When you manage a business network, you want everything to be reliable and fast. Relying on an internet connection for sending messages might fail you sometimes but using a LAN based messaging system will not. That is what the developers of LanTalk NET firmly believe in and you can see it in the effort they have put in their program.
Installation & Requirements
Apart from the typical installation process, LanTalk NET informs users on how to get the best out of the application by installing it on different devices and it also gives them a variety of options. The first one is to choose between the main interface and an interface that resembles more traditional Instant Messaging services like MSN but you can also change that later in the settings. In addition to that, you can choose the type of the client you want to install in this particular computer. The supported OS are Windows 95/98/Me/NT/ 2000/XP/Windows server 2003/Vista/ 7/ 8/Terminal Server.
Interface
The fully featured interface is quite comprehensive. On the left side you have a conversation list of all the users in your network that you have talked to. On the right side, there is a familiar list of contacts inside the network. What truly separates the two interfaces, however, are the extra tools provided. The first one is the fast reply mode. Simply choose a predefined message with a title of your own and you are set. Now when someone sends you a message you can simply choose your predefined message from a drop-down list without needing to type it again. The other feature is the scheduled messages function. Type in your message, set a time and then set the users you want the message to be sent to. The interface for every tool is very clean and very simple to use even if you haven’t used an IM program before.
The IM interface is very simple. Anyone who has used the traditional programs like MSN will feel right at home here. When you click on a contact’s name, you are taken to the very straightforward conversation window. All your favourite things like different fonts, letter sizes, emoticons and file attachments are all in one very sleek package. Moreover, the IM interface allows you to set tasks and events that you can access at any point and even send to users across the network.
The last thing you should know about the program is that there are several different operation modes. For example, the head of the network can choose to limit social interactions between his employees by setting read-only and reply-only modes on their devices, making them unable to simply chit-chat with each other.
Pros
-The two interfaces will please all kinds of users as everyone can find something they like
-A good variety of options for sending messages that are fully customizable to suit each company’s needs
-The different modes will be a blessing to managers that want maximum efficiency from their employees
Cons
-The dated look might discourage first time users
Conclusion
LanTalk NET does everything it is supposed to do in an office environment. It provides the users with fast messages without promoting an unnecessarily social atmosphere that would deter work ethic. A truly handy program that you can rely on for messaging.
