In-house conferencing systems can save money when they replace outsourced services, she said: "One company was paying £150,000 ($232,360) a year for audio conferencing. Their unified communications system had a three month payback."

"Unified communications really improves our productivity now and will continue to do so for many years," said Mitel customer Mac Chivers, ICT manager at Malvern Hills district council, where a new phone and IT system is bringing benefits.

"There's one thing that surprised some people, but didn't surprise me," said Dolphin. "The technology people thought was most important was still the telephone. We rely far too much on email, and should recognise that the telephone is still a critical element in real-time communications."