STAMFORD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 5, 2000--In the past year alone, American workers have shown an accelerated preference for and use of anytime, anywhere communications, according to a Pitney Bowes Inc. (NYSE: PBI) workplace study on messaging practices in the 21st century. In research released today, this study, conducted in partnership with the Institute for the Future, shows workers' continued adoption and use of portable communications tools (see Table 1). Laptop use has increased by 8 percent, pager use has increased by 6 percent, and most surprisingly, cellular phone use has increased by 25 percent among U.S. workers -- almost catching up to the European cellular phone usage rates. The increased reliance on these tools suggests an expansion and distribution of the "desktop" to mobile or multi-location environments and reveals workers' growing interest in data and features portability.

"The availability of a rich tool set and a strong infrastructure encourages workers to adopt the tools that work best for them. We are currently seeing this adoption in cellular phone use. There is a dramatic spike that can be attributed to the fact that cellular phones today work better and are more affordable as the U.S. infrastructure for cell phones continually improves," said Meredith Fischer, co-author of the study and vice president, Pitney Bowes Inc. The study reveals that 95 percent of U.S. workers regularly use a desktop PC. According to Fischer, as portable devices continue to offer increased functionality and easier connectivity, workers' reliance upon PCs will steadily lessen. "Manufacturers are equipping portable devices with enhanced features at a rapid pace in response to user needs. As anytime, anywhere connectivity becomes standard operating procedure, workers will increasingly substitute mobile functionality devices for PC functionality, especially for text-based communications features such as fax, e-mail, calendars, organizers and to-do lists."

The trend towards portable tools adoption signals the growing tendency of the U.S. worker to balance productivity with mobility and flexibility signaling the need for companies to commit budgetary resources to portable devices and to improve remote access connections.

"An important study finding is that workers want flexibility in utilizing those messaging tools and features that enable them to work most effectively, both individually and within work teams," added Fischer.

(Attention journalists: a chart is available showing the percent of workers who use tools regularly.)

About the Study

"Messaging for Innovation: Building the Innovation Infrastructure Through Messaging Practices" builds on four years of trend data compiled and examined by Pitney Bowes. This is the first and only study of its kind to examine the complete desktop messaging environment of knowledge workers -- how they use messaging tools to impact their productivity and organizational value. The fourth in a series of studies on Managing Communication in the 21st Century Workplace, the 2000 study was commissioned in partnership with The Institute for the Future -- an independent, nonprofit research firm -- and drew on ethnographic interviews or observational interviews, as well as extensive telephone surveys. The research was conducted between January and March 2000 and consisted of interviews with workers at all organizational levels in small, medium, large and Fortune 1000 companies in Canada, France, Germany, the United Kingdom and United States.

For more than 30 years, the Institute for the Future, based in Silicon Valley, California, has forecasted critical technological, demographic and business trends to help clients plan successfully for their future, including government groups, nonprofit organizations and major corporations throughout North America, Europe and Asia.

Pitney Bowes Inc. is a $4.4 billion global provider of informed mail and messaging management. It serves 118 countries through dealer and direct operations. For more information about the company, visit www.pitneybowes.com.

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