Fast Forwarding Your Business with Instant Messaging – Internet-Marketing
Fast Forwarding Your Business with Instant Messaging
Instant Messaging is rapidly becoming accepted in the business community as a viable communications tool and process - it's faster than e-mail, free on the client side, even a novice user can easily grasp the interface in just a few minutes and it enables remote workers and business partners to "talk" and share files and information effortlessly using the in-place infrastructure of the internet. Its mushrooming in popularity too - according to IDC, corporate and general business users will jump from 5.5M in 2001 to close to 200M by 2004.What are some of the pitfalls and concerns you need to have when assessing and integrating Instant Messaging ("IM" another biz acronym) with your business processes? Be aware you are sending clear text messages over the public Internet - so all IM technology is inherently insecure. Privacy issues can also be raised - these messages are typically archived via the IM servers of the company whose services you are using and can be made public at a later date. Anyone with a network scanner may have access to and be reading your messages and if your are downloading files, you need to ensure your anti-virus software is setup to scan these files when you open them.One of the biggest pitfalls of the technology and process is that it adds another communications layer to your busy day - but you can offset this by selecting or filtering who you communicate with at any point by using the IM interface to block all or selected individuals from "seeing" you when you are online.Finally, like all things in today's computer industry (or many) each of the Instant Messaging vendors are trying to build applications which don't integrate with the other (no surprise here - arrogance has not faded away in the business community!). So, you need to assess the installed base of the market leaders and make a decision on which company's product you want to utilized - my recommendation would be to review Microsoft's or AOL/Time Warner's products - their installed bases are in the 200 million users plus when combined (these numbers include consumer and business usage) and they both work well and have user interfaces that are intuitive.There is one alternative company that is solving the "IM Tower of Babel" issues and claims to integrate well with all proprietary apps by utilizing XML technology, Jabber, Inc., www.jabber.com So, if interoptability is important to you then I would recommend assessing their products.Most of the IM providers including Microsoft are integrating voice communications with their IM clients - you may be able to bypass your local telephone carrier at some point using this technology, but don't bet on it anytime soon - all of those lobbyists here in the states need to keep generating fees on behalf of their telecom clients in Washington D.C. We use Microsoft's IM product and we have upon occasion utilized the voice and video features (you must of course have a multimedia setup for your PC and camera) and they do work. Although the video quality is a little jerky and the voice is akin to the old Citizens Band ("CB") radio - your Internet connection impacts the quality of both.Whose technology do you choose? There are some clear market leaders in the Instant Messaging marketing including Microsoft (no surprise here)http://messenger.microsoft.com But, like most Microsoft technology/tools you pay a price for the software/services, albeit a small one. You have to register with Microsoft's NET Passport www.microsoft.com/myservices/passport service which is designed to be a universal login - this only takes a few minutes but be forewarned they also try to get you to setup a Hot Mail account, but you can work around this.The other dominant IM product is AOL's ICQ product http://web.icq.com - it has similar functionality as Microsoft's application. The original technology was developed by a great Israeli company, Mirabellis, Inc., subsequently acquired by AOL. My chief complaint with this product is the irritating banner ads that AOL keeps pushing at you when you are utilizing their product. But, it's a small price to pay for a free product on the client side.Yahoo also has an IM product ("Yahoo Messenger") but I am not convinced this will stay as a core part of their business, as they appear to be still trying to figure out what they are going to become in the post ".com gold rush era" market; i.e. Portal, Directory, Media giant, software/services company, etc. And, they've certainly jettisoned parts of their business the last 12-18 months and I would wager they've had discussions about getting out of the IM business.Finally, IM is also quickly moving into other markets and devices including PDAs and Pagers - if you're a real geek and you can't stand to be out of touch while your in the shower and you have a water proof device you can ping away. But, I think we all need some down time for friends and family, but wanted to make sure I covered all possible bases with this column - until next time!About The AuthorLee Traupel has 20 plus years of business development and marketing experience - he is the founder of Intelective Communications, Inc., http://www.intelective.com a results-driven marketing services company providing proprietary services to clients encompassing startups to public companies.Lee@intelective.com
How To Get An Instant Response To Your Urgent EMail! – Email-Marketing
How To Get An Instant Response To Your Urgent EMail!
In the business world, "You've Got Mail" has turned into a curse. Fact is, the average business user spends an average of over two hours a day just dealing with email! If you have an urgent issue requiring an immediate response, how do you get your colleague, the average business user, to pay attention and take action?Here's a typical scenario:You are sending an urgent email to a colleague, Notina Hurry. Only Notina knows the location of a budget file you need desperately. You called her, but her phone is tied up. How do you get your important email read, and then responded to as quickly as possible?1. Write a headline in the subject area that will grab your colleague's attention.You need to get the recipient to notice and WANT to open your e-mail. According to the experts, you have to make it specific enough to be intriguing but vague enough to provoke curiosity. And, it's a real advantage if you know the recipient.For example, Notina is a good-hearted person but is always getting blamed for screw-ups. So, you decide you will headline a plea for help in the Subject area.You decide against "Where did you put the @*!!%& file?" and opt for "Help! Help! Last week's budget file is so lost!" as your headline in the Subject area of the e-mail.2. Next, write a specific, easy-to-read message.Short sentences are best. Tell the reader what's in it for them. Remember that everyone is tuned into the radio station WIIFM (What's In It For Me).Here's an example:Hi Notina:I hope your day is turning out better than mine -- I can't find last week's budget file.I looked in the e/budgets/weekly folder, but it's not there.Please let me know the entire path to the budget file dated 8-05-02.You know I'll owe you a coffee tomorrow when I see you in the cafe.Thanks very much,
Ima Desperate
Idesperate@ohwell.com
X65023. Leave your name, email address, and phone number(s) at the end of the email.This may sound obvious, but sometimes, even with an electronic signature, key contact information is missing. Remember, you want to make it easy for e-mail recipients to communicate in the mode most comfortable for them.4. Emphasize the urgency.Convey URGENCY in the body of the message or in a postscript. Better still, if you infrequently send mail at the High Importance level, use it or its equivalent in your messaging system. In Microsoft Outlook, High Importance highlights the received email with a red exclamation point. I would send Notina's email marked High Importance.So, you've written an attention-getting headline. You've written a short, urgent message. You've answered that all-important recipient quesion "WIIFM". And, you left sufficient contact information. Now, hit the SEND button and expect a very quick response!Copyright 2005 by Valerie MillsValerie Mills is a sales copywriter specializing in direct mail and web advertising. She has written sales letters, web pages, and brochures for the finance, self-help, and technology areas. Using her background and experience as an educator and corporate trainer, Valerie has also written several articles and an ebook for parents(http://www.teachyourkidsaboutmoney.com to view ebook samples)Also refer to the web site http://v.mills.home.att.netContact Valerie at parents@teachyourkidsaboutmoney.com