Cost effective instant messaging speeds communication
Not too long ago, having a facsimile machine in a business was cutting-edge technology. And remember when having a “car phone” was a huge (and expensive) deal? Some say they couldn’t imagine doing business today without an e-mail account.
But there is something that is faster and cheaper, and when used properly might be the next invaluable business tool. And it started with kids using chat rooms.
It’s instant messaging (IM), something similar to e-mail in that individuals type messages. However, instant messaging is “real time,” meaning an individual may communicate live with one or more individuals.
It doesn’t put you at the mercy of the other person opening his or her e-mail, reading it and responding to it, says David Joy, a consultant with KL Technology Advisors, a division of West Allis-based accounting firm Kolb Lauwasser.
“… I’m guilty of this, sometimes I completely ignore my e-mail,” Joy says. “But I typically don’t ignore my instant messenger. If I have the IM up, it means I’m willing to use it. My e-mail is always up, but sometimes I ignore it for four or five hours and then I go and look and there was an e-mail I was supposed to respond to three hours ago.”
One of the big advantages of instant messaging, according to Joy, is the ability to multitask while the “conversation” is taking place. On the negative side, there could be significant problems with employee efficiency.
“If they have the ability to use messenger then they may just sit there and chat with friends,” Joy says.
There are several instant messaging providers including, but not limited to, Yahoo!, AOL and MSN, according to Joy. The problem is that all of the services are proprietary and none cross-communicate with each other, so if one person is signed up for AOL instant messenger and another is on Yahoo!, they won’t be able to instant message each other.
Another advantage to instant messaging is that it saves money over long-distance conference calls. And it cuts down on the cacophony sometimes associated with a call that connects more than a few people.
“The negative of a conference call to me is, you have too many people interjecting, no one is taking accurate notes and you’re generally not recording the whole thing for transcription later on,” says Jack Olson, president and CEO of Waukesha-based Fortec.
Olson’s son, Matthew, a Web designer and manager, showed him the business applications of instant messaging.
Since Fortec, which manufactures telephone booths and newspaper enclosures, has divisions in the Philippines and Turkey and sales reps in Malaysia, long-distance calls were costly. Olson estimates that since he and his colleagues began using an instant messenger service in 1999, the company has saved between $5,000 and $10,000 in long-distance telephone calls.
Olson also lists several other benefits of instant messaging, including the ability to copy and paste documents, drawings and photos into the body of a chat; it eliminates the guesswork when trying to reach someone via phone; and — on a personal note — he’s found it much easier to keep in touch with his family, while he’s here and away.
“IM has become the most convenient, reliable and cost-effective way to stay in touch back home, regardless of what country I might be visiting,” Olson says. “IM has actually made it possible to communicate with the family on almost a daily basis when I am traveling.”
To demonstrate its ease, Olson finished his interview for this article via instant messenger. It was easy, and he even sent a photo to demonstrate its graphics capabilities.
“I think it will have an impact (on business),” Joy says of instant messaging services. “People need to make sure before they get into anything like this that they determine what their IT strategy is. If you don’t have one defined, you need to get one. And if you have one, how does this fit in?”
To sign up for an instant messaging service — and there are more than just the ones listed below — open one of the following Web sites, click on the instant messenger link and follow the directions. All of these IM services are free:
April 27, 2001 Small Business Times
