Using Instant Messaging for Customer Service

IM (Instant Messaging) is a type of communication service that enables one individual to create a private chat room with another. Online stores can offer shoppers a variety of ways to communicate with them. IM is considered by millions their communication method of choice -- especially by younger Internet users who are messaging constantly. 

A June 2003 study by AOL and Opinion Research Corp. indicated IM use by age group. Most IM users (71%) use IM at home, but 21% use it at work, 8% via wireless device, and 7% at school.

The leaders -- and fierce competitors -- are AOL Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger, and MSN Messenger. Driven by the competition, IM tools are becoming increasingly sophisticated, capable of VoIP telephony, SMS technology, plus video calls to individuals (currently in Yahoo! Messenger and coming soon in Windows Messenger). The leading services quite rightly fear the loss of users that would result if interoperability is established among the consumer networks, though some services exist that allow cross-system messaging.

ICQ

ICQ (www.icq.com, currently owned by American Online) is probably the oldest system. Many long-time Internet users have ICQ, though not as many younger users. To speed communications, ICQ has two features which can be included painlessly within websites, their ICQ Panel (www.icq.com/panels/respondpanel/) as well as their Unified Messaging Center (which, for every user, can be accessed at http://wwp.icq.com/YOUR_ICQ#). These encourage communicate via ICQ chat, ICQ page, telephone, e-mail (through ICQ), and website.

Yahoo! Messenger

Yahoo! Messenger (http://messenger.yahoo.com) now includes video and Voice over Internet (VoIP) options. Yahoo is hoping to sell an enterprise version (EE Version 1.5) to corporations to provision their employees with the ability to launch WebEx meetings from their desktop, including application-sharing and voice, video and VoIP conferencing.

AIM (AOL Instant Messenger)

America Online Messenger (AIM; http://www.aim.com) is very popular, driven by AOL's huge user base in the US. Even though AOL owns ICQ, there still isn't a built-in way to communicate between users of the two systems. Recently AOL agreed with Microsoft to explore interoperability between AIM and MSN Messenger, etc., but don't hold your breath.

MSN Messenger and Windows Messenger

MSN Messenger (http://messenger.msn.com) is a strong competitor, used by many who have Hotmail.com and MSN.com e-mail accounts. A "sleeper" in Windows XP is Windows Messenger (http://messenger.microsoft.com?client=0), which has recently prompted XP users to download the latest version. Windows Messenger 6.0 incorporates more interactive perks into the message window, such as a webcam, real-time games, audio chat and custom "emoticons." Microsoft plans to sell Windows Messenger as an enterprise-class IM service with security and manageability to meet corporate standards. Future versions will integrate net phone calling and video conferencing incorporating WebEx technology. At present MSN Messenger is not interoperable with Windows Messenger.

Jabber

Another, unrelated IM system is Jabber (www.jabber.com), which is pressing for interoperability between IM systems through adopting common standards. Jabber is an open IM protocol that uses XML to exchange information.

Integrating Various IM Programs

If you're a storeowner trying to use IM for customer interaction, all these options, each with different and overlapping sets of users, can be confusing to say the least. Enter FaceTime and Trillian Pro.

FaceTime

FaceTime (www.facetime.com) helps integrate and coordinate various instant messaging services that customers may already have, so the customer can inquire using her preferred IM. FaceTime pricing, however, is designed for enterprises more than small businesses. When you click on their invitation to "send us an Instant Message using your favorite messenger and our BizBuddy Service," a screen pops up offering you a choice of services -- FaceTime Secure Messenger, AOL, MSN, and Yahoo! Messengers. 

Absent, however, is ICQ. When I clicked on the Yahoo! Messenger logo in the invitation window, my Yahoo! Messenger box came up immediately. When I clicked on MSN, a window popped up that said, "MSN users must add FaceTimeLive@hotmail.com to their contact list." I'm assuming that the new Windows Messenger will be included in FaceTime soon.

On the operator side, the FaceTime Agent Workstation application helps the operator manage the various communications, push URLs to inquirers and cut and paste boilerplate copy. An operator is able to handle several conversations at the same time.

Click to enlarge

Trillian Pro (Cerulean Studios) and Gaim

If you can't afford to spring for FaceTime, consider Trillian Pro from Cerulean Studios (www.trillian.cc). Trillian Pro offers a single interface that provides connectivity to AIM, ICQ, MSN Messenger, Yahoo! and IRC, as well as the ability to send mobile messages. There is a free version of Trillian. Trillian Pro costs a fee of $25 for one year of updates -- and updates are needed to keep up with changes in the IM programs, which don't especially like being bypassed by the likes of Trillian. 

You can set a sound that warns you when someone is trying to message you. My daughter, a college student, has dozens of IM contacts, which use all sorts of services. She has used Trillian Pro for the past year, and now opens only Trillian when she boots up, not each individual messenger. She notes occasional connection difficulties with MSN Messenger plus some minor annoyances. Clearly, however, this tool is the poor-man's way to use IM as a means of instant accessibility to customers. It lacks, of course, the kinds of customer management tools that are present in a full-fledged system, such as FaceTime.

Gaim (gaim.sourceforge.net) is a multi-protocol instant messaging client for Linux, BSD, MacOS X, and Windows. It is compatible with AIM (Oscar and TOC protocols), ICQ, MSN Messenger, Yahoo, IRC, Jabber, Gadu-Gadu, and Zephyr networks.

How Small Businesses Can Implement IM?

In your "contact us" webpage, you might set up some kind of contact system that gives all your public IM numbers and screen names. Here's an example I saw on the Web (with names obscured to retain privacy).

How can your customers know whether or not you are online and available? IM programs often show that automatically. But some CGI programs exist that allow you to display availability on your webpage. There are several programming approaches. 

• You could set up a script on a ColdFusion, PHP, or ASP page that determines the current time and will display an open or closed sign automatically, depending upon the day or time.
• ICQ can determine whether your computer is online, and some scripts have been adapted to display this on a webpage. ICQ Pager (www.cgispy.com/info/icq.shtml) is of this type. Another is the Online Status Indicator (www.onlinestatus.org) that uses a dedicated server and only requires users to put a couple of lines of HTML on their websites.
• You could set your browser homepage to automatically activate a Perl script that would indicate on your site that you were online, but you'd need to log off at the end of the day. Other scripts allow you to login when you are present and log off when you leave, such as Who Is Online 1.0, Harland Scripts, which combines CGI and SSI programs, $55 (www.harlandscripts.com/HarlandOnline).

Resources:

• About.com's Internet Conferencing Section (netconference.about.com) has lots of articles on IM. 
• Carey Nachenberg, "Securing Instant Messaging," Symantec, May 21, 2002.   Discusses various security problems to using IM clients within a company and offers several rules that can provide some security. (http://enterprisesecurity.symantec.com/article.cfm?articleid=1341&EID=0)
• Instant Messaging Planet (www.instantmessagingplanet.com), a website that keeps up with the fast-moving world of Instant Messaging. Includes news stories plus sections on security, products, wireless IM, etc. Particular focus on enterprise IM.