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Don't Shoot the Instant Messengers; 78 Percent of Employees Say Instant Messaging Boosts Productivity According to Latest Siemens Business Services Survey

Posted on: Tuesday, 16 November 2004, 06:00 CST

Instant messaging (IM) is eclipsing email and phone use at the office, according to a Siemens Business Services survey released today. 78 percent of employees surveyed reported that using IM at work boosts their productivity. The Siemens survey reveals that 76 percent of employees send fewer emails and 84 percent make fewer phone calls because they accomplish their communications through IM.

This phenomenon could be the result of team-based projects that require the real-time collaboration IM delivers. 26 percent of IM users have at least 20 co-workers on their IM contact lists; an additional 11 percent have at least 50 co-workers.

Companies in North America are responding and adapting to the call for instant messengers as 71 percent of employees polled say their employers encourage the use of IM as a productivity tool.

"When IT teams adopt IM as a legitimate enterprise application and treat it as such - productivity increases dramatically," said John McKenna, CEO of Siemens Business Services, Inc., North America. "Specifically, IT management will need to create security measures and an IM policy that includes protocol for appropriate use."

He continued, "There is no better return on investment for IT than a more productive workforce. Obviously, IM has entrenched itself alongside phone and e-mail as a productive communication tool."

Siemens Business Services has 4,500 employees in the U.S. and 34,000 worldwide. North American call centers and data centers are located in Newark, California; Mason, Ohio; Toronto, Ontario; and, Long Grove, Illinois. These centers provide desktop and help desk solutions, enterprise management solutions, network and security services, desktop and server operating systems migration, SAP services, and data center management.

About Siemens Business Services

Siemens Business Services is one of the world's leading IT service providers. With its comprehensive know-how and specific sector knowledge, this division of Siemens offers solutions and services from a single source - from consulting through system integration and management of IT infrastructures to IT outsourcing. In fiscal year 2003 (9/30/03), Siemens Business Services achieved worldwide sales of $6.1 billion USD. The company has more than 34,000 employees in 44 countries. For more information, please visit Siemens Business Services on the Web at www.usa.siemens.com/sbs.

About Siemens AG

Siemens AG (NYSE:SI) is one of the largest global electronics and engineering companies with reported worldwide sales of $80.5 billion in fiscal 2003. Founded more than 150 years ago, the company is a leader in the areas of Automation and Control, Information and Communications, Lighting, Medical, Power and Transportation. With its U.S. corporate headquarters in New York City, Siemens in the USA has sales of $16.6 billion and employs 70,000 people throughout all 50 states and Puerto Rico. Eleven of Siemens' worldwide businesses are based in the United States. With its global headquarters in Munich, Siemens AG and its subsidiaries employ 423,000 people in 192 countries.

Source: Business Wire

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