Three Tips From A CU Vet On Implementing IM

MOLINE, Ill. - More than one year into enterprise instant messaging (IM), Mary Slonecker, PC specialist at $550-million IH Mississippi Valley CU here, provided Credit Union Journal with her "Top Three Tips" for implementing the tool:

* Encourage users to open IM everyday, or change the settings in the program to automatically open after users log onto the workstation.

* Encourage users to use IM when they need an answer to a question rather than leaving their workstations to make a phone call.

* Survey users before deployment to see how they are getting needed information. Then, send follow-up surveys to see how IM has changed the way users are communicating. If they do not like using IM, ask why. "This gave us an idea about how we could encourage those users who were having a difficult time adjusting to IM."