Working for a company who's a relatively new adopter of all things Lotus, I really see the benefits of something simple as Sametime Instant Messaging.
In 18 months we installed all sorts of software, from Lotus Notes/Domino to Quickr to Sametime Standard and soon Sametime Unified Telephony Lite.
All great tools. But Sametime IM is special. Sametime IM gives us something we never had before: simplicity and awareness.
When I say simple, I'm not referring to the software. I'm sure developers worked very hard to build and maintain such a great product. What I mean is that the Sametime Community Server installation, client configuration using policies and subsequent roll out to users is incredibly simple.
That simplicity is just gravy for an admin.
The awareness power of Sametime lies with what many may possibly take for granted in companies who've used it for years.
Our users aren't wasting time making phone calls that don't get answered because people are away from their desks, or in meetings, or don't want to be disturbed. Sametime lets us know when a person's available again. We don't have to keep checking someone's status.
Those seconds add up to minutes and hours. Well, they used to.
The virtual business cards with photos have also helped us to create more of a corporate community. We have many branches across Atlantic Canada, and I can walk into any of them and people know who I am, although we haven't met. Smiles are warmer when you shake someone's hand who you feel you already know. That familiarity immediately brings down big barriers.
I'm quite sure I couldn't pull IM away from our users even if I wanted to. It's now ingrained as a necessary business tool.
Thanks, IBM.
No comments:
Post a Comment