Instant messenger is just one of the many tools the modern office has to help people stay in touch with each other, says John Smythe, co-owner of CMIT Solutions in Everett.
It’s particularly helpful if you’re working on a geographically distributed team – for example, if th
e Web developer who’s building your new site lives in Albuquerque and your office is in Everett. You can have a quick back-and-forth without cluttering up your e-mail inbox. And at the end of the conversation, you can either save it for future reference or you can just trash it.
Of course, instant messenger has a downside: it can be a tremendous source of distraction, as well as a potential security vulnerability. Here’s how you can use IM as part of your business communication arsenal while avoiding a few pitfalls:
1. Remember that your “instant” messages may be forever. This is a good thing if you want to save a conversation that contains helpful information. It’s not so good if you’ve said something undiplomatic or disclosed company secrets that an unscrupulous co-worker could save and use to their advantage.
2. Use it to see if somebody’s available. If you want to see if someone’s at their desk without interrupting a meeting or a phone call, you can usually tell from their instant messenger status. If it’s set to “Busy,” don’t interrupt.
3. Don’t click on links until you’re certain you can trust both the source and the link. IM clients have been hacked in the past, so even if you get sent a link from somebody you believe you can trust, it doesn’t hurt to verify their identity and ask what they’re linking to before you go click-crazy.
4. Keep it brief. Nobody expects you to begin an instant message with “Dear So-and-So” and they don’t expect a lot of small talk before you get the point. Be direct, but also, don’t forget to say “please” and “thank you.”
5. Don’t use IM as a substitute for real conversation. In many workplaces, the phone has become the least-used communication channel of all. People will send an e-mail, follow up with an IM, and if they don’t get a response, they’ll let the issue drop. Instead of doing that, just pick up the phone.
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