The move has been seen as an effort to compete more effectively with Instant Messaging (IM) services offered by Reuters and Bloomberg. Reuters launched its Reuters Messaging program with Microsoft in October 2002 to tackle rival Bloomberg’s e-mail system, while Bloomberg fought back with the introduction of its Instant Bloomberg platform a year later.
Thomson has teamed up with technology provider IMlogic to integrate the AOL messaging network into the Thomson One application. It is hoped that this will streamline and improve the price discovery process by enabling the direct negotiation of price and quantity between buy-side trader and broker.
Using the AutEx system, sell-side traders can set up instant messaging contact details from within Thomson One, so that buy-side trading partners can respond to indications of interest details using the embedded AOL IM (AIM) screen name.
In addition, the buy-side trader is able to organize AutEx by associating the coverage team’s AIM screen names with specific indications of interest within AutEx, which is hoped to further enhance communications between the buy-side and sell-side trading partners.
According to Thomson Financial, IM integration is part of Thomson Connect, the company’s communication and collaboration strategy that comprises tools fixed throughout Thomson’s information and solution offerings in an effort to enhance the Thomson One user’s ability to connect and collaborate with clients and counter-parties.
It is hoped that this latest move will result in improved client servicing and increased order flow and business opportunities.
Instant Messaging has become the standard communication medium for traders and creates competitive advantage when integrated with powerful applications such as Thomson ONE, said Francis de Souza, CEO, IMlogic. By integrating with IMlogic IM Manager, industry leaders such as Thomson and AOL are ensuring that financial services professionals are using best-of-breed technology for their mission-critical real-time communications.
