HOUSTON -
"I feel that staff definitely would use IM exclusively, if allowed," said Rito Garza, vice president-information technology at the $520-million First Community CU (FCCU) here.
Garza compares IM traffic to e-mail traffic by tracking network ports and logs and has found that "the staff tends to use the IM program more."
Although IM hasn't "totally" replaced e-mail at IH Mississippi Valley CU (IHVMCU) in Moline, Ill., "it's going that way," according to Mary Slonecker, PC specialist at the $550-million credit union.
Whereas each of the credit union's 240 employees has access to IM, not all have e-mail or a telephone, she said.
Employees currently send more than three times the number of instant messages than they did when the platform was launched in February 2006, she added.
And Grow Financial FCU in Tampa, Fla., told Credit Union Journal two years ago that IM was already the only communications tool that IT employees really need.
Instant messaging will pop-up at all U.S. businesses by 2010, says Gartner, the Stamford, Conn.-based research tank.
It's no wonder: people are sick of e-mail spam, which can comprise up to 100% of all messages delivered, according to various anti-spam solutions providers.
Enterprise IM platforms are better suited to employee lifestyles in other ways, too. "When employees see that they can get faster responses to their questions via IM, they start using IM more," explained Slonecker.
A fast response means a happy member, Garza continued. "In some instances, it's vital to receive a response to an urgent member need. IM has been a very powerful tool in achieving and maintaining our high level of customer service."
In particular, the First Community staff is "IM-ing" the credit union's loan officers and department managers for loan rates and decisions, said Garza. And at IHVMCU, IM helps tellers get help from the card services, human resources and technology departments without interrupting interactions with members, Slonecker said.
The platforms identify which employees are "in" the office so that users won't go on a wild goose chase trying to contact someone who is "out." And employees don't usually overlook IM, as new messages instantly pop-up on top of any open applications on the recipient's computer screen, according to Garza.
Although each of FCCU's 215 employees is hooked on IM, the technology staff is still obliged to use e-mail to communicate about service requests, even though the requests usually originate in IM. "E-mail not only conveniently documents the incident, but allows me to measure the overall service expectation I have placed on my department," Garza said.
Slonecker said that IM helps employees spend less time playing phone tag. "I'm not spending so much time phoning people back now that service requests are coming through on IM."
IHMVCU employees can multi-task using IM, as well, said Scott Zahnle, vice president-information technology at the credit union. "With IM, you can have three conversations going on at one time, but on the phone, you can only have one at a time."
For First Community Employees, IM is faster to master than e-mail, said Garza: The learning curve is slight because the credit union has enabled only a basic service. "There's no chat or attachments of any type."
Both credit unions are considering extending IM to members.
"That way we could be a true contact center that uses all methods to communicate with members," Zahnle said.
Garza agreed that IM "would provide a unique approach to member interaction," but said the credit union must first figure out how to provide IM contact center agents around the clock in order to meet members' service expectations, Garza said.
Do You IM?
Is your credit union using instant messaging to communicate among employees or even to reach members? If so, share your story. E-mail fdiekmann
FOR MORE RESOURCES
Read more about IM at cujournal.com and search the following bolded terms in the archive:
Hello, I'M I.M., on IHMVCU's first steps into instant messaging.
FYI. IM Brings :) 2 1 CU's IT Dept., on Grow Financial FCU's favorite means of communication in the IT department.
Get Ready For SPIM, on IM's answer to spam.
For info on this story:
* IH Mississippi Valley CU, www.ihmvcu.org
* First Community CU, www.fccu.org
