Unified messaging is defined as software technology that allows users access to their e-mail, voice and fax messages from any phone, PC or information device in a single interface. 

The increased productivity, timesaving and flexibility of unified messaging translate into valuable cost savings.  A recent industry study published by Comgroup, an independent telecommunications consulting firm, and AVT Corp. measured unified messaging's effects on time savings and productivity.  The study found that by utilizing unified messaging, mobile users experienced a time savings gain of 70 percent when compared to the traditional means of checking messages.

Increased Efficiency
The first facet of the study compared users who were able to review and manage all of their voice, fax, and e-mail messages over the telephone using unified messaging with those who check messages on the road the conventional way (i.e. calling in over the telephone to listen to voice messages; calling an assistant at the main office to send faxes to the nearest fax machine; and connecting to the Internet with a laptop computer to download and check e-mails).

One important point to note is that with unified messaging, mobile employees always have access to their messages at anytime.  With the traditional means of retrieving messages on the road, users must often rely on in-office personnel for messaging tasks such as forwarding a fax.

Increased Time Savings
Office workers also gain significant and measurable timesaving by having all voice, fax, and e-mail messages displayed in a single interface.  According to the study, users experienced a 53 percent time savings using unified messaging to check all their messages from within their familiar Lotus Notes and Microsoft Outlook interface, as opposed to the traditional means of checking voice messages over the telephone, fax messages at the fax machine, and emails at the desktop PC.

Increased Productivity
Perhaps the greatest timesaving associated with unified messaging is realized through the desktop faxing application.  Many employees spend a large part of their day, going back and forth between their desk and the central fax machine; standing in line to send a fax; checking on that fax to make sure it went through; or checking to see if the fax they are waiting for has arrived.  The study found that deploying desktop faxing with a unified messaging system resulted in 80 percent timesaving compared to traditional means of sending a document from a stand-alone fax machine.