The UC Committee was formed in 2000. The primary goal of the UC Committee is to Foster the development, deployment and penetration of Unified Communications by facilitating interoperability in development, market analysis, customer and industry education and awareness.
The committee has been very active over the past four years, in which it has collaborated on the development and execution of five research projects. These projects have helped TMIA members to understand customer behavior, market opportunities and the likely popularity of potential service offerings with customers.
In 2004 the committee is working on two concurrent projects. As technology evolves, particularly related to wireless and VoIP, the committee will discuss and catalogue evolutionary technology in order to keep the membership informed and educated. In addition, the committee will look into the future to identify revolutionary technologies and address critical questions, such as: Where might we be in three or four years? What will our customers want? Which competing technologies may become widely adopted? Can the committee anticipate the intersection between customer needs/desires and technology to predict invention and deployment of new products and services?
At the same time, the committee is working on its sixth research project which continues to drill down into the integration of wireline and wireless voice and data services.
The committee meets via conference call about once each month for 1.5 hours. The schedule of calls for 2004/2005 is: April 15 , May 13, June 10, July 15, August 12, September 16, October 14, November 11, January 13, January 27, February 10 .
Any member company representative is welcome to join the UC committee. Contact Tom Harper and he will add you to the team.
Telephone Answer Committee
The Telephone Answer Committee has been active since TMIA's inception. Its primary function has been to help Telephone Answering Voicemail realize its potential. Promoting the growth of a collective voicemail "pie" will help TMIA's service provider and vendor members to compete for their share of a larger market. Over the years, the committee has focused on understanding and measuring churn and studying the best practices for churn control and reduction. The committee has developed opportunities to expand the market through innovative marketing, bundling and packaging, personalization, etc.
Currently, the Telephone Answer Committee is focused on the migration from legacy technology to next-generation messaging platforms. Most service providers are providing voicemail services on technology which is 10+ years old. Most will be migrating to newer platforms that enable advanced messaging services and preparation for the IP environment. The committee is undertaking a specific research project to help TMIA members understand the customer's concern with change. How do customers feel about pressing new buttons, losing their pre-recorded greetings and other changes that may be necessary when the provider moves to a new platform? How do the concerns of wireless customers differ from those of wireline customers? This research project is well underway for scheduled readout at the TMIA's Fall 2004 face-to-face meeting.
The Telephone Answer Committee meets about once per month via conference call. The 2004/05 schedule of meetings is: May 19, June 16, July 21, August 18, September 15, October 20, November 17, December 15, January 19, February 16. All meetings are scheduled for 12 noon Eastern and will not last longer than 1.5 hours.
Any member company representative is welcome to join the Telephone Answer Committee. Contact Tom Harper and he will add you to the team.
PR Committee
TMIA's PR Committee has a wide range of responsibilities, including the promotion TMIA in the media and the production of materials and resources for the members. The PR Committee produces a newsletter several times per year, entitled TMIA Talk. In addition, the Committee creates press releases announcing the latest TMIA news, which may include such topics as recent research results, changes within the organization, and industry-related points of interest or education.
Most recently, during 2003/2004, the PR Committee has created and launched the new TMIA Web site, which you are looking at if you are reading these words. In the future, the Committee will continue to produce TMIA Talk; press releases on topics pertinent to TMIA, its members and their audiences; and other materials to help maintain a consistent and positive image for TMIA among its core constituencies.
