Not too long ago, instant messaging (IM) was used almost exclusively as a way for friends and family members to keep in touch. Now businesses big and small are looking to IM as a useful communication tool. Many businesses are even encouraging their employees to use IM instead of phones or emails whenever possible.
There are so many reasons why business owners are opting to go the way of IM. For starters, IM is a fast and convenient way to communicate with colleagues and clients. You can instantly exchange information without having to wait for email to arrive in your inbox or pick up the phone. It eliminates the lag in response time that comes with email and cuts the chit-chat that comes with phone conversations. IM also reduces the need for time-consuming meetings and enables increased productivity by allowing co-workers to collaborate while remaining at their desks.
You can also inform others of your current status through IM. If you are busy or out to lunch, you can indicate that to others using an ?away? message. Some IM providers allow you to type in exactly what your status is, while others prompt you to choose from a list of default messages.
Many businesses experience issues with IM. Unlike email providers, IM providers don?t operate with each other. Both parties must be using the same system to be able to communicate.
Another drawback of inter-office IM is that it can give way to personal chats that in no way further any business objectives. A good way to address this is to create an IM usage policy for your employees. Let them know what would be considered proper use of IM and what would be considered abuse. Also, let them know of any consequences that might result from abusive behavior. IM also poses a couple of security issues. Like email, you can never be 100 percent sure who is actually reading what you write, so don?t use IM to communicate confidential or sensitive information. Another reason not to communicate such information is hackers. Hackers can also attack IM with viruses, spyware and spam.
Now that you have a provider, it's time to play around with the design. Look at the design of other blogs and get ideas from them. Decide what works and what doesn't and go from there. Don't be afraid to go with your gut on this one. You may not always know why something looks good, but you know that it's aesthetically pleasing, and at this point that?s really all that matters. If you feel comfortable and knowledgeable enough you can always go back and get a little more technical with your design after you've been blogging for a while.
When used properly and for the rights reasons, IM can be a useful communication tool to help your business run more efficiently. It reduces the time, effort and expense that often go hand-in-hand with other forms of communication. It also helps your business to better meet the communication needs of your customers.
