Eliminating "Excuse Factor" Cuts Frustration.

• Position: Unified Communications software suite from Voice Mobility International Inc. - Brief Article

For all the changes that technology has brought to communications, one would think by now that people would be able to connect with others easily, whenever they want. Instead, there is the far-too-familiar "excuse factor": "I tried to call, but I couldn't get through" or "Sorry, I didn't realize my voice mail was full" or "I must have tried to reach you on the wrong number." So, although modern technology has theoretically made it a lot easier to communicate with people, in practice it has increased frustration levels both for those making and receiving calls.

"Callers get annoyed because they can't get through, or they try two or three different numbers to reach you and they still get dumped to voice mail," says Jay Hutton, chief executive officer of Voice Mobility International Inc., Vancouver, B.C., Canada, inventor and developer of the Unified Communications software suite. "And if you've got several different numbers, then you have to find some way to control how and when people reach you, otherwise you become a slave to your communications devices instead of having them serve you. But you don't have to have those problems because the technology exists to eliminate the excuse factor by making communications reliable, easy, and manageable.

The excuse factor is growing," he points out. "It's the same old...