Voice Is the Key to Collaboration

Trends in the Collaboration Marketplace

February 6, 2015

© 2015 Wainhouse Research, LLC

Summary InsightsConferencing, or Collaboration Services, has seen significant change in the last three years.

Video conferencing moved away from expensive, immersive group video rooms − costing

greater than $150,000 each and requiring dedicated scheduling and management systems −

toward ad-hoc personal HD video conferencing. Web conferencing has become

democratized; where a limited number of people once held accounts that were costly, now a

higher percentage of all employees have web conferencing accounts that are affordable. This

has also been true for audio conferencing, where the volume and use of audio conferencing

has almost doubled worldwide in the last five years from 78 billion minutes of use in 2010 to an

estimated 150 billion in 2014, as the price per call has dropped by almost half.

The reasons for the growth in conferencing services are associated with ease of use, lower cost,

greater awareness, availability and personal productivity benefits – doing more in less time and

at a lower cost, e.g. versus traveling to a meeting − either leaving your desk to go to a

conference room or flying to another city.

Additionally, new services such as unified communications and personal web-based

collaboration have raised awareness of collaboration services and assisted in making them

easier to use by integrating multiple services. Unified communications began with the premise

that presence-enabled voice would make it easier to find and connect with colleagues and

trading partners (presence tells you whether they are available for a call). As part of this, voice

transitioned from a silo, standalone service, to something that could be combined with instant

messaging, web and video conferencing services. Similarly, web conferencing – typically

limited to screen and application sharing, expanded to include VoIP and PSTN audio

conferencing and HD personal video conferencing – now referred to as personal web-based

collaboration.

The combined effect of the development of conferencing services that are easier to use and

access, along with a dramatically lower cost per user, has raised the awareness and use of all

conferencing services. However, irrespective of the advances in unified communications and

personal web-based collaboration, audio conferencing remains the dominant – and

foundational – form of collaborating for employees. Today, most unified communication

meetings begin with audio, then participants add video and web sharing as needed. Similarly,

in most personal web-based collaboration sessions today, the meeting begins with audio, with

web sharing and video added as needed. As of late 2014, Wainhouse Research estimates there

are more than 25 million Microsoft Lync unified communications licenses that are enabled with

conferencing1, and an estimated 40 million personal web-based collaboration users. However,

audio conferencing still dominates with an estimated 100 million users worldwide, and a very

large number using audio as a standalone service.

1 WR estimate of Microsoft Lync Enterprise Client Access Licenses (CAL)

© 2015 Wainhouse Research, LLC

Trends Specific to Audio Conferencing Wainhouse Research (WR) recently surveyed IT decision makers, conference moderators and

participants in their use of audio conferencing services. In total:

‒ 41% indicate they participate in an audio conference multiple times per

week

‒ 27% state they are in daily conference calls

‒ A whopping 40% reported greater audio conference use over the

prior year

Additionally, how employees participate in a call has changed dramatically; whereby just a few

years back, greater than 50% would claim participating via a speakerphone in a conferencing

room with colleagues, today access is widely distributed with participants claiming access from

a variety of devices.

33% 33% 20% 14%

Two things stand out in these statistics: a) conference calling has evolved from joining others in a

conference room to a more personal experience, participating from wherever they are on

whatever device they have and, b) phone access (vs. PC or web access) – whether a desk

phone, speakerphone or mobile phone − dominates in 67% of all calls.

In conducting customer roundtables, WR has begun to survey IT decision makers – those

responsible for communication services in their enterprise – about the volume of calls that

terminate to another telephone, versus the volume of calls that terminate to an audio

conferencing bridge. In the past year, 100% of the enterprises surveyed indicate that greater

than 50% of all their calls terminate to an audio bridge. While this is in no way a comprehensive

market survey, there is good evidence to believe many enterprises have a similar situation.

Consider this information against the PBX replacement premise that most organizations use to

justify unified communications. Could the premise of unified communication deployments be

misplaced if most of the calls in an organization are audio conference calls? Maybe

communication today – and specifically unified communications − really means collaboration:

three or more people communicating together.

© 2015 Wainhouse Research, LLC

Critical Needs of Today’s Audio Conferencing User As the use of audio conferencing services becomes wider and deeper within organizations, it

becomes critical to make administration, access, control, and participation easier.

Web Portals

The history of access and control for most audio conference calls has been via a telephone

keypad (known as DTMF controls, e.g., *6 to mute or unmute). And, while that capability is still

important and available to most users, web-based controls have become the new standard.

The advent of the web portal has dramatically improved how administrators and call organizers

facilitate account control and manage meetings. Administrators now have easy access to add

and delete users, create and manage groups, view real-time usage by user and cost center,

and set features and services by user.

For conference organizers, web portals enable:

Call credentials and access numbers in one place – a landing page that provides key

information on conference room number and the organizer PIN, as well as a directory of

global toll and toll-free numbers.

© 2015 Wainhouse Research, LLC

Online and integrated calendar scheduling – calls can be organized and scheduled

online, including creating groups for regularly occurring meetings, and plug-ins to enable

call scheduling within popular calendar programs such as Microsoft Outlook, whereby

call access information is auto-populated into the calendar invite.

Setting security codes – although the conference room ID, announcement at call entry

of each participant (optional), online visual indication of participants via call ID, and

conference lock (optional) each provide some level of security, an additional security

code for call access may be required for more sensitive calls. The ability to create a

unique security code online is important to many call organizers.

Graphically based, in-call web control tools that replace traditional telephone keypad

controls (DTMF): Single-click access to mute individual or all participants, record the call,

lock the call, put individuals “on hold” or drop participants from the call.

Allocating call costs with cost codes – many organizations require billing by department,

line of business or by customer (think consultants and lawyers).

Access and playback of call recordings – reviewing a conversation and forwarding call

recordings to participants who could not attend is important to many organizations.

Online access allows call organizers to view recordings, playback, and forward to others.

Convenient Call Access

As indicated earlier, the history of audio conferences has been that

most callers access a conference call either from a speakerphone with

others in a conference room or via their desk phone. Today, call

access is becoming more widely distributed based on huge shifts in

work trends. In a recent study2 by Wainhouse Research, IT decision

makers indicate that almost one third (29%) of their workers are mobile

versus fixed in an office. In that same study, workers indicated that 15%

of them work primarily from a home office. While there has been a

tremendous discourse on work/life balance and BYOD/BYOA (Bring

Your Own Device/App), in truth what has been taking place for the

majority of these workers who don’t work in a fixed or corporate office

(and for many who do), is a constant shifting between work and

personal life activities. While “balance” may be difficult to achieve,

harmony is certainly possible when users have the right tools that allow

them to shift seamlessly between their business and personal

obligations. For audio conference calls, part of facilitating this is choice

in call access and ease of call entry. New capabilities that enable

ease of call access and entry include:

Mobile – for call organizers, good mobile applications allow auto-dial of the conference room ID

and their organizer PIN – typically one-to-two click access to start an ad hoc meeting. Similar

auto-fill capabilities allow organizers to send email invites. Scheduled meetings often show up in

2 Wainhouse Research 2104 Audio Conferencing Survey: Conferencing IT Decision Makers, Hosts and Participants

© 2015 Wainhouse Research, LLC

a conference call list within the app and allow for one- to two-click access. For participants,

simply adding the conference room ID allows the app to auto-dial them into the call. The key to

a successful mobile application is to automate call set up or access functions, which is especially

helpful for someone driving, rushing through an airport or time-shifting on the sideline of their

child’s soccer game.

Workers’ needs for mobile will likely increase in the near future. While there has been

tremendous talk about enterprise mobile needs over the last four years, the topic comes to the

top of IT decision makers’ minds when they consider mobile and collaboration services.3 Mobile

voice grew 14% to 2.6 trillion minutes in 2013.4 This kind of growth and volume leads to the

natural assumption that as more business communication goes mobile there will be increasing

needs to use smart mobile apps for conferencing.

Personal Web-Based Collaboration – In the last three years WR has seen a huge shift to

integrated collaboration services that combine multiple forms of audio access – mobile, Internet

VoIP and traditional PSTN − with web and personal HD video conferencing. There are number of

benefits, including single sign-on for multiple services, a fully integrated experience – the three

services have a similar interface and properly interact with one another - the ease and

opportunity to promote an audio call to a web and/or HD video call, and service and billing

from one vendor.

3 Wainhouse Research 2104 Audio Conferencing Survey: Conferencing IT Decision Makers, Hosts and Participants 4 CITA 2013 Annual Wireless Industry Survey

© 2015 Wainhouse Research, LLC

Recent research indicates most knowledge workers spend a large portion of their time

communicating and collaborating with others5. Providing core foundational audio

conferencing services with conveniences like mobile apps and integrated services are critical

capabilities for today’s knowledge worker.

An Introduction to OpenVoice

OpenVoice is a cloud-based audio conferencing service that belongs to one of the world's most popular suite of online collaboration products, GoToMeeting, GoToWebinar and GoToTraining.

In alignment with market trends, OpenVoice service has been uniquely designed with the critical needs of the user in mind. Specifically, OpenVoice has been designed to make audio conferencing easy.

For control and reporting, OpenVoice has created the Unified Administrative Portal which brings together OpenVoice audio services with GoToMeeting, GoToWebinar, and GoToTraining within a web-based portal. The portal provides a single site for managing multiple services, offers real-time status of usage, enables management of users and groups, provides report creation, allows review of account details and enables requests for real-time support.

For conference organizers, the OpenVoice User Portal enables the ability to create groups for recurring calls, invite participants and schedule calls, control key call features via web-based icons (e.g., record, mute, lock), access to call recordings, review of minute usage and the ability to create preferences for conference management – e.g., notifications, security settings and assignment of cost centers.

As a global provider, OpenVoice offers international toll and toll-free access from over 50 countries in Asia, Europe, Africa, South America, North America and Australia. This same service is part of OpenVoice’s mobile application enabling organizers and participants to start and join calls with auto dialing of call access numbers and credentials, as well as single-click access to pre-scheduled meetings.

Being part of the world’s most popular personal web-based service also allows OpenVoice to provide integrated toll-free access to the popular GoToMeeting, GoToWebinar and GoToTraining services when toll-free is preferred over toll or VoIP access.

5 The Social Economy, Unlocking Value & Productivity through Social Technologies, McKinsey Global Institute

© 2015 Wainhouse Research, LLC

Summary Voice remains the dominant way the enterprise communicates in real-time, and audio

conferencing is the key to managing teams. WR’s market intelligence indicates that audio

conferencing continues to grow organically based on its inherent value as a fast, easy and

inexpensive way to bring people and ideas together. Additionally, as other forms of

collaboration and integrated communications – web and video conferencing and unified

communications –grow, these other services further push the use and growth of audio.

When considering an audio service, ease of access, ease of control and use, integration with

personal web and video conferencing, and a service relationship with one provider who can

provide all these attributes, top IT decision makers’ criteria.

© 2015 Wainhouse Research, LLC

About the Author

Marc F. Beattie is a Senior Analyst & Partner at Wainhouse Research where he is an expert in

cloud-based collaboration services delivered by Telcos and specialty service providers. He has

authored public and private studies on product strategies, distribution structures, emerging

technologies and industry applications. He regularly consults with end users, global Telcos,

service providers, technology providers, emerging companies, and the financial community.

Marc spent 13 years working within the industry before becoming an analyst and consultant in

1998. See Marc's contact details and all of his studies here

© 2015 Wainhouse Research, LLC

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This paper is authored by Wainhouse Research.