By DAVID STROM
The New York Times
INSTANT messaging is no longer limited to one-to-one chats between cubicles. The fact that chat programs show who is online at any moment has given rise to new and sophisticated applications. In some cases, the "chats" link computers without any human involvement.
For example, Reynolds & Reynolds, which provides software and services to auto dealers, is using Jabber servers to send alerts to Reynolds technicians if the company's software goes down. The technicians can then take steps to get it working again.
Accredited Home Lenders, a mortgage company, uses instant messaging to provide its loan brokers a secure, reliable way of communicating in real time with their colleagues to resolve issues with loan applications. And Ecreation, which makes messaging software, built a virtual disc jockey for a Dutch radio station that broadcasts over the Internet, allowing it to take requests from listeners around the world through Microsoft's I.M. network.
In New York, Schulte Roth & Zabel, a law firm, has integrated its instant-messaging software with its telephone switching system. What the staff likes about I.M. is how it works with existing telephones, said Sam Blumenstyk, technology operations manager at the firm. A significant side benefit is its ability to capture call-billing information from the PC using software tied into Microsoft Windows.
Instant messaging also figures prominently in helping deaf people and the hard of hearing to communicate with the outside world. Before I.M., deaf users required telephone relay operators to type messages to them and read their replies to the callers. GoAmerica has built a gateway to I.M. for its i711.com Web site, so that deaf users can send messages directly to operators. "We are trying to provide an interactive experience for the deaf customer," said Jesse Odom, chief technology officer for GoAmerica.
