It's Real Time to Talk

For years, internet pundits have been chatting about the power of real-time chat. Until recently, though, the only real power-users of the technology were teenagers obsessed with sex and celebrities, and university professors interested in debating with colleagues from around the world. Well, make way for business!

Many business chats are one-to-one: two colleagues, thousands of miles away, viewing a Web page at the same time and "discussing" it electronically. But most chats involve groups: a far-flung team of engineers, all online at the same time, typing in ideas and offering their reactions to what's being "said" over the Net.

Not even ardent chat enthusiasts expect that the technology will ever become as ubiquitous as email. But it is going mainstream. One popular chat application, made by Mirabilis Ltd., is called ICQ ("I seek you"). More than 9 million people have downloaded the software since it appeared less than two years ago. Meanwhile, blue-chip companies such as Chase Manhattan, Merrill Lynch, and IBM are experimenting with chat to connect their people - and to connect with their customers.

This edition of @Work introduces you to four companies that are using Internet chat to cut costs, improve service, enhance creativity - even generate revenue. It also offers hands-on advice from pundits and pioneers on the newest form of Netiquette - namely, chatiquette. But enough chat! It's time to let your fingers do the talking.

Log On and Touch Someone

Who's Talking?

Gregg Gallagher, 45, is in the communications business. He evaluates technologies and alliances for AT&T WorldNet Service, based in Bridgewater, New Jersey. Gallagher spends most of his time attending meetings, taking part in conference calls, surfing the Web - and communicating via real-time chat. He uses ICQ, which notifies him when other, specified users are online and lets him communicate instantly with them. "Chat is the Internet version of an intercom," he says. "You can summon a person quickly."

What's the Word?

Lots of people use real-time chat for formal, structured conversations. Gallagher prefers impromptu sessions. He uses ICQ to connect with colleagues without having to pass through the halls: "Chat saves time because I don't have to move through the building." He also uses chat to communicate one-on-one during conference calls: "It's a way to have 'out-of-band' communication while a call is taking place. People can refine their thoughts online rather than announce ideas to everyone. But this isn't just passing notes behind the teacher's back. I also use it to communicate with people on the other side of the table."

Recently, for example, Gallagher was discussing technical details during a conference call with a business partner. Engineers for the other company were reluctant to reveal a sensitive piece of information. Thanks to ICQ, Gallagher noticed that the head of the company was online. Gallagher sent a message to him - and cleared up the stumbling block. "I did it without interrupting the conversation," he says. "In a physical meeting, we might have had to leave the room."

Talking Points

Gallagher uses chat an average of 20 times a day. But even he recognizes the limits of chat technology: "There's no history, so it's not good for long-term conversations. And it works best for intimate dialogue. It's not good for many-to-many conversations."

Tech Talk

Mirabilis's technology lets users see whether people on a contact list are online, and whether they're busy or away from their desks. Users click on a name to send an instant message or to open a chat session. The ICQ client can be downloaded for free www.mirabilis.com . Mirabilis offers a more robust intranet-based system, plus versions of ICQ for popular Web-based programs, such as NetMeeting from Microsoft.

Coordinates: Gregg Gallagher, ggallagher@att.net; ICQ number: 368435

Talk to the Hand

Who's Talking?

Hand Technologies is a virtual organization. It sells hardware and software to the SOHO (small office, home office) market. Hand's staffers are mostly self-employed reps who sell face-to-face, often through new-wave Tupperware parties. The company has almost 1,300 such "technology consultants" - and just 25 employees at its headquarters in Austin, Texas. "We have to keep people well trained and well informed," says Dena Wood, 28, Hand's marketing director. "Chat has become a real business tool."

What's the Word?

Hand's first chat application was designed to speed up the process of evaluating job candidates. Prospective consultants visit an online auditorium, where executives explain Hand's business model and field questions.