The days only seem to be getting shorter and shorter. With everything else that must be done, business executives have no time to talk with colleagues and customers over the telephone. E-mail is almost as bad because they take time to be received and answered. So are there business communication alternatives?
When it first began, instant messagers were a common medium through which teenagers could communicate to friends and relatives online. From that trend sprung the infamous “IM Lingo,” which consists of abbreviations of common phrases. It was uncommon to find an instant message conversation that didn’t include all-lower-case letters, abbreviations and incorrect sentence structure.
Recently, however, businesses have begun to use instant messagers as a way to effectively communicate with business associates and customers. If you’ve had communication issues within your business, or if you are looking for ways to maximize time management, take a look at the pros and cons to introducing instant messaging into your office.
PROS
1. Time Management. How often have you played phone tags with business partners? Or played the voicemail game with clients? E-mails get lost in cyber space, memos get trashed upon receipt and lengthy conversations take valuable time out of your day. So what’s the solution? Instant messaging allows people to quickly and effectively communicate their needs or information. With a click of a button, your message pops up on the recipient’s computer, regardless of whether or not they are at their computer.
2. Customer Relations. Be honest: are you always available for your customers to reach you by phone? Probably not. And voicemail messages can be garbled or even lost. With instant messages, your customers can reach you in just a few seconds, and you can either read the message as soon as you receive it, or tend to it later. You can also set up the “Away” message feature that tells people that you are away from your desk, and can even tell them what time you will return.
When it first began, instant messagers were a common medium through which teenagers could communicate to friends and relatives online. From that trend sprung the infamous “IM Lingo,” which consists of abbreviations of common phrases. It was uncommon to find an instant message conversation that didn’t include all-lower-case letters, abbreviations and incorrect sentence structure.
Recently, however, businesses have begun to use instant messagers as a way to effectively communicate with business associates and customers. If you’ve had communication issues within your business, or if you are looking for ways to maximize time management, take a look at the pros and cons to introducing instant messaging into your office.
PROS
1. Time Management. How often have you played phone tags with business partners? Or played the voicemail game with clients? E-mails get lost in cyber space, memos get trashed upon receipt and lengthy conversations take valuable time out of your day. So what’s the solution? Instant messaging allows people to quickly and effectively communicate their needs or information. With a click of a button, your message pops up on the recipient’s computer, regardless of whether or not they are at their computer.
2. Customer Relations. Be honest: are you always available for your customers to reach you by phone? Probably not. And voicemail messages can be garbled or even lost. With instant messages, your customers can reach you in just a few seconds, and you can either read the message as soon as you receive it, or tend to it later. You can also set up the “Away” message feature that tells people that you are away from your desk, and can even tell them what time you will return.
- Instant Messager services should be used for staff and consumer conversation only.
- Communication can become much easier and faster with instant message services.
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