Word: ims
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...Though IM users and technology consultants are divided over the technology's net value, there's little doubt that it's spreading through office suites faster than a hot piece of gossip--while creating a lucrative market for business-messaging applications. According to the research firm IDC, more than 65 million business users worldwide rely on business and consumer IM products, up from 16.5 million in 1998. IDC, based in Framingham, Mass., forecasts that more than 207 million employees will be logged on to IM by 2006. Corporate use of wireless IM, through PDAs and other mobile devices, is also...
...IM offers companies real-time communication at low cost. An instant message sent to a co-worker halfway around the world costs far less than an international phone call, and compared with e-mail, IM is less expensive to maintain. Getting an IM is in some ways less intrusive than dropping everything to answer a phone call. And those who telecommute or travel frequently find that IM often helps them feel better connected with their offices...
More big retailers and service businesses are incorporating IM into their e-commerce operations. Alaska Airlines allows customers to use IM to get quick answers to questions such as "Can I get bonus miles for this flight?" Lands' End (acquired by Sears in June) lets shoppers on its website use IM to get immediate answers from customer-service reps, instead of holding on the phone or waiting for a reply to an e-mail. Lands' End says customers who use IM are 70% more likely to buy than those who browse the website without using IM or who call...
...Where IM generates complaints is not in e-commerce but in ordinary offices. Some workers and managers find it hard to research and write reports and do other tasks when instant messages are constantly popping up on their computer screen. And the temptation to chat with friends during work hours can also sap productivity. At some workplaces, important decisions are made on the fly via IM, so employees who fear being left out stay glued to their screens, often neglecting other work such as visits to customers. Some managers even use IM to convene impromptu conferences outside of normal office...
...Blueshirt Group, a boutique investor-relations firm in San Francisco, makes extensive use of IM. But Erica Abrams, 37, a partner in the firm, has opted out. After trying IM for about a year, she removed it from her PC. "It bothered me too much," she says. She found the constant pinging of messages intrusive and ultimately overwhelming. "Why bother?" she asked. "My clients are satisfied with my service already. I'm not sure I need to be more responsive than that. Isn't e-mail fast enough...