Who Needs a Telephone?
What most people once considered a teenagers toy is quickly finding its way into the workplace and being used as a valuable tool on ones desktop. Instant Messengers have rapidly replaced other useful office tools such as email and telephones. It has replaced the need to walk down the hall to ask a co-worker a question and has decreased the number of boring meetings employees must sit through on a regular basis. This technology is more popular among sales teams, which can use it for fast communication with customers (Steen). Along with all of the benefits of instant messaging comes disadvantages such as security concerns and potential legal issues for companies whose employees use it. The advantages far outweigh the disadvantages and all employees that have had the opportunity to use instant messenger in the workplace instantly realize that it is one amazing tool the saves time and increases productivity.
ÃÂÃ ÃÂÃ ÃÂÃ ÃÂÃ ÃÂÃ ÃÂÃ ÃÂÃ ÃÂÃ Instant Messenger (IM) is Internet software that can be downloaded in a matter of minutes and allows people to have real conversations online. It started with teenagers talking to several friends at the same time and has grown into a valuable tool among business users. "According to Jupiter Media Metrix, Inc., approximately 54 million Americans now use IM including 13 million who use it at work" (Grossman). Currently, 84 percent of all organizations use some sort of instant messenger program, according to a report issued by Osterman Research of black Diamond, Washington (Bowman).
ÃÂÃ ÃÂÃ ÃÂÃ ÃÂÃ ÃÂÃ ÃÂÃ ÃÂÃ ÃÂÃ Some of the advantages of a business having an instant messenger application are things such as communicating long distances and improving communication between coworkers and clients. Instant messaging can reduce long distance phone bills by allowing employees to communicate in real time just as they would in a telephone conversation or face to...