Business Editors

    STAMFORD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 21, 1999--A messaging ecosystem - consisting of inextricably linked information, knowledge workers and communications technology - has become the engine for the global information economy, according to a study on global messaging practices by Pitney Bowes Inc. (NYSE: PBI).

The new study, titled Messaging Practices in the Knowledge Economy, found that a company's competitiveness is determined by the ability of workers to effectively manage the tremendous amount of information that crosses their desktops every day. U.S., Canadian, British and German workers participated in the research, which found that message volume has hit new highs, led by the U.S. with workers reporting they send and receive 201 messages per day, a 6% increase over last year.

The messaging ecosystem is a powerful force shaping the nature of work, influencing the day-to-day messaging practices of workers and the technologies they select to get work done. It is far reaching, including businesses of all sizes around the globe, and fueled through the creation, distribution and manipulation of information by workers to advance or complete projects. This information transfer is central to company growth and success, just as products rolling off the assembly line are.

"The company that can harness and capitalize on the messaging ecosystem will lead in the new millennium," according to Meredith Fischer, co-author of the research findings and Vice President, Corporate Marketing, Pitney Bowes. "Today, messaging often is the work, because the transfer of information between workers is the most important task in a person's day. This is especially true in an economy that feeds on knowledge and the ability of workers to turn raw information into innovative ideas and strategies, resulting in new products and services. Access to information and the ability to use it well will be what enables companies to stay agile and responsive in a fast-moving marketplace."

The Pitney Bowes study revealed that work has become highly interdependent and multi-layered in this dynamic environment. One person's work has an impact on someone else's. The messaging ecosystem is in balance when information flows efficiently from the sender to the intended recipient and elicits the desired response. The ecosystem's balance is at risk, however, when the pace of messaging volume unexpectedly intensifies and overwhelms the individual worker's ability to respond, process or disseminate information to those who need it. Almost half of corporate workers in the U.S. reported 60% of their communications activity is with others in the department or project team members. If the flow of messages gets stalled at one desktop, or if priorities change at another, the ecosystem gets thrown into chaos and productivity is adversely affected.

Technology and Productivity in the Messaging Ecosystem

Technology helps balance the ecosystem when it facilitates the efficient flow of information to the intended recipient. On the other hand, the introduction of a new tool or technology into the ecosystem often temporarily impairs message flow, as workers learn the features and try to integrate the tool into their existing work practices. Communications technology delivers its promised value and improves message flow when:

-- There is a common technology infrastructure. For instance, the

U.K., which has a unified cellular phone standard, has almost

double the amount of cellular phone usage than the U.S., which

has three different technology standards. In the U.K., 46% of

U.K. workers say they use cell phones daily, compared to 27% in

the U.S.

-- It is cost-efficient, easily accessible and many individuals can

become adept at using it. An example of this is how Internet

access and usage is significantly lower in Europe (45% in

Germany, 36% in the U.K.) than in the U.S. (70%). A driving

factor in this difference is the costly local phone tariffs in

Europe, versus the relatively cheap flat rates in the U.S.

-- Strategies or practices for using it are well articulated or

widely shared. In North America, voicemail is a primary method to

exchange vital information - leaving a detailed message about why

you're calling and an expected response. In Europe there is a

very strong preference to use voicemail not to exchange

information, but to stimulate real time conversations with quick

"call me back" messages. Because of the widely accepted practice,

the European use of voicemail would not work well in the U.S. and

would probably create a disruption in the messaging ecosystem if

done so.

The study also found that the number of tools adopted and used by global office workers also influences the pace and complexity of the communications ecosystem. For instance, U.S. workers continue to aggressively add technology to their messaging tool kit using more than six tools on a daily basis. E-mail was cited as the newest tool in use. In comparison, workers in Germany only use around four tools regularly, with a much lower adoption level of e-mail.

Messaging Ecosystem Expands Around the World

Teams are increasingly made up of workers and experts scattered throughout the world as companies search for the best brains and talent to come up with the next blockbuster idea. Technology has allowed this expansion of the messaging ecosystem by allowing work to be distributed across time and space. If used incorrectly, however, it could disrupt the balance and flow of the messaging ecosystem. Workers that operate in these virtual teams must understand that communicating successfully and bringing projects to fruition depends on their ability to develop common strategies for exchanging information, with team members operating in other communications cultures with different preferences, for messaging tools and practices. A worker can increase the efficiency of the communication process if they match tools to the content of the work.

Ms. Fischer concluded, "The most successful businesses in the global marketplace will be those that consciously manage their practices for exchanging information and the technologies that support message flow. This keeps the laws governing the ecosystem in balance, which allows skilled workers to focus on their specific responsibilities and tasks. Companies which don't manage communications practices and technologies will be less effective because overwhelmed workers will be reduced to merely reacting to the flood of incoming messages, losing the meaningful work beneath the overload."

"Messaging Practices in the Knowledge Economy" was conducted for Pitney Bowes by an independent think tank, the Menlo Park, California, based Institute for the Future (IFTF).

Pitney Bowes Inc. is a $4.2 billion global provider of informed mail and messaging management. For more information about the company, please visit our Web site at: http://www.pitneybowes.com.

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