Our Secret Weapon

Have you ever needed something really important when suddenly and unexpectedly you run into a person who can solve your problem? Maybe you need a nanny and worry out loud to your neighbor, just as her niece, the child development major, needs part-time work. Or you run out of story ideas just before an analyst friend calls to catch up over lunch.

Ah, don’t we all wish problem-solving was this easy?

If you haven’t embraced the Chat instant message function on Facebook, you are missing a huge opportunity to stay in front of clients, colleagues and friends — and even save days of phone tag or email exchange. This Web 2.0 tool has become a “secret weapon” for our team.

For example, when a new project request comes to High Tech Connect, we mine our database and typically find 2-3 dozen candidates to screen. But if we glance at the people currently online on Facebook, we may see a name that jogs our memory about a skill they have or a colleague they know. Then before looking up 36 phone numbers or crafting 36 coherent emails and waiting for replies, we can simply ping someone via Chat: “You still consulting?” “Ever done PR for a wireless startup?” “Written many pharmaceutical white papers?”

And sometimes we need to ask a quick question to a busy client. Catching them on Facebook at 10:20 pm means they’re still awake and can probably handle a one-line query about interview times or purchase order approvals. But we always follow the rules of the instant messaging road: don’t bug people unless you really need to ask a question, if they don’t respond they are away or busy, and always keep it quick and to the point.

Obviously, chat does not replace live phone calls or detailed emails, but in this economy with overworked clients and under-utilized consultants, the shortest distance to connect them can be right there on our Facebook Chat screen. So, if you see us on Facebook, ping us any time. We’d love to Chat. )