Good communication is the key to doing good business. There have been many technological innovations developed with the sole purpose of improving business communications, but do you know what they are? Here is a very quick guide to some of them.
By the end, you may just have four more solutions to try out for yourself.
Integrated Messaging
Businesses typically communicate with consumers through multiple platforms. 2-Way SMS messages, phone calls, emails, and social media messages are all used to interact with members of the public. This can get messy, however, as too many separate platforms being used at once can lead to the creation of data silos. Integrated messaging platforms allow companies to communicate using all of the platforms they need through a central dashboard.
Chatbots
Chatbots are automated interactive communication tools that take the heat away from busy customer service teams. The best chatbots feature machine learning algorithms that allow them to improve their performance the more they are used. Some chatbots have even managed to come close to passing the Turing Test, which was conceived by visionary mathematician Alan Turing. A machine can pass the Turing Test if it is impossible to tell whether or not it is being controlled by a human being when observed.
Project Management Software
Effective communication during the undertaking of a complex project has always been a thorn in the sides of project managers. Managers need to communicate schedules, tasking, budgets, valuable data, and a whole host of other information to both project staff and executive decision makers. Project management software makes this a whole lot easier.
Project management software has been adopted wholesale by businesses that need to keep track of projects as they develop. The most effective project management software centralizes all of the data and communication channels needed by a manager on a dashboard. From the dashboard, a project manager can then view all of the communications between the people working underneath them. They can also use this information to spot trends and make improvements to the project schedule. Project management software makes reporting on the progress of a complex undertaking far easier.
Video Conferencing
If you are reading this article, there is an extremely high chance that you have made use of a video conferencing software program during the course of your work. The coronavirus pandemic changed the way we work: remote and hybrid working models are increasingly considered to be the new normal, and companies turned to video conferencing software to enable continued communication with staff and partners during this extremely isolating time.
Video conferencing software such as Zoom essentially allows businesses to conduct virtual meetings. The best software incorporates screen recordings and live chats into a complete conferencing service. Although the pandemic undoubtably created the environment needed for the extreme proliferation of video communications, applications for video conferencing were by no means unheard of before the virus struck. Video conferencing uptake rose by 140 percent between 2005 and 2019(even before the pandemic). They are a practical way for a business to retain that all-important communicative constancy even when workers are not physically present.
