form a small part of the strategy.
What will replace the softphone?
Working on the premise that the softphone is here to stay, let’s look to the future. The next generation of softphones is team messaging. My second softphone experience was the original version of BroadSoft UC-One. This provided me with calling functionality, instant messaging, presence and video calling if my device supported it.
Today, BroadSoft UC-One is a completely different animal with team messaging capabilities, meeting functionality and powerful insights. Even this is potentially being phased out in favour of Cisco Webex Teams – a complete collaboration platform. The demand on the technology we make a call on is more and more as technology advances.
Business productivity and efficiency
Every business wants to (or should want to) be as productive and efficient as possible. There are still some examples of businesses that suggest hard work trumps productivity, like an example cited by Tim Ferris in his book “The 4-Hour Work Week”. He recalls a situation where he was fired for being too productive:
“I’m hired for minimum wage as the cleaner at an ice cream parlour and quickly realise the big boss’ methods duplicate effort. I do it my way, finish in one hour instead of eight, and spend the rest of the time reading kung-fu magazines and practising karate kicks outside. I am fired in a record three days, left with the parting comment – Maybe someday you’ll understand the value of hard work – it still seems I don’t”.
As funny an anecdote as this is, you see the point. Business need to be productive. In 2019, I’d like to think that introducing a new technology is a great way to achieve this and widely accepted.
