By Melanie Turek
Principal Research Analyst, Nemertes Research LLC

The new AIM bot program announced by AOL this week releases AOL’s widely-deployed consumer bot technology to enterprises for internal use. Pricing for internal enterprise applications is on a per seat basis, starting at $1.25 per seat for up to 5,000 seats; consumer applications start at $1,000 per month for up to 50,000 sessions.

The announcement supports Nemertes’ belief that enterprises should treat instant messaging as good for more than just chat. The program leverages partnerships with Akonix, Inc., FaceTime, Inc., IMlogic, Inc., and Macromedia, Inc. to produce and deploy enterprise bots—automated messages that leverage presence information to notify recipients about information in real-time.

While consumers use bots to deliver answers to TV game shows, receive news updates, and play games with other users, enterprises can use this technology to automate their efforts in sales force automation, customer relationship management, and so on, insuring employees get the information they need to act immediately. Bots can also be used to deliver customer-facing information, such as order tracking, financial news updates, and maintenance reminders.

The complete Impact Analysis is available to Nemertes clients. For more information, please contact Chris Zimmerman at christine@nemertes.com