Instant messaging is becoming a more common workplace tool for communication among co-workers. A study conducted by Gartner Inc., a market research and consulting firm, found that bout 70 percent of all organizations used it by the end of 2003. Instant messaging is useful in maintaining communication between employees in different offices. One disadvantage is that it can be difficult to document conversations had through instant messaging.
See "Instant messaging works way into the workplace", Amy Joyce, Chicago Tribune, April 26, 2004