Only one of my clients is doing unified messaging. They are doing a test of 100 users in a large corporation.

The people most concerned are the IT folks who are implementing it. I'm unclear whether General Counsel was or is part of the discussion. IT is concerned for several different reasons. Even implemented on this small scale they are concerned that it is instantaneously ubiquitous because a voice mail is an e-mail attachment and can be sent to anyone with an e-mail box. They are also concerned that there are no policies and procedures being included with the package. They are additionally concerned that the person recording the message will not be made aware that the messaging system is not what they had expected.

The IT group implementing unified messaging are the same ones who do voice recording in customer service and say that they have similar concerns there. For example, you are told the call may be recorded for quality control purposes, but you are not told it may be recorded if certain words are spoken, if the tone of the conversation becomes angry, or that it may be used for training purposes or even in litigation.

They were particularly disturbed when they realized that each voicemail became a document, a record, that had to be classified according to the retention schedule.

As you can see, there are a lot of issues that must all be addressed. I see it as just one more opportunity for us as records managers to apply our skills, but then, I like what I do!

Best wishes,
Carol
Carol E.B. Choksy, Ph.D., CRM
CEO
IRAD Strategic Consultant. Inc.
(317) 294-8329

We wish you a merry Christmas and a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year!

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