For a good number of years, IM has been primarily an application for school and college friends to communicate when they are not at their place of education, a sort of live version of texting to spread the load over more fingers than just the one. Gradually, the corporate world caught on, and internal communication within companies has significantly improved and reduced the number of emails required between nearby desks. As globalisation has impacted the larger corporates, particularly those with teams distributed in many locations, IM has become invaluable - my own team of 14 people including myself are spread over 8 different locations, and we se IM as our primary method of immediate communications, ahead of picking up a phone. Indeed, I have used IM in parallel with other methods - for example, two people communicating via IM while they are both party to a conference call with other people.
I have noticed more recently that some online shops have finally woken up to the fact that offering IM is similar to providing an assistant in a shop, and can result in a better conversion rate - ie the percentage of website visitors becoming paying customers. I had a useful chat with a guy at Dell the other day, and he helped me though a technical query I had on graphics cards. Yawn Yawn, you say - yes, but next time you get offered IM help while online shopping, beware there's a salesman out there trying to sell you something!
I have noticed more recently that some online shops have finally woken up to the fact that offering IM is similar to providing an assistant in a shop, and can result in a better conversion rate - ie the percentage of website visitors becoming paying customers. I had a useful chat with a guy at Dell the other day, and he helped me though a technical query I had on graphics cards. Yawn Yawn, you say - yes, but next time you get offered IM help while online shopping, beware there's a salesman out there trying to sell you something!
