Modern Means of Communication for a Modern Workplace

Over recent years the world has become reliant on digital means – our reliance on technology has become so great that whole generations can’t fathom the thought of not being interconnected 100% of the time. Our workplaces have undergone a dramatic change too – these changes have forced us to discover new ways of utilizing our time and placing an ever-increasing reliance on tech to speed up, perfect, and refine the processes that make up our workday. Technology has improved our workplaces like nothing before it, but there is one element that has remained relatively unchanged since the beginning – and that is communication. Effective forms of communication are the lifeblood of every successful organization in the world – colleagues, suppliers, and customers alike need to be at the touch of button away at all times, for growth and success anything less would mean failure.

Running parallel to the change in the world though tech, the ways in which we communicate have begun to change too. Let’s take a look at our own organizations, look at our forms of communication that we already use and explore why some are becoming dated, it may be time to approach communication in a different way.

The Outmoded Forms of Business Communication

The telephone

When we think of communication, we think of the telephone – it is one of the biggest technological advancements of the modern age. Regardless of modern advancements in tech, businesses still rely heavily on the telephone. The things you can do with your voice to convey your feelings can be the difference between a successful dialogue and a failed one. There are alternatives that offer a simple phone call – Zoom and Microsoft Teams are two of the most popular communication-based tools on the market today. Obviously, we aren’t saying to get rid of your phone systems, we are merely saying a fresh coat of paint in the form of a modern makeover could make for a far more efficient experience.

There is the obvious question, ‘WHY?’ your phone is fine, why fix something that isn’t broken. And you would be right, it isn’t broken, but it is for want of a better term – limping along. The new methods will offer what your old system is offering but with added extras that make the experience that bit more seamless and enjoyable.

Traditional landline technology is done with – it no longer offers what is required in the modern age of work, you must be contactable at all times, wherever you are, whatever you are doing, you must be prepared and vigilant. Clients in the modern age are fickle, they need to be able to contact you or else you are projecting a poor image of the company. The phone is the connection between you and your customer base, your supplies, and the success of your organization. Nothing can stop that connection being possible, a power cut, flood, or anything of that sort, would not be a valid excuse to most customers.

There are alternatives, we will explore them further in the following article.

Email

Email was once a very important tool in every business arsenal. The ‘instant’ messaging options on the market like MSN weren’t aimed at businesses, the business world propelled email heads and shoulders above the use of MSN. Since the 70’s it has been essential to businesses all over the world.

So, if it’s so good, why is it in the dated list? Because of Spam!

It is the bane of many people’s work day. Spam makes people hate Emails. They are constantly flooding into your email folder, companies from businesses that you have stumbled across when scrolling, or even worse – the weekly newsletter from that article you stupidly signed up for, all of this whilst trying to complete your daily tasks Spam filters are improving but this hasn’t stopped the figures rising to record highs.

Modern business is too busy and fast paced to accommodate for the time Spam takes out of the average workday. It is imperative that you’re able to find the important emails immediately.

Emails can’t keep up anymore, the two and throw of email cannot sustain the levels of communication needed in the modern – and often remote – workday.

Meetings

Meetings have traditionally been events that are dreaded in the workplace, designed for the boss to be constructive and discuss triumphs and the occasional problem, they have gradually become slap dash, due to their location usually being everyone crammed around a little table and half of the team ‘unable to make it’. Finding a time that suits your whole team can be impossible and asking them to come in on their day off would be at your own peril. The modern world of work is remote, businesses have been forced to find an alternative. We will explore this more in the following article.

In the following article, we will explore some modern alternatives that can replace and improve on your previous processes, they can – if used and maintained correctly – revolutionize your workplace and improve your chances of growth.

Technology utilized

Founded in 1984, Horizon started off as a custom software company doing work for Snap-on Tools. We rapidly added helpdesk and network support to the business and have continued expanding our capabilities ever since – all while also successfully transitioning to a second generation of owners.

Our team has over a hundred years of combined experience in virtually every field of IT. We are trusted by clients of every size, from ‘mom ‘n’ pop’ local businesses all the way to multinational corporations who have heavy security and inter-connectivity requirements. Our employees deliver a truly customer-focused direction in everything we do.

After more than thirty years in business, Horizon continues to grow both our client base and our knowledge. We look forward to working with you to help your business enjoy that same success. Contact us now and see what we can do for you.