* Several good reasons for using instant messaging
In response to a recent article on instant messaging, one reader – a network analyst in a university – gave me several good examples of how IM can be effectively used in a workplace setting.
He listed these examples:
* “I frequently get IMs from a help desk technician who is on the phone with a customer. I can give her quick answers and her call with the user is never interrupted. The user may not even know that the call has been escalated.”
* “During meetings, we can ask each other questions without interrupting the speaker. This way ‘stupid’ questions can be vetted with a colleague to make sure that the question is worth asking. Other scenarios of this kind of ‘note passing’ are easy to imagine.”
* “‘I need to come over and talk to you in person, but I don’t want to interrupt you if you’re busy or with someone else’ [is the type of message for which] phone and e-mail are not suitable. IM is perfect [for these types of inquiries].”
* “My wife sometimes meets with people who are angry and mentally ill. She planned for the following IM exchange with her assistant, but hasn’t had to use it yet: ‘I hear voices raised in there. Should I call the police?’ ‘Y’”
The first example of IM use noted above is very interesting from the perspective of assisting real-time inquiries in customer-facing activities because it represents a sort of hybrid between telephone-based customer support and IM. We’ve all been on the phone with a customer support rep that has had to put us on hold while he or she looked for information to satisfy our inquiry. IM in the context of assisting a customer rep in this situation could significant shorten the length of the call, increasing the efficiency of the rep and the satisfaction of the customer.
Many thanks to the reader who offered these examples.
