| Universal Messaging and messaging convergence | | | | client software, this allows a Nortel network to |
| are one of the grand goals of improving office | | | | provide voice activated menus that allow the |
| efficiency; the aim is to use a digital solution to | | | | users to check emails over the phone, or have |
| route incoming calls, allow users to handle and | | | | them pushed to their mobile devices, and even |
| manage voice mail, send and receive faxes, and a | | | | includes a text to speech engine so that emails |
| host of other digital office requirements. Nortel | | | | can be read to the user by the computer. |
| has been the industry leader in providing these | | | | Call Pilot's integration model synchronizes |
| features with the Nortel Meridian call hub PBX | | | | everything through the email client level; this |
| system, and as the ways to handle interoffice | | | | allows it to handle most email clients natively and |
| and intra office communication have proliferated | | | | thus reduces your training costs. There are |
| (faxes to emails to audiovisual clips, to power | | | | plug-ins for most modern email programs and |
| point presentations and more), Nortel has been on | | | | quite a few legacy ones. When you leave a voice |
| the forefront of providing the technology and the | | | | mail on the system, it sends an email confirmation |
| integrated support and services agreement that | | | | with the name and the time the voice mail was |
| makes them go. | | | | left, and will also notify you when the voice mail |
| Nortel's PBXs can handle Ethernet and DTMS | | | | was listened to. Like most speech centric |
| analog phone systems, as well as support | | | | programs, Nortel Call Pilot allows you to fast |
| features for higher end desktop phones, including | | | | forward through a voice stream with a slider, and |
| call forwarding, automated response systems and | | | | even to save the voicemail as an audio file and |
| call volume tracking and statistics. It's worth | | | | email it as an attachment. It also has the ability to |
| looking into a package deal for both the Meridian | | | | switch playback from a PC's speakers to the |
| system and the phone installations. Nortel's | | | | phone at your desk (or vice versa) if needed, a |
| acquisition by Avaya allows Avaya's (formerly | | | | handy touch. |
| Lucent's) network of resellers and installation | | | | What really sets the Nortel Call Pilot installation |
| agents to provide the sales and initial installation | | | | apart is the Integrated Voice Recognition (IVR) |
| for getting a Meridian PBX installed at you | | | | tools -- you can speak to the phone and have it |
| business. | | | | handle most of the routine tasks you'd be doing in |
| Nortel's Meridian system is a blade server running | | | | a voice mail menuing system (or you can log in to |
| a set of hosted telephony and IP related services | | | | your mailbox with your email client and do the |
| (the entire package has been voice over IP since | | | | same thing). What IVR lets you do is work hands |
| 2003), and allows it to work as a PBX and | | | | free with most of your digital communications |
| interface with the company's mail servers and | | | | tools. |
| other servers. When combined with the Call Pilot | | | | |