Business Leaders Need To Start Thinking About Messaging As An Enterprise Tool

<p><em>The industry has responded with a newer class of enetrprise grade messaging entering the market and many industry leaders are beginning to see mobile productivity through the advances of messaging, writes <strong>Ram Menon</strong></em><br><br>With almost every employee in an organisation owning a smartphone, the industry is witnessing a major trend where instant messaging apps have a quicker response rate than an email. Business leaders who are embracing the digital route are finding themselves grappling with a new set of demands: learning how to transform business processes around the potential of technology and to address the challenges associated with the evolution of messaging apps in the workplace.<br><br>According to a recent report by Mary Meeker's Internet Trends 2015 messaging apps are now dominating the industry, with six out of 10 of the most used apps providing messaging services. India being the third-largest Internet market after China and the US, with 232 million users in 2014 is still far behind when it comes to number of Internet users (pegged at 232 million) compared to US and China. However, it was the top country for new user additions at over 63 million users in 2014. There are enough studies to validate why new internet user growth is only going to accelerate from here on.<br><br><strong>The Gap In Enetrprise</strong><br>The enterprise buyer is still wrestling with this change. A new employee portal built at a great expense and rolled out with fanfare stays unused whereas most employee continue to use the consumer message app to communicate instantly with their co-workers. Company emails have a read rate of 1 per cent but a WhatsApp message elicits a response within 90 seconds. This behaviour comes with its own dangers such as complaince, security. A CXO at a bank recently told me he has unearthed over 300 WhatsApp groups exchanging company specific infromation on what is essentially an open messaging network with no verification of identity or complaince with company policy.<br><br>Instead of clamping down on this as one executive suggested and outlawing consumer messaging on company phones, a business leaders needs to dig deeper. 54 per cent of all emails are replied within 24 hours, 90 per cent of instant messages are replied with 3 minutes. How do we convert this into an effective tool to enhance employee productivity? How do we provide users with a slick messaging interface, which satisfies their needs but at the same time provides the administration, security and compliance?<br><br>Enterprise Compliance and Security - It's different.<br><br>Much is made of the current security scenario, or lack of it in consumer messaging apps. However, the enterprise view is broader and more holistic. It goes beyond mere encryption. It needs to include to data retention policies on an export all data into the corporate retention and eDiscovery tool of your choice for compliance. It includes controlling the access, add and delete employees based on time, need, and current employee status, as well as create managed groups to restrict data access.<br><br>Enterprise Messaging As A Business Tool<br>On a recent business trip I spent a fair amount of time with a retail company. I was excited with the enthusiasm and commitment to a discussion on omni channel retail, improving Store loyalty, POS information inventory optimization.&nbsp; A few weeks later, I ended up visiting the store and talking to a retail associate who works in women's section of the store and asked her about the technology she uses. The answer: "I use WhatsApp to communicate with other employees for inventory lookup and to talk to my warehouse." &nbsp;<br><br>This is perhaps indicative to a culture that has moved beyond email, portals, company newsletters and business leaders need to take advantage of this to improve employee productivity.<br><br>The industry has responded with a newer class of enetrprise grade messaging entering the market and many industry leaders are beginning to see mobile productivity through the advances of messaging. To quote an unnamed BFSI CIO - "Messaging has been already voted by the business user the new enterprise communciations back bonefor instant communication, Our job is deliver on this need with a enetrprise grade platfrom -but make it useful, safe and secure"<br><br><em>The author is founder and CEO of Avaamo, enterprise messaging company</em></p>