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SINGAPORE: What if your boss could read all your emails at work, know when you read a reply from a client, the number of times you've read it; and if you've been trading gossip with Sally from accounting over email?
Be afraid. Local software developer Lantone has created an email solution dubbed FocalScope that can dig deep into your email activities and reveal details that you might not want your manager to know.
"FocalScope can provide a company useful information. For example, it shows how long, on average, your employees take to read and respond to email, so you can predict your company's turnaround time. It can also track the busiest email times in a day so a company can better manage its resources," said Mr Sandeep Singhania, founder and senior engineer of Lantone.
Lantone was quick to add that the software is not meant to invade one's privacy. Tracking is only for internal use, and external correspondents or clients will not be monitored.
"It isn't an issue about tracking," said Mr Singhania. "Email is essentially a call to action. Someone emails you when he needs to inform you or tell you to do something. So, it is in the company's best interest to know what is happening."
FocalScope uses Web 2.0 technologies such as Ajax to mimic a desktop application. It runs on a browser and users do not have to install an application on their computer. However, it cannot be integrated with email programs such as Lotus Notes or Outlook, says Lantone.
Besides tracking, FocalScope is able to handle email in threads, similar to Google's Gmail. This means you can track previous messages easily and allow all the contacts listed in the email to view the chain of correspondence. In a conventional email program, you would have to carbon-copy (or "cc") it to keep everyone updated. This is useful, said Mr Singhania, when an employee calls in sick — other colleagues can easily take over his chores since correspondence is not confined to a single employee.
Lantone is also the company behind Mailtracking.com, a subscription-based online service (US$24 (S$33) for 2,000 messages) that allows consumers to track their emails. It provides information on when emails are opened by recipients, where the recipient is, how long the email is read for and how many times it is opened. Mailtracking.com was launched in 2003 and the service now processes at least a million emails a month.
FocalScope is slated for official release next month and is targeted at small and medium enterprises. Lantone expects to charge a one-time fee of up to S$8,000 for an unlimited number of users.
Eight companies have been running the beta version of the software since the middle of last year. Griffin Marine, a travel agency that specialises in travel arrangements for marine crew, is one of the companies that has deployed FocalScope for its email system.
"It helps in terms of analysing the average rate at which we respond to the client," said Ms Leny Widjaja, a consultant at Griffin Marine. "You don't need to keep asking the client the same questions since everyone is kept on the same page. But we would like to see more customisation features in the application to make it more suitable for our industry."
VoIP, or voice calls made over the Internet, and instant messaging will be built into FocalScope as well. And yes, the usage of these features will also be traceable — something that might not be appreciated by employees.
"FocalScope is useful if you're not around and your colleagues have to cover for you," said Ms Cecilia Fletcher, a marketing manager who deals with international clients over email. "But when it comes to work-related personal correspondence, it might infringe on your privacy. And if you have a critical superior who scrutinises your correspondence and files, it is going to stifle you." - TODAY/fa
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