IM Is Here. RU Ready 2 Try It?

Being there: In the Chicago office of Sanderson & Associates on a hectic Friday morning in April, Kelly Templer was on the phone with a reporter. She checked her contact list to be sure Sanderson was on-line. She was. Templer opened her IM on-screen window and typed in: "I have a reporter from AP on the phone. I want him to interview Tommy about IFE [a franchise trade show], he also wants other franchise info -- what should I do?" She hit "send," and Sanderson, on another call in the Highland Park office, saw the message pop up. Sanderson immediately shot back: "Give it to him! Offer him interview with Don DeBolt or some other expert if he wants independent source. Try to get info on exhibitors to him." Neither had skipped a beat on their respective phone calls.

Bolstering virtual management: At Tax Technologies Inc., a two-year-old tax-preparation and software company, vice-president Jeff Wenger, who's based in Bradenton, Fla., uses IM to manage a team of software developers and testers scattered all over the United States. Because all IM programs indicate which users are logged on, Wenger can tell, for instance, when developer Anar Patel, in Warren, Ohio, is available and when Adrienne Morey, in Phoenix, is on-line. (Team members can, and do, converse with one another by IM all day -- and sometimes all night -- about work in progress.) Wenger says the setup allows him to hire top employees who can work and live wherever they want, "whether it's the mountains of Colorado, the beaches of Florida, or the big city." Using IM has cut his daily telephone time from three hours to less than 30 minutes. Other organizations rely on IM to stay in touch with telecommuters, road warriors, or local field staff. Companies that have overseas employees, partners, or customers may find the technology particularly cost-effective.

Managing crises: AtomicPR, a $1.9-million San Francisco high-tech PR agency that was launched in late 1999, just before the dot-com bubble burst, built real-time communications into its business model and culture. The company's 15 employees say that IM provides them with a competitive advantage in a tough economy. Today the business uses IM for both in-house and client communications, and the staffers have found it invaluable for responding rapidly to a crisis. In one case, account supervisor Mike Crusick contacted company cofounder Andy Getsey by IM at 7 a.m. on a weekday, when both were still at home, to report some bad news: a press release had just come over the wire that a client was being sued by a competitor.

Andy to Mike: Wow. I'll do a quick plan for [client], then give her a call. It'd be best to have recent real-world examples too. Can you find a few similar suits and corporate responses ASAP? Thx.

Mike: Here are links to announcements/responses in similar suit.

Andy: Thx. Can you find 2 more from different suits, too? Hurry.

Andy: PS. Would you call the rest of your team and let them know what's happening ASAP?

Andy: PSS. And tell team to hold on related media communications until we talk to [client].

Mike: Of course.

Mike: More links to difft suits.

Andy: Check :-)

Andy: Just emailed [client] 5 point plan. CC'd you and team. Calling her now.

Mike: Roger that.

Andy: Just talked with [client]. Buzzing there! Went over the key points and examples. She's going into internal meeting at 9 -- will call us immediately after. Thx for help. I'll be at office in an hour or so.

Mike: Great. I'm headed into the office now. See you there. Busy morning already :)

Instant inventory tracking: At Pacific International Marketing, a produce-trading company in Salinas, Calif., with revenues under $100 million, sales managers use IM to simultaneously alert 35 salespeople in five cities to market changes. A typical message: "Stop selling broccoli at $7; it's dropped to $6." That's a big improvement over the decidedly low-tech tradition of simply yelling across the room to local traders and then calling around to remote offices to spread the news. And, says president Tom Russell, the time savings is no small potatoes in his industry, where prices can fluctuate 100% in 24 hours and product shelf life is measured in days. As Russell puts it, "The minute we cut some product in the field, it's beginning its journey to the Dumpster." He estimates that IM has saved him thousands of dollars in phone calls -- and an untold amount in losses caused by information delays.

Kibitizing on transactions: One of IM's most practical and widespread uses in small companies is allowing behind-the-scenes collaboration. At $22-million YellowPages.com, an on-line ad directory based in Henderson, Nev., the company's 42 employees "ping," or contact one another by IM, throughout the day. "My Chicago guy is pinging me right now," Dennis Warren, senior vice-president of corporate development, says during a telephone interview. (His reply: "OTP. SB." Translation: "On the phone. Stand by, I'll get right back to you.") But the technology's real value, he says, is in letting salespeople get the answers they need. For instance, a rep who is trying to close a deal on the phone might use IM with Warren: "Can I offer her a 30% discount?" Warren can decide and reply on the spot ("Yes," or "Try 15% first") without making the employee -- or the potential customer -- wait.

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