Why I use Communicator

So the Office Communication Server 2007 public beta has been out there for some time and lots of people I have met are using it and loving it.

But I thought I would take a minute to outline why I think it is a brilliant tool.

1. It allows me to work anywhere - I am very lucky in the fact that I do not have to be in the office 9-5, I can pick and choose where and when I work. Communicator therefore allows me to do this much easier. For example if I decide to work form home all I need to do is turn on my laptop and fire up communicator. I can immediately see who is online and can get to the right people the first time. No more fire and forget emails or phone calls to voice mail.

2. Presence - I found it so much easier to check someone presence before starting a form of communication, gone are the days of frustration when a mail is fired off into the ether and me waiting for an answer. With Presence I can see the status of anybody and can start a conversation

3. Once I have checked the presence of someone I immediately can start am IM. Instant Messaging is the way to go - it is just so much more effective than email. With Communicator 200&, I can cut and paste all sorts of excel and word snippets, basically allowing to get straight to the point. Making collaboration much better

4. Phone calls - click to call is an absolute boon, I don't have a deskphone ( or a desk for that matter) but with communicator I can just press a button and the call is initiated. No longer am I flicking  back and fore between screen and phone typing in numbers.

5. Because I am calling a person I know that they have the ability to decide where the call goes, so they could have forwarded all calls to a mobile or a desktop phone, hence the connection will always be made.

6. Likewise I can now put subjects into my telephone calls - how many times have you been sitting at your desk and seen the number flash up and decided to ignore the call. With subjects in the call it now makes it easier for me to decide whether to take it or not - thus making me more effective in managing my time

So start using it and see for yourself how great it is