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Web conferencing and Instant Messaging, technologies commonly-used by teenagers to keep in touch with friends, are gaining favour as business communications tools.

E-mail and the telephone alone no longer make the grade.

According to a new study by IDC Canada, 43 per cent of medium-sized and large Canadian businesses are using IM. Over 50 per cent are using it specifically to connect with partners and customers. The study also found that close to half of organizations using IM report improved worker efficiency and collaboration by using enterprise instant messaging.

Web conferencing – where teenagers use webcams to see and communicate with friends over the Internet – is now providing a new opportunity for businesses to improve staff communication.

According to IDC Canada, over 50 per cent of medium and large Canadian organizations have already adopted Web conferencing, and another 14 per cent intend to implement it in the next 12 months. Web conferencing allows users to incorporate graphical demonstrations and visual messages into the presentation.

IDC Canada says it expects organizations to continue to invest in enterprise instant messaging and web conferencing to improve corporate collaboration.