Implementing Instant Messaging/Group Messaging in the Workplace Report

This report delves into the implementation of instant messaging (IM), group messaging, discussion forums, and chat rooms within the workplace. It begins by defining IM and its evolution, highlighting the shift from email to more immediate communication methods. The report explores IM's advantages for both internal and external business communication, emphasizing its efficiency, real-time capabilities, and suitability for various business sizes. It examines enterprise IM solutions and consumer IM services, assessing their respective benefits, especially for small businesses. The rationale for selecting IM is discussed, focusing on its ability to streamline workflows, facilitate collaboration, and offer cost-effective alternatives to traditional communication channels. Furthermore, the report highlights common IM uses like customer service, internal communication, and sales, while also addressing security and efficient communication strategies. The report also discusses the advantages of IM gateways, which allow the staffs to control and manage the use of public IM systems in the organizations.

Running head: IMPLEMENTING INSTANT MESSAGING/GROUP MESSAGING,
DISCUSSION FORUMS AND CHAT ROOMS IN THE WORKPLACE
Implementing instant messaging/group messaging, discussion forums and chat rooms in the
workplace
Name of Student:
Name of University:
Author’s Note:

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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................2
Instant Messaging for business........................................................................................................2
Rationale for the selection of IM.....................................................................................................3
Effectiveness of Instant Messaging for small business...................................................................4
Common uses of instant messaging.................................................................................................6
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................8
Reference List..................................................................................................................................9

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Introduction
The technology of instant messaging is seen to be based on the adoption of text based
communication among two or more participants over the internet. The importance of online chat
and instant messaging has been seen to be differing with other technologies such as perceived
quasi synchrony of the communications used by the other users. The system permitted messages
has been further seen to be based on the use of information which has been seen with removing
the barriers of email and instant massaging. In general IM is ascertained to be more effective and
efficient communication thereby allowing the immediate receipt of the acknowledgement or
reply. IM is basically not important for transaction control. In several situations IM is seen to use
added features which make the facility more popular. For instance, several users may
communicate via webcams, microphone or talk directly over the internet. Many applications also
allow for the file transfers although they are limited to the permissible file size. The most evident
feature of IM has been identified with the feature of saving the conversation for later reference.
IM is also seen to be ideal for saving the conversation for later use (Piwek & Joinson, 2016).
Instant Messaging for business
Enterprise solutions are seen to use internal IM servers which may not be always feasible
especially for the smaller business having limited budget. The second most option is seen to use
consumer IM service which is identified to provide the service at inexpensive rates. The IM
systems are also discerned to solely rely on the various types of the facilities which eliminated
the concerns for the business and arise as a result of the outsourcing. This has been also seen to
offer the consumers with the option to customisation and compatibility of the existing legacy
software which is not found in consumer IM. IM gateways allow the staffs to control and

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manage the use of public IM systems in the organizations. The IM clients and existing IM
networks and the contact lists. The infrastructure of IM is seen to be hosted by AOL and MSN
gateways which can provide the EIM solutions at a fractional cost (Dolev-Cohen & Barak,
2013).
The enterprise instant messaging solutions may be available from big names in business
computing. EIM is discerned to first generate the release of “IBM Lotus Sametime”. Microsoft
was second to use the instant messaging services with the use of the services such as Microsoft
Lync which is seen with subscription based cloud offering. Some of the “Enterprise instant
messaging (EIM)” offerings have been considered with the use of Oracle Corporation and Oracle
Beehive. The previously used instant messaging services have been identified by making them
notoriously proprietary. This is no more than the consideration of both IBM Lotus and public IM
networks. The employees may use this system as one interface for using internal EIM system and
managing contacts through IM facilities such as AOL, MSN and Yahoo.
Rationale for the selection of IM
The most important form of the business communications with the use of IM is seen to be
effective with both internal and external communication. One of the obvious benefits of the use
of instant messaging has been evident with the various types of the communication channels on
one infrastructure. Instant Messaging has been long identified as the social networking and
method used for communicating with people. The businesses are considered embrace instant
messaging for their internal communication. IM is used for real time communication system such
as using voice calling facilities which more intrusive than social networking tool in workplace
(Sun et al., 2015).

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Several groups and teams can communicate and share information in real time with IM. It
also offers easy switching of chat windows with multiple chat windows. It has been further
considered to be ideal for those systems where an individual needs to send the documents and
images or files with other colleagues. It has been further seen to be much easier than sending
separate email. Messages for IM are seen to be less disruptive than workflows than phone calls.
A message which is sent in IM is not seen to be as insistent with the phone call where the answer
needs to be given on immediate basis (Pirzadeh, 2014).
The IM is seen to make the collaborative process more useful for communicating with the
team members at different client’s sites. The various services offered by IM has been further
seen to be more effective than voice calls as there is more possibility of IM to get misinterpreted.
The possibility of this is seen to be less likely than phone call. IM is useful for communicating
with the members of the team who are situated in the different locations such as client site. It
may further seen as the barrier as per the present voice communication.
Effectiveness of Instant Messaging for small business
Some of the main form of the benefits of IM is mainly seen to be conducive in case of the
IM software platforms to support and replace the traditional form of the communication. It has
been further discerned that IM supports real time telephone conversation and there can be several
other text records. The main form of the reliability of IM has been discerned with maintaining of
separate instant messaging protocols through intranet. This ensures that instant messaging
service is able to keep the conversation secure (Maina, 2014).
The designing of the IM for small business is seen to be conducive for one-on-one or
group text chatting and saving of chat log history files. This shows that internal or external

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conference will be able to keep record of the conversations. IM is also able to complement the
traditional mode of communication when IM does not have a cross media to be used. However,
juggling through several chats is often considered to be less disruptive in nature than juggling
multiple phone calls (Iversen et al., 2013).
IM is most suitable for the real time communication. It has been further seen to enable
better understanding of the heavy accents primarily required for communicating with the
offshore employees. IM is often seen to be conducive for the alternative long distance telephone
services which require the clients to communicate in the real time. In several situations the IM
services are further seen to replace several types of the existing services which are directly
related to try for the paid services with no per minute charges. In general in several aspects long
email reply chains are seen to offer the various types of the services which are detrimental in
terms quickly eating up work time.
In several situations, small business start-ups are seen with instant messaging services
such as Google+Hangouts, Adium, Spark, Jabber and Yahoo! Messenger. Several organizations
are seen to use Google Hangout as the top apps for instant messaging. It has been ascertained
that Google+ accounts may be used by employees with Hangout virtually requiring no
installation. In several other instances open sources of the instant messaging system has been
identified for Mac OS X. This is evident with the use of Software such as Adium. It has been
further seen to be discerned that Audium is identified as multi-protocol chat client who can
conveniently support Gtalk, Yahoo Messenger and AIM. Softwares such as Spark is mainly
designed for small companies. This has been further able to configure the accessing of the
passwords and IDs which allows more privacy and security. This particular technology has been
further seen to offer the various types of the services which have been seen to be conducive with

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smooth running of the programs without any interference. Jabber has been discerned as another
open source application which offers similar functions such as Gtalk. The main form of the
customization of this has been further seen to be associated to the use of “Extensible Messaging
and Presence Protocol (XMPP)”. This has been discerned as an effective means of open source
software, which is seen to be widely used for instant messaging services. Some of the more
conventional use of the instant messaging service in the workplace has been seen to discerned
with the use of Yahoo! Messenger which provides several types of the option for chatting which
is seen to be based on easy customizable design and several features such as use of video and
voice options, and advanced privacy settings (Hsieh & Tseng, 2017).
Common uses of instant messaging
Some of the commonly used instant messaging services are seen with services such as
Customer service, internal communication, sales and Beta testing/customer feedback. In case an
organization is seen with implementation of IM in customer service. In such a case the customer
will be probably able to avoid picking up the phone. In several situations Slack has replaced
email which can be used the business team. The integration of the customer feedback is
considered with gaining of instant live and crucial feedback to the testing of the business process.
The main reason for the use of the instant messaging service in business has been seen with the
various types of the reasons which have been seen as universal skill, cost effectiveness, security,
encouragement in efficient communication and mobility. The universal aspect is evident with the
use of this service through smart phones. Most people with the use of instant messaging is seen
with significant advantages. The security aspect is taken into account with instant messaging
services available in both public and private places (Church & de Oliveira, 2013).

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The cost effectiveness has been identified with the replacement of traditional form of
communication and taken from the customer point of view. Several types of the services such as
the use of Slack will be able to replace the traditional forms of communication and customer
service perspective. This also shoes online chat may negate the requirement for the use of
expensive telephone system for handling of multiple incoming calls. The main form of the
security aspect of the instant messaging has been seen to be most evident with preventing or
avoiding of cyber attacks. In addition to this, the technology implemented by WhatsApp is seen
to offer end-to-end encryption for each of the messages sent (Koutamanis 2013).
It needs to further seen that the use of encouraging efficient communication with the use
of Twitter and SMS is seen to be encouraged with the use of concise and short messages. The
drawn out messages of emails are seen to take longer time than both IM and telephone calls..
Any form of the instant messaging solution has been further seen to be based on the providing of
the various types of the facilities which has been seen to be conducive with synchronising of the
messages across all the devices. This is also considered as crucial for issuing the requests to all
the employees (Darics, 2014).

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Conclusion
The study has been able to successfully reflect the several types of the advantages o using
IM in a workplace. This has been generally seen with the fast and easy decoding of complex
sentences. The primary benefit of the implementation of IM has been seen to discern in from of
the use of IM gateways, which allow the staffs to control and manage the use of public IM
systems in the organizations. The IM clients and existing IM networks and the contact lists. The
infrastructure of IM is seen to be hosted by AOL and MSN gateways which can provide the EIM
solutions at a fractional cost. The several types of the comparison with the IM with several types
of other group messaging and instant messaging services has been able to discern that IM is seen
to make the collaborative process more useful for communicating with the team members at
different client’s sites. The various services offered by IM has been further seen to be more
effective than voice calls as there is more possibility of IM to get misinterpreted. The possibility
of this is seen to be less likely than phone call.

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Reference List
Church, K., & de Oliveira, R. (2013). What’s up with whatsapp?: comparing mobile instant
messaging behaviors with traditional SMS. 15th International Conference on Human-
Computer Interaction with Mobile Devices and Services (MobileHCI’13), 352–361.
https://doi.org/10.1145/2493190.2493225
Darics, E. (2014). The Blurring Boundaries Between Synchronicity and Asynchronicity: New
Communicative Situations in Work-Related Instant Messaging. International Journal of
Business Communication, 51(4), 337–358. https://doi.org/10.1177/2329488414525440
Dolev-Cohen, M., & Barak, A. (2013). Adolescents’ use of Instant Messaging as a means of
emotional relief. Computers in Human Behavior, 29(1), 58–63.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2012.07.016
Hsieh, S. H., & Tseng, T. H. (2017). Playfulness in mobile instant messaging: Examining the
influence of emoticons and text messaging on social interaction. Computers in Human
Behavior, 69, 405–414. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.12.052
Iversen, T. B., Melby, L., & Toussaint, P. (2013). Instant messaging at the hospital: Supporting
articulation work? International Journal of Medical Informatics, 82(9), 753–761.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2013.05.004
Koutamanis, M., Vossen, H. G. M., Peter, J., & Valkenburg, P. M. (2013). Practice makes
perfect: The longitudinal effect of adolescents’ instant messaging on their ability to initiate
offline friendships. Computers in Human Behavior, 29(6), 2265–2272.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2013.04.033

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Maina, T. M. (2014). Instant Messaging an Effective Way of Communication in Workplace.
Murang’a University College.
Pirzadeh, A. (2014). Emotional Communication in Instant Messaging. Proceedings of the 18th
International Conference on Supporting Group Work - GROUP ’14, (May), 272–274.
https://doi.org/10.1145/2660398.2660439
Piwek, L., & Joinson, A. (2016). “What do they snapchat about?” Patterns of use in time-limited
instant messaging service. Computers in Human Behavior, 54, 358–367.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2015.08.026
Sun, M., Wang, S., Fang, Z., & Zhang, M. (2015). Design of an instant messaging system based
on the IaaS cloud platform. Journal of Communications, 10(9), 734–739.
https://doi.org/10.12720/jcm.10.9.734-739