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Poll: Do you consider instant messengers to be more of a help or a hindrance to your productivity? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Do you consider instant messengers to be more of a help or a hindrance to your productivity?".
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Julian Holmes 
Japan
Local time: 21:23
Member (2011)
Japanese to English
| Don't use them... | May 16, 2013 |
...for work. I can't see any advantage to using instant messengers over regular e-mail to communicate with customers.
They're OK for chatting with friends. That's about it IMHO
Small edit
[Edited at 2013-05-16 08:30 GMT]
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I don't use instant messenger when I work
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Adam Jarczyk
Poland
Local time: 14:23
Member (2009)
English to Polish
+ ...
Julian Holmes wrote:
...for work. I can't see any advantage to using instant messengers over regular e-mail to communicate with customers.
The very same here; even more so that I respond to email very quickly.
Adam
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Michael Harris
Germany
Local time: 14:23
Member (2006)
German to English
I must admit, I use Skype quite a bit for "quick" queries concerning projects, but also send the text afterwards per mail for ref.
I do find it useful for urgent questions, especially if it has to do with availability or to clarify some issues where e-mailing would take "too long".
I only do this sort of stuff with customers that want to, with others, things then just take a little longer.
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John Cutler
Spain
Local time: 14:23
Spanish to English
+ ...
| A pain in the neck more than a hindrance | May 16, 2013 |
Using an instant messaging program with a client would be like having a boss breathing down my neck all day. If I wanted things to be like that, I'd find a 9-5 office job. No thanks!
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My clients do not have my skype ID, and in my contacts I have:
- family members: they do not live where I live, but they know that during my working hours the cannot contact me
- colleagues: I contact them and they contact me for help/suggestions and work related stuff
- friends: same rule as family members
So at the end of the day in my case the answer is HELP, but I chose "it depends" because I think it is more a matter of "how you use it".
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neilmac
Spain
Local time: 14:23
Spanish to English
+ ...
I don't normally use instant messaging with clients (they would be on at me all the time; it's bad enough with phones, which I can always switch off, or emails, which I can ignore if I feel like it).
I do use it with friends and colleagues to discuss things though, to brainstorm and send the odd file. In this sense, it's handier and more immediate than emailing.
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Marjolein Snippe
Netherlands
Local time: 14:23
Member (2012)
English to Dutch
+ ...
... I'd find it more of a hindrance than a help, so I don't use it.
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I don't see any need. Not privately either.
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| Can't see the point | May 16, 2013 |
Email is pretty instant and I generally respond to it pretty instantly. And besides, I absolutely HATE those little grinning yellow Smileys bobbing up and down...
Grumpily,
Steve K. (not rolling on the floor laughing)
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Allison Wright (X)
Portugal
Local time: 13:23
Used sparingly, they can be helpful.
Any interruption is a hindrance to one's productivity. don't shoot the instant messenger!
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Thayenga
Germany
Local time: 14:23
Member (2009)
English to German
+ ...
Michael Harris wrote:
I must admit, I use Skype quite a bit for "quick" queries concerning projects, but also send the text afterwards per mail for ref.
I do find it useful for urgent questions, especially if it has to do with availability or to clarify some issues where e-mailing would take "too long".
I only do this sort of stuff with customers that want to, with others, things then just take a little longer.
This is my way of using Skype as well. Aside, of course, from friends and/or colleagues. Especially the latter ones can be helpful in case of questions regarding a project.
Other than that, Skype can also be turned off.
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Julian Holmes
Japan
Local time: 21:23
Member (2011)
Japanese to English
| Don't shoot Yahoo Messenger | May 16, 2013 |
Allison Wright wrote: Any interruption is a hindrance to one's productivity. don't shoot the instant messenger!
What! Allison, your smiley isn't bobbing up and down. Gasp!  LOL
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Kay Denney
France
Local time: 14:23
French to English
I have two Skype accounts: one for work and one for family. So I only open the work one when I'm working, to ask PMs quick questions (like, they forgot to give me the job number or I want to know if they can wait till the afternoon because someone else has suddenly realised that they need to bring a deadline forward. Any important info then gets confirmed in an e-mail.
Then I disconnect that one and connect with my personal account to talk to my son in the UK when we've arranged to ... See more I have two Skype accounts: one for work and one for family. So I only open the work one when I'm working, to ask PMs quick questions (like, they forgot to give me the job number or I want to know if they can wait till the afternoon because someone else has suddenly realised that they need to bring a deadline forward. Any important info then gets confirmed in an e-mail.
Then I disconnect that one and connect with my personal account to talk to my son in the UK when we've arranged to chat.
It's that simple! (I'm no techie by a long chalk) ▲ Collapse
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