Dayal is head of corporate communications at Mphasis, a software solutions company. His introduction to instant messaging was inevitable: "It became a necessity from a work perspective, as essential as an email address, if not more so. If you weren't on IM, you were definitely out of the loop. Though one does need to take certain precautions. While dealing with external guys, it's better to save chat transcripts and put on paper everything that is decided on the Net. This comes into picture especially in financial transactions."

Corporate India is waking up to the IM revolution. The ability to spontaneously communicate with friends and coworkers in a conversational manner makes the IM a heavily used and highly useful business tool.

Most IMs used in offices are free and popular like MSN Messenger, ICQ, Yahoo! Messenger and Rediff Bol. Larger organisations like P&G, HLL and Infosys also have their own customised instant messengers.

The benefits of IM as a business productivity enhancer (and replacement for the water cooler hangout) are largely anecdotal. Yet, the suggestion that they be turned off in the workplace because of bona fide security risks would likely trigger an employees' revolt.

According to an August 2001 Gartner report "By 2005, instant messaging will surpass email as the primary way in which consumers interact with each other electronically (0.7 probability). By 2005, IM will be integrated into 50 per cent of the applications that businesses use to directly interact with their customers (0.7 probability)."

The reasons why companies allow the use of Instant messengers are manifold. Roma Balwani, associate vice-president, corporate communications, Aptech Training Limited, says, "At Aptech there is a structured real time interface through chats on MSN, Yahoo! etc. wherein senior members log in and there is interaction established at all locations simultaneously. It is a cost saving Internet tool that we do use effectively. It cannot replace the conventional communication channels, yet it adds value in terms of immediate dissemination of information and data which saves on time and cost."

Like her, most of corporate India thinks the pros of using IMs outweighs the cons. Sanjay Rawal of Rave Technologies says, "IMs have become mandatory when dealing with clients. I can even say it has almost succeeded in replacing the telephone… IMs are like a phone, results in quick action. When we have clients offshore and our people working onsite, IMs are anti-email. They are very liberating from the usual 'waiting-for-an-email-for-further-instructions'. Also, work gets done much faster."

Agrees Shevta Mehra, a senior executive with ESPN Star Sports: "I can multitask and do three things at one time. It has definitely increased productivity." Mehra uses IM for a variety of tasks such as asking quick questions and organising impromptu meetings, also social chit chat with her clients, coordinating between her two offices in Delhi and Singapore.

"Without IMs it would have been much harder, if not impossible, to work with those people," she says. "How else would you know when they show up at the office, or are in a meeting, or are at lunch?" A handy tool in sticky situations, Mehra finds it easier to take a minute off while conversing with a client or a senior and frame her thoughts more articulately. "I think unlike a telephone conversation, I can take my own time to reply to questions!"

IMs also foster strong social and emotional connectivity within the organisation. Most users admitted to actually feeling more connected to their peers and seniors because of the Internet. Though, as Rawal says, "Your language, your user list and the way you use your Instant messenger is defined by whom you talk to. I would be careful, more formal if I was chatting with a client or seniors. Maybe with colleagues, the tone would be less informal..."

There are problems too. Vanita Rao uses MSN as the official messenger within her company. But this project manger hates her IM because she always has people interrupting her and greeting her on the IM. "It can be a bit too social!" Agrees Nita Sahani, an advertising professional: "Everybody knows when I walk in and when I walk out! That can be quite scary…"

Of course, from an employer's standpoint, there's also a downside to this new technology: the abuse of instant messaging for personal business, not to miss breach of security. Explains HDFC Bank's Vice-President (Web Initiatives) Mudit Saxena, "We have our own chat module so that colleagues can chat amongst each other and make use of the ease that IMs bring in. But we have firewalls within the organisation and we are not allowed to download any IMs because they do not work well under our proxy servers. A few people use the dialup to chat with a few vendors, but that number is minuscule." ICICI Bank and Citibank also have the same case to present.

Others turn a blind eye. Explains Debadutta Mohapatra, associate consultant at Kanbay Software, "We do not have any official rules about the usage of Instant Messengers. The company does not encourage or discourage it, but expects you to use your discretion for its usage."

Yet, for people like Dayal, the IM keeps them connected even at home and allows some more encroachment of work into personal lives. For others like Nita, it is the opposite: "I think like one would send personal emails during lunch or even use official mailboxes to receive personal email, now one does IMs to stay in touch with friends. And it introduces a certain personal element even in our sterile work lives!"

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