Many individuals have personal and professional goals that they set for themselves at the beginning of the year. Some like to call these New Year’s Resolutions, while others just prefer to say “goals”. No matter the vernacular, goal setting is a valuable tool for self improvement both personally and professionally.

If an individual’s goal is to be more organized and productive, learning more about time management may be a good idea. There are several different books and strategies available to learn more about how to manage time more productively, but Brian Tracy and Mind Tools are two good resources to get started with. Both offer concrete tools and strategies and are helpful in highlighting the areas that need improvement while also providing solutions.

Besides these types of resources, programs that are already being used can also be a great help. For instance, Brosix Instant Messenger for Work is also another good resource. If an individual has identified that talking or chatting with co-workers has been a contributor towards poor time management, they may find it more useful to have conversations with co-workers via instant messaging instead of walking over to their desk. In most cases, a work-related question can be answered instantly via IM and can avoid small talk, which may take up time that needs to be spend working.

A new year means that there are several things to get excited about– New Year’s Resolutions, new fiscal budgets at work (for some companies), and the feeling of “starting over” and bettering yourself in the next year. These types of inspirational events and feelings can lead to higher productivity and professional success if you allow yourself to act and make an action plan of how to accomplish the goals you have set out for yourself.

Some of the ways you can use Brosix in the office to become more productive and successful in the workplace include:

• Utilizing Away Messages for Fellow Users Know You Aren’t At Your Desk
• Asking Co-Workers a Question on IM Instead of Bothering Them in Their Office
• Sending Files Over File Transfer to Save Time (Versus Opening and Using Email)
• Using Video Chat, Group Chat, or Whiteboard to Hold Meetings Instead of Meeting in Person
• Can You Think of Any Others?

There are so many other ways to use Brosix to stay efficient; these are just some of the ways. If you have any professional New Year’s Resolutions or have a tip on how to use Brosix to stay productive and efficient, let us know in the comments.

CNN.com reported on a story about technology firm Atos Origin, based in France, who is planning on banning “internal email from company communication within two years”. The article states that “employees will communicate mostly through instant-messaging tools or wiki-like documents that can be edited by multiple users online”.

Atos Origin cites that its main concern with using email as a main form of communication is how much time employees and managers spend writing emails, up to 20 hours a week.

Instant messaging programs like Brosix can help companies wishing to reduce the amount of internal email sent by helping employees learn how to better communication through instant messaging. Along with being a faster means of communication, it also can cut down on productivity bottlenecks like writing, searching through, and organizing emails for multiple hours each day.

The CNN.com article ends with,

If trends are any indication, Atos may be on to something. Recent surveys have found e-mail use declining rapidly among younger people who prefer faster, less formal means of communication such as texting or instant messaging on Facebook or Twitter.

“Atos’ decision … is perhaps the most ringing endorsement yet for the notion that email is being gradually phased out of [the workplace],” wrote BonitaSoft CEO Miguel Valdés Faura on the tech blog GigaOm. “It will be interesting to see how many other large scale organizations will follow in its footsteps over the next several years.”

Is your office cutting down on email? Let us know in the comments.

Users of Brosix Enterprise have access to many top level features. One of the most popular is the networks feature that allows you to create your own instant messaging network.

With the ability to create your own network, regardless of the size, it is simple to stay in touch with the right people while avoiding others. Along with this, you can be rest assured that only authorized users have the ability to join your network.

Are you looking for a convenient and secure way for employees and other group members to communicate, while still staying focused on business? If so, a secure network from Brosix is the way to go.

You can invite an unlimited number of members to your network. From there, a fully functional web control panel allows you to set user-level permissions, track communication amongst users, enable/disable features, and much more.

Why rely on a public instant messenger when you don’t have to? With the Brosix networks feature you can create a highly secure, private network that is sure to increase efficiency and improve productivity.

More information about the networks feature can be found at
http://www.brosix.com/enterprise-features/networks/

Do you use Brosix Instant Messenger on the weekend? Even though Brosix Enterprise was designed to be used by companies and organizations, Brosix Public is commonly used by individuals who want a secure instant messenger without advertising that is free to use. Even though the Brosix Public version may get more use outside of regularly working hours (e.g. 8 am to 5 pm), it doesn’t mean that the Enterprise version is left out.

Many times, employees will need to work late on the weeknights or even come into the office during the weekend to catch up on projects and work communications. During these times, Brosix is still a useful instant messenger that allows employees to connect with co-workers who are working the same irregular hours that they are.

Brosix could also be used on the weekends and during weeknights when it’s important to talk to clients or work colleagues who are based internationally and have a different time zone. Because Brosix can be used at any time of day, it’s possible to connect with international contacts and use many of Brosix’s great collaboration features, such Whiteboard, Co-Browse, and Screen Sharing.

Enjoying the weekend

In order to make Brosix an effective part of any weekend work, try to limit personal talk and stick strictly to business. This way, employees are more productive and can end up going out to enjoy the remaining part of their weekend!

One of the best things about using an instant messaging program is the fact that you are able to carry productive conversation while also completing other tasks on your computer. I like multi-tasking because it allows me to still finish my other assignments even though I’m talking to a co-worker or a friend about something else that is completely unrelated.

Because I am able to multi-task, I’m also able to be available for more time during the day. Because I know I can still be productive while chatting online with my instant messenger, I leave my messenger on for the most of the time I’m on the computer, even though I may be busy and working on several assignments. Even if someone starts talking to me, I’m still able to finish my work on time.

Being able to multi-task also allows me to look up information for the person I am chatting with. Because both of my hands are free, I can look up information online and in online files that I wouldn’t be able to do as easily if I was on the phone. I also don’t feel as rushed as I would be if the co-worker or friend had come to ask me in person. I am able to give a better answer because I have more time to respond- people usually understand when you take some time to answer in an instant messaging program.

A business instant messenger is a great productivity tool for any office. It will help increase the efficiency with which your business can communicate between different departments and locations. An enterprise business instant messenger client is engineered – for business use specifically – to allow IT administrators to create and monitor user accounts, not only to avoid waste but also to ensure that confidential information is not shared with the wrong parties. Here are some of the many ways that business instant messaging can be utilized in the office.

Business Instant Messenger applications available for IT management:

• Private network
• User activity log
• Contact list management
• Control of user permissions
• Free technical support
• Welcome module

Business Instant Messenger applications available for all office users:

• Instant text messaging
• Offline text messaging
• Chat history
• Voice chat
• Voice conference
• Voice mail
• Video chat
• Video conference
• File transfer
• Screenshot
• Screen sharing
• Co-browse
• Whiteboard
• Automatic updates
• User status alerts

As you can see, a business instant messenger can be very helpful in many ways for getting office tasks done, and when it comes to amazing customer service and features, Brosix.com is the way to go.

A corporate instant messenger can be a God send for support teams that find themselves burried with phone calls and voicemails. If employees know to use the corporate instant messenger to contact support, most companies will see a decline in voice mail and call que wait times. This is especially true when employees start getting faster support when they use the corporate instant messenger. 

Once your company is in this mode there are lots of ways to cut support times way down. For example: 

Ask for a screen shot
Have employees send a screen shot of the problem. Many errors can simply be fixed by clicking “OK” but employees are reasonably concerned. Brosix has a built in screen shot tool that makes providing this as easy as a click. The screen shots are already optimized, so you don’t have to worry about those 2MB bitmaps (BMP) files clogging up your servers. 

Keep a list of solutions
Many problems occur and re-occur. Why re-type everything? Keep a database or list of common solutions. When you get the question, just copy and paste the solution right into the chat window. Just remember to have them tell you if the solution did or did not work so you can log your efforts. 

Tell ‘em to wait!
Some problems are simply more urgent than others. If an email server is down and you get a wall of instant messages, don’t be afraid to tell people to wait. Just be professional and provide them with accurate, relevant information.

Use screen sharing
When all else fails, reach for Brosix’s screen sharing software. This will allow you to immediately see the problem and work through a solution. All the while you can coach and teach the employee. 

Conclusion
Getting employees to reach for the corporate instant messenger can be tricky, but well worth the efforts. In larger firms the support call que can quickly become clogged. These tips will help your support staff save some time and keep employees productive.

Even the New York Times has come to terms with the fact that in these hard economic times, looking busy can help you to keep your bosses good graces, and your job. While a lot of people are reshuffling papers, or leaving out thick file folders one can’t help but wonder how long it will take until your boss sees through that act and catches on to the charade. Say, when its time for you to give in a monthly report.

It would be a much better use of that fake busy time to actually add to your personal value, and to prove that you are an asset and not a faker. It got me thinking how Brosix can help you to do just that. Imagine being able to add some of these to your list of monthly accomplishments.

1. Provided secure online technical support to customers online on demand. (IM’s, Cooperative Internet Browsing)

2. Conducted a e-training seminar for staff members all over the world, with a real time question and answer session at zero cost to the organization. (Voice chat)

3. Provided real time updates on project status to senior managers with visual accompaniments. (File transfer and screen shots)

4. Ensured that project team received all forgotten data in Santa Fe before presentation to clients. (File Transfer)

That kind of value added could actually keep your job, instead of making your boss feel angry and betrayed when the truth of your busywork comes to light.

Even though I am probably part of the last generation to remember life without the internet, I definitely was without it during my early elementary years. And now, I simply can’t imagine without it. None of us would be here right now, writing blog entries or reading them. Can you imagine such a travesty? I would imagine that most of us would either be bored out of our minds, unable to make a living, or both!

For those of us who remember a time before the internet, before online and constant communication, it’s easy to figure out why instant messaging has become so popular. Instant, non-verbal communication that allows you to continue working on different projects while getting instant answers to your questions?  How could that not be successful! Our economy and working environment now relies on the productivity and efficiency – that is why it is now more important than ever to incorporate instant messaging into your every day workplace communication. Instant messaging is the most efficient communication method that the internet and network servers have to offer. And like email, it has such a low operating cost! Your company should definitely give Brosix a try – what do you have to lose?