软电话在统一通信中的作用

我经常从策划电信和统一通信(UC)战略的人那里听到的一个问题是，在部署过程中，软电话应该扮演什么角色。与我们交谈过的大多数组织都在他们的IP电话计划中部署了一些软电话。对一些人来说，给手机和/或在家工作的人提供软电话是“杀手级应用”，尤其是对高级管理人员和经理。对于出差的员工来说，软电话在节省手机和长途费用方面具有巨大的潜力(假设酒店的互联网服务比传统的拨号服务质量更好)。大多数软电话部署(50%)提供了现有桌面电话的附加功能，但在34%的情况下，软电话是唯一的电话。这种情况在呼叫中心以及那些没有或不需要传统办公室的全职移动或远程工作者中最常见。随着UC使用量的增长，软电话(如Avaya One-X、Cisco Unified Personal Communicator、Microsoft Office Communicator)或集成方法(如Cisco Unified Communications Integration for Microsoft Office Communicator (CUCI-MOC))提供的功能也在增长。曾经简单的即时消息客户端现在越来越多地支持到场、桌面视频会议以及发起音频或Web会议的功能。这使得越来越多的IT计划者开始考虑彻底淘汰台式手机。成本是促使人们对软电话产生兴趣的另一个重要因素。 IP hardphones cost an average of $309 (typical costs range from $100 to $400, depending on the sophistication of the device). Softphone clients typically cost $50 to $80 per user, so the cost-savings is clear. Softphones also don’t require a large investment in power-over-Ethernet capable LAN switches, for many the largest cost component of their IP telephony investment. However, there are several drawbacks to adopting a softphone-only infrastructure: • Microsoft Windows XP does not support prioritization for voice applications, so a successful deployment of softphones is predicated on upgrading machines to Windows 7. (Softphone clients may not support Mac operating systems, or they may provide a lesser set of features). • Many individuals are reluctant to use softphones coupled with headsets, preferring instead to rely on a traditional handset with speakerphone, caller ID, speed dial buttons, and message waiting indicators. • Voice quality management for softphones requires integration of those responsible for supporting voice with those responsible for supporting desktops. • Software-based voice (and video) may be incompatible with desktop virtualization efforts unless desktop virtualization architecture supports local processing of voice and video data. IT planners should evaluate these concerns against the benefits that softphones can provide. Often the best approach is to create classifications of workers (e.g., field sales, field service, back-office, IT), and then determine the applicability of softphones for each profile.