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Q: Do you think using instant messaging between employees is a good idea? What are the benefits and drawbacks?

Sep 11 2007

Answered by: Chris Lindsay Ask a question

IM provides a great way for people who are working remotely – whether from home or a satellite office – to keep in touch with colleagues, and allows team members to see if someone is at their desks or available before they call. It also helps increase the speed of response and drive efficiencies, whilst letting businesses take a first step on the road to unified communications.

A record of your IM conversations is not automatically saved, which some people do find frustrating, though there is often the option to save all IM chats.

There are a number of free consumer services available to businesses. BT has also recently added IM to the BT Business Email package, allowing even the smallest company to take advantage of secure, business-grade IM. The new IM client allows colleagues to send and receive messages and documents instantly, saving time by not having to wait for emails.

Comments [1]

Comment by Adam Wayland

Tuesday 11th September 2007

Obviously something you have to watch out for is the use of instant messaging clients for personal, non-work related conversations. You don't want staff to lose concentration. The problem is that this can be difficult to police.

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