Efficient communications are an essential foundation of business success. Whether internal communications with your team or external ones with partners and customers: Both have the potential to make or break your company.
Yet business communications are constantly changing. Every year, there are new developments businesses need to adopt to stay competitive.
Here are four major trends to integrate in your business communications to help you stay ahead of the curve.
Illustration: Macrovector/Freepik
Centralized, universally accessible, and secure, cloud-based communications are the new gold standard. Not only do they allow your team to keep up with your business calls, emails, chats, and messages wherever they are. They also provide high-level cybersecurity protection for all your important customer data.
Plus, cloud-based communications are available for all shapes and sizes of companies, no matter if you need a corporate-grade omnichannel platform or a virtual small business phone service.
But many business communication tools already integrate solid AI functionalities to facilitate exchanges and routine tasks.
Automatic transcription of calls and voice messages. Chatbots. Automatic call routing via voice recognition. Instant sentiment analysis to help agents navigate customer conversations.
All these tools can help streamline your processes and make your business communications more efficient.
How often did you sit in Zoom meetings bemoaning the fact that this could have been an email, and lamenting the time you were losing? Those days are gone.
Instead, asynchronous solutions such as Loom or Slack Clips are the new up-and-coming solutions. These tools allow you to record short video messages, including screenshares, and send them to your colleagues or clients via simple links. The recipient can then watch your video in real-time or sped-up, or simply skim the automatic transcription for the most salient parts. They can also respond with comments or a video of their own.
This preserves all the advantages of videoconferencing - such as being able to demonstrate something on screen - but cuts back on wasted time.
Customers now expect businesses to be reachable in a multitude of ways. Via voice and video calls. Via messaging apps like WhatsApp or Signal. Via email and ticket systems. And even via live chat and social media.
Catering to these diverse communication preferences is a surefire path towards customer satisfaction. The best way to do so? Integrate them into your website.
Many cloud communication platforms provide native plugins. Otherwise, there’s a huge diversity of WordPress plugins for any communication channel from voice calls to live chat.
By harnessing cloud communications and AI, switching to asynchronous video conferencing, and providing multi-channel communication via your website - you can stay on top of the most crucial 2023 business communication trends.
Integrating them into your existing systems will take some time and effort. But ultimately it’s well worth it. You’ll be able to level up your communications, boost customer satisfaction, and cut back on lost time.
Yet business communications are constantly changing. Every year, there are new developments businesses need to adopt to stay competitive.
Here are four major trends to integrate in your business communications to help you stay ahead of the curve.
Harnessing Cloud Communications
To start with, you should consider moving your communications to the cloud if you haven’t already done so.
Centralized, universally accessible, and secure, cloud-based communications are the new gold standard. Not only do they allow your team to keep up with your business calls, emails, chats, and messages wherever they are. They also provide high-level cybersecurity protection for all your important customer data.
Plus, cloud-based communications are available for all shapes and sizes of companies, no matter if you need a corporate-grade omnichannel platform or a virtual small business phone service.
Leveraging AI
Next up, think about leveraging AI for your business. Since late 2022, generative AIs like ChatGPT and Bard have been making headlines in the tech sector.But many business communication tools already integrate solid AI functionalities to facilitate exchanges and routine tasks.
Automatic transcription of calls and voice messages. Chatbots. Automatic call routing via voice recognition. Instant sentiment analysis to help agents navigate customer conversations.
All these tools can help streamline your processes and make your business communications more efficient.
Switching to Asynchronous Videoconferencing
Next up, there is a major trend towards asynchronous meetings.How often did you sit in Zoom meetings bemoaning the fact that this could have been an email, and lamenting the time you were losing? Those days are gone.
Instead, asynchronous solutions such as Loom or Slack Clips are the new up-and-coming solutions. These tools allow you to record short video messages, including screenshares, and send them to your colleagues or clients via simple links. The recipient can then watch your video in real-time or sped-up, or simply skim the automatic transcription for the most salient parts. They can also respond with comments or a video of their own.
This preserves all the advantages of videoconferencing - such as being able to demonstrate something on screen - but cuts back on wasted time.
Turning Websites Into Communication Hubs
Finally, one major 2023 business communication trend is integrating various communication channels into your website. In fact, it’s the new standard.Customers now expect businesses to be reachable in a multitude of ways. Via voice and video calls. Via messaging apps like WhatsApp or Signal. Via email and ticket systems. And even via live chat and social media.
Catering to these diverse communication preferences is a surefire path towards customer satisfaction. The best way to do so? Integrate them into your website.
Many cloud communication platforms provide native plugins. Otherwise, there’s a huge diversity of WordPress plugins for any communication channel from voice calls to live chat.
Final Thoughts
Keeping your business communications up to scratch is a never-ending process. It’s crucial to vet your existing workflows and tools and to update them where necessary.By harnessing cloud communications and AI, switching to asynchronous video conferencing, and providing multi-channel communication via your website - you can stay on top of the most crucial 2023 business communication trends.
Integrating them into your existing systems will take some time and effort. But ultimately it’s well worth it. You’ll be able to level up your communications, boost customer satisfaction, and cut back on lost time.
