By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth
If you think Instant Messaging (IM) is just for teenagers you may want to reconsider that thought I have been using IM as a business tool since it was first released in 1996. As the technology has improved and more people have gone online IM has just become a bigger part of my communications platform. With what is estimated at more than 150 million people using IM today it has come a long way in the last 10 years. For those that don’t have any exposure to instant messaging I’ll start with a brief description of the technology, its applications and corresponding benefits:
The Technology: IM uses standard internet protocol to allow two or more people to communicate in real-time. Unlike e-mail which has to go through a send and receive process IM has no latency due to the use of “presence technology” that allows the user to see when members of their contact list are online. Icons displayed on the contact list also indicate who is online but not available for instant messaging, and whether or not the contact is using a mobile device. IM is generally classified as “groupware” or as a “collaborative communication toolset” which speaks to the collaborative nature of the application. The leading IM providers are AOL, Google, MSN, Yahoo, Skype (my personal choice) and ICQ. Most IM services are also free of charge.
Applications and Benefits: In this author’s humble opinion the benefits of IM are almost too many to list, so for the sake of brevity I’ve included my favorite three uses and benefits of IM below:
1. Creating Work Groups: I have my contact list grouped by functions which include clients, project teams, departments, vendors, suppliers and any other collaborative mix of people that I want to communicate with (yes my friends and family too). As mentioned above, I can see when these people are online and accepting messages and can communicate with them instantly You really don’t have to send an e-mail copying all the necessary parties and hope that it gets read as opposed to deleted, ignored, misread or sent to the junk e-mail folder by mistake No time delays and no voicemail. Just instant access it’s a beautiful thing.
2. Conference Calls: One of my favorite features My IM provider (Skype I should be receiving an endorsement for this) also comes with VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) which allows you to use your computer as a telephone to conduct conference calls. I can call anywhere in the world for free using the Internet and avoid long distance charges. Have you ever been part of a conference call where someone was headed in the wrong direction and you wished you could just slip them a note? Well with IM you can You can conduct private chats simultaneously with different parties on the call giving advice, making confidential comments, strategizing about the best approach etc.
3. Document Transfer: One of the great things about IM is that you can use it to push out word docs, spreadsheets, pictures, video, and websites. You can use this feature during an individual chat, a conference call or just for document transfer purposes as IM can transfer much larger file sizes than you would normally transfer as an attachment to an e-mail.
The bottom line of this post is that if you’re not using IM as a productivity tool you should be. It will increase your access to key contacts, give you broader visibility and boost your overall efficiency. Want to talk? Skype me at N2growth.
