Facebook Messenger is king of IM apps, but people still prefer SMS

28.05.2015
Facebook Messenger is currently the most popular mobile instant-message (IM) app, though the majority of people prefer SMS texts to IMs and 80 percent use texts for business purposes, according to a new survey of 509 people commissioned by RingCentral. RingCentral is a cloud-based communications system for SMBs with desktop and mobile apps, SMS capabilities and a variety of additional features.

Survey respondents were split evenly between men and women, with the majority (34 percent) between the ages of 25 and 34, followed by 26 percent ages 35 to 44, and 17 percent ages 45 to 54.

Here's a look at some of the survey's most notable findings:

Like the respondents, I prefer SMS to messaging apps. It feels more direct, and more difficult to miss (or ignore). As for messaging apps, I use Facebook Messenger because most of my friends and family are on Facebook -- I don't have to convince them to download another app.

However, I don't communicate with business contacts (who aren't also friends) via SMS or messaging apps. I use email for business. Somehow, sending a text or IM feels like overstepping a boundary, unless the recipient specifically asked me to communicate that way. SMS and messaging apps are for your inner circle and email is for everyone else, at least for me. However, I may be in the minority here, as explained in John Brandon's "Why 2015 will bring the death of email overload."

(www.cio.com)

James A. Martin

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