By Dana Scherff, VP, Information Technology

North Shore Bank’s Information Systems department had a busy 2015 and 2016 improving how we communicate. All employees now have Cisco Jabber installed on their computer. This new Cisco solution provides four primary functions:

• TelePresence
• Instant Message
• Unified Messaging
• Call Control

TelePresence enables users to quickly see a co-worker’s status — available, on a call, in a meeting, etc. Jabber offers a quick and easy way to check on your colleagues’ availability.

Instant Messaging allows a user to quickly send a message. Jabber’s instant messaging functionality is an easy and intuitive tool. This is especially helpful in the branches, as you can quickly message a co-worker to get an answer or additional information when working with a customer.

Unified Messaging gives you one place to receive email messages and voicemail messages. Our new Cisco Jabber solution now places voicemail messages into your Outlook mailbox.

Call Control allows a user to use their computer for receiving and placing phone calls. Combined with an optional headset, this feature makes calling and receiving calls easier.

In addition to the features listed above, Jabber has a lot more tools at the ready. For instance, Jabber can be used to share your computer screen with a co-worker. This feature is especially helpful if you need to show a co-worker what you are seeing in an application, so that they can assist you. Jabber can also be used to send a file to a co-worker or send a screen capture. And there’s more…

Visit the Information Systems intranet page and click on the Unified Communications link under “Internal Bookmarks.” This page provides information on our new solutions. Check out the “Jabber Advanced Features” guide for interesting tips and tricks.

As part of our communications project, nearly all of our branches have new Cisco phones. Employees with Cisco phones can take advantage of four-digit dialing, using the last four digits of any phone number. For example, if you want to call Branch 16, simply dial 1016; if you want to reach the call center, simply dial 3833. Four-digit dialing uses our network to place the call instead of the external telephone network, which greatly reduces the bank’s telephone expenses.

Please visit the intranet page to see other tips and tricks. You are also welcome to call the help desk anytime at 3890 (using four-digit dial).