Messaging applications are various platforms and programs which allow instant messaging in the form of text or voice messages. A number of such programs have evolved into wide enough platforms enabling instant messaging, chatrooms, payments and interactive commerce among many users. Such platforms have several advantages, one such advantage is that it enables a business to promote their products and services directly to the person using the messaging system. This in turn increases customer satisfaction since the person receiving the messages understands that they are from a business representative of that particular company. Instant messaging also has other advantages such as saving a considerable amount of time since messages can be replied to in the form of messages or email within a matter of seconds and messages can also be forwarded to other users as well.
However, instant messaging has some disadvantages too. Instant messaging is quite slow compared to e-mailing or sending web-mails on the internet. Another disadvantage is that the messages can get lost when messages are not correctly sent or misdirected. Messages can also be subject to some spam filters. A business can also face several fraud cases as people use fake identities and create fake profiles to send spam messages and lure innocent users. To ensure safety of its customers, some businesses have taken steps to enhance security measures such as installing anti-virus software, restricting a user’s access to their computers and using fraud deterrents such as money-back guarantees.
For many organizations and businesses, direct messaging is a preferable alternative to communicating via instant messaging platforms. A good example of a platform which is popularly used for instant messaging among organizations is BlackBerry Messenger. The BlackBerry Messenger is a free messaging platform offering a range of communication features such as file sharing, instant messaging, internet calling and video conferencing. BlackBerry Messenger has an inbuilt security mechanism which helps in blocking spam mails and automatically deleting older messages that have been deleted.
Another popular platform for messaging is the iPhone. The iPhone allows text and image messaging as well as the option of sending a voice message. In order to use the iPhone platform, one needs to have an iPhone and a Mac laptop running the iOS 4.3. Sending messages using the iPhone is very similar to what one would do using the Android messaging apps.
The third most widely used platform for messaging is the web. Most websites support basic messaging services including the sending and receiving of messages. It also allows users to share images, documents etc. with the help of multimedia messages. One can also upload pictures and videos using the built-in web browser. Since most websites are compatible with most of the browsers, messaging is a very easy process and does not require any downloading.
There are several messaging platforms available in the market. The choice of platform largely depends on the requirements and business goals of the organization. It is advisable to undertake a detailed analysis of the organizational requirements and analyze the pros and cons of different platforms before choosing the right one.