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Why do IT teams love to chat?

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Adaptavist
2 December 15 Adaptavist
Why do IT teams love to chat?
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Why do IT teams love to chat?

Atlassian recently published a study into what makes chat tools so popular in IT teams. The survey spoke to agents, managers and directors within IT teams. The first notable statistic was that a whopping 85% of these teams already use chat tools. What's going on?

Fast-talking

The most common theme of responses received related to increased efficiency. 69% of the surveyed community felt that issues were simply solved faster using chat tools than via other communication methods. Three-quarters experienced quicker response times when issues were reported. And 83% found that the likelihood of an issue being resolved on first contact had improved.

We can link some of the "pain points" reported by non-chat users to this theme as well. Without information directly available to them as a result of email's closed doors, many experienced frustration by delays. These delays were exacerbated by the unavailability of support updates when users are mobile.

Some quotes from key respondent quotes are featured on the Atlassian infographic. All of them mention efficiency as a key benefit of chat tools. HipChat et al are seen as being able to deal with the speed, complexity, and scope of modern work far more effectively than email, remarked one. No more waiting for email responses, explained another.

Collaboration celebration

The effectiveness of working relationships has also improved as a result of the use of chat tools. It follows that as new methods are introduced, adoption spreads quickly and it soon becomes difficult to collaborate effectively without getting on board too.

However, 78% of respondents noted that they found chat simply an easier way to discuss ticketed issues. Chat is the best way to manage incidents and collaborate over what's being done to resolve issues was the clear message from one respondent.

In stark contrast, email users reported annoyances with lack of updates and visibility of support statuses. It may be that email was never truly fit for this purpose, but with the migration to chat, any problems encountered using the old system are only going to get worse.

Ask the expert

The days of trying to track colleagues down in person are gone, one surveyed community member claimed. Locating or even determining the right person to resolve a particular issue is still a bugbear for the remaining email users.

However 76% of respondents reported that finding the expert on a particular subject matter had become easier with the adoption of chat tools. The nature of chat dictates that discussions are observable, meaning that it's far more likely value will be provided: email relies on the knowledge solely of the selected recipients.

To talk to the leading global Atlassian Expert about how to support your IT teams with knowledge and collaboration tools, contact Adaptavist today.

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