Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” – Arthur Clarke
Technology has expelled a sense of magic for Hunter Moses as far as he can remember. Looking back, he can still hear that signature dial-up modem sound coming from his home computer. It was like a telephonic symphony laying the opening soundtrack for a new frontier… the Internet.
Ahh the days.. for those of us who can remember.
But we digress. When it came to all things tech, Hunter loved video games, but despised Windows XP. He later felt vindicated by the improvements made in Windows 7. Hunter’s favorite hobbies soon grew to solving Internet issues for others and jumping into the world of networking, and he eventually earned a degree at UT Tyler in Computer Information Systems.
The magic that sparked his interest became a passion and eventually a profession. When Hunter came to work for Datamax as a TSG Technology Specialist, he found a similar magic in the UC platform Elevate. He shares below, for you dear reader, just a few of his favorite Elevate features.
"The spark started when I noticed that I really enjoyed fixing network issues. This spark continues when configuring client phone systems on Elevate," Hunter said. "When a client wants their phone system to work a specific way and I’m able to accommodate their needs, the spark is sustained."
Communication Magic: 6 Elevate features that Hunters loves (and thinks you will, too).
1. Call Flip.
Call Flip is an Intermedia Elevate feature that allows you to continue the current active call using a different device. These can interchange between desktop computers, desktop phones, iPads, iPhones… you name it. All you need is the App.
“Let’s say I’m on a support call with a client but I’ve got to go pick up my wife. Instead of interrupting my call with a client, or making my wife wait, I can flip the call and it goes from my desktop computer to my mobile device.”
2. Chat Feature.
It’s no secret that outside of the workplace, we’re a world of texters. Integrating a business chat feature into our workday isn’t just handy… it’s productive. Chat messages with Elevate sync across desktop and mobile applications—so teams can stay connected, from wherever they work.
“The chat function is just like a text message,” Hunter said. “It looks professional, it’s well developed, and it's handy. Let’s say a client is having trouble describing an issue to me. They can just text me a picture and I instantly have a much better idea of what’s going on.”
3. Voicemail Transcription.
This feature needs to be manually turned on, but with Hunter’s role as an example, transcribing a voicemail can be a huge productivity boost.
“If I get a support request from a client on my phone, and that message is transcribed, I can immediately email that message to our help desk, and it’s as if they just called in the request and it’s already in the system.”
4. Video Conference.
It’s just like Zoom (only, from one Rave Review scribe’s humble opinion, more intuitive and a whole lot easier to use). By opening up the App (from whatever device you choose), you can immediately jump into a video conference meeting.
“You can record all your meetings. You can make notes on the screen during the meeting, raise your hand (so you don’t interrupt the flow of the meeting) and it’s all encrypted, so these meetings are secure. It also syncs with Outlook for scheduling purposes,” Hunter said.
5. Favorites.
Inside the chat feature, users can select favorites by clicking on that person’s name and marking them such. These users will appear at the top of your selection of ongoing chats.
“For people I talk to on a regular basis, often several times a day, I favorite them so I can quickly click and start up a conversation,” Hunter said.
6. Desktop App Calling.
Used to tabbing down to “Corporate Directory” and then typing in a person’s name using the numerical desktop phone keypad? Finding your Datamax colleague's extension just got a lot easier.
When making a phone call from your desktop via Elevate, simply click on the “Phone” button on the left sidebar of the Elevate App, and a list of Internal users appears (with a search feature), so finding the contact you need is only a click away.
In short, when Hunter describes Elevate to new users like this Rave Review scribe, he uses words like “self-supporting,” “intuitive” and “easy to use.” They say that there’s magic in simplicity. And when it comes to the Elevate UC platform, it’s hard to argue such.
