Technology is a thing that always keeps evolving. It's present in every sphere of our lives. Nowadays, most modern offices invest in the latest technologies, but the question is: “Do they know how to use that technology to streamline communications?”

 Technology is a means to maintain streamlined communication in the office / Credit: Pixabay

The truth is, workplace communication is not only a requirement but a vital one for every company. Since different employees have different ways of thinking and different characteristics, it's hard to develop a consistent workplace communication.

With all this in mind, we can safely say that communication is crucial to the success of any business. It's necessary to maintain collaboration between all office segments. Since technology allows for more effective communication, we'll go through how to use technology to streamline communication in your office.

Voice Chat Applications

When a problem occurs in your office or you need to reach an employee immediately, you certainly won't use a corded phone. Today, voice chat applications can easily be downloaded and installed on all laptops, desktop computers, and mobile devices. That way, all users can keep their professional communication on their own personal devices.

These applications are an extremely valuable communication tool that will ensure that all employees are always on the line when they need to be. On top of all that, these applications use an internet connection, which makes them a cost-efficient way to improve communication in your office.

When it comes to top five voice chat apps that we warmly recommend, our selection would be:

1. Slack – perfect for companies with remote employees, cloud-based, chat room organized by direct messaging, private groups and topics, members, groups and files are completely searchable, available for Windows Phone, Android, iOS, and web.

2. Bria Teams – streamline communication into one place, numerous great features such as team messaging, integrated file sharing, screen sharing, voice calls, HD video calls and presence, a cost-efficient solution to keeping all your professional communication in one place, unlimited messages, centralized management portal, no hidden charges.

3. Basecamp – perfect for sharing files and collaboration, allows consolidation of client relations, project management, and internal communication, streamlined solution for both collaboration and internal communication needs, keep all communication in one place.

4. DialMyCalls – send mass notification via SMS text message or phone call, perfect for reminding employees of upcoming due dates, meetings and events, allows staff to use a custom vanity phone number or two-way text messaging.

5. RedBooth – a task tracking app, features chat software, instant communication between employees.

Instant Messaging

Instant messaging is even better when you need an immediate answer. Running an office today requires a lot of concentration, so thinking about trivial things such as reaching your employees when you need them the most only makes it worse.

Instant messaging allows every employee to establish communication in mere seconds. Just like with the voice chat applications, instant messaging applications work on any mobile device, laptop, and desktop.

Here are our Pros and Cons of Instant Messaging :

• Pros:
  • Cost-effective communication
  • Real time communication
  • Building a team
  • Convenience
  • Reduction of spam messages
  • Archiving
• Cons:
  • Lack of security
  • Distraction
  • Source of misunderstandings 
  • Compatibility
  • Viruses

Shared Cloud Applications

Perhaps one of the most widely used technologies for streamlining communication in the business industry. It allows you to use cloud storage, which is extremely useful for easy collaboration on multiple projects.

Cloud-based suites like Microsoft OneDrive or Google Drive make collaboration much easier, putting every piece of information just a few clicks away.

Applications like these can significantly improve productivity within an office. They allow teams to work on documents in real-time and the process of updating is automatic.

On top of all that, every application and piece of data can be easily accessed on any device. This results in increased connectivity and flexibility, which makes both collaboration and communication much easier.

The benefits of using shared cloud applications for your business are numerous but the main benefits are:

1. Shared cloud applications make remote work possible

2. The ability to work on multiple devices

3. An increased chance to gain a competitive edge

4. Reduced need to use a desk phone system

5. Increased efficiency in collaboration between employees

Automation

Just like any other workflow process, communication can be automated. In fact, thanks to natural language processing, machine learning, and artificial intelligence, most companies already use fully automated and streamlined communication. Before technology gave the business industry the ability to automate most processes, people had to struggle to maintain communication. It took days to get out information like maintenance invoices and so on.

Automation allows companies to unify all their processes and streamline communication across all offices and departments, drastically improving the company efficiency. It helps companies amplify their communication which results in better project management, effective people tracking, improved collaboration, automatic updates and document management, among other important things.

Automation makes communication more efficient thus allowing each department to keep track of every business process within one company. Technology like robotic process automation helps countless offices improve their operational efficiency by eliminating repetition and taking over routine tasks. By doing so, the employees can shift their focus on higher-value processes.

• Read more: 15 'Facts' About Robot Integration That Everyone Thinks Are True.

For example, automation is very useful when you need to answer hundreds of emails per day. Sending automated messages can take this repetition out of your daily routine. Some say that they don't want to rely on robots that much, but these people probably aren’t aware of the benefits of robot automation.

Companies like Robotiq have incredible solutions that could help every company achieve their professional goals by using this extraordinary and innovative technology. Head to Robotiq.com to learn more about the numerous benefits that you can reap from harnessing the power of automation.

In fact, if you want to bring your communication to a higher level, using a Robotiq solution might just be the best way to do it. After all, robot IQ is on the rise and they are becoming smarter with each passing day. Almost every industry in the world is now relying on artificial intelligence, chatbots, and similar technology to stay ahead of their competition.

Examine Your Current Communication Technology

Every business today depends on communication technology and if you haven't examined your current communication technology, here is the opportunity to do so.

There are so many excellent solutions to take into your consideration. From advanced meeting room solutions to cloud-based storage, there are plenty of tools and ways you can use them to improve communication in your office. If your main communication happens in meetings, investing in a good collaboration or presentation software might be a good way to go. Enabling cross-platform content and rapid sharing will also help. Rapid sharing is extremely important today when almost all work is performed digitally.

While it might be a bit hard to get all the departments of your business on a single platform, investing in cross-platform technology will significantly help you improve communication. Such solutions enable all employees to share information, regardless of the current platform in use.

With so many tech business solutions on the market today, it's hard to know which one is right for you. That's why the best thing to do is make a strategy and do some research before you act. Still, keep in mind that automation is always a good answer to any business-related problem today. Most business problems derive from an increased amount of work and similar issues. You don't need to hire more people, spend tons of cash on training them and so on. All you need is a proper technology solution. With that in mind, keep your radar on robotic solutions and monitor how this technology will continue to revolutionize the world we live in.

How do you feel about robots becoming more common in the business industries of the world? Let us know what you think about this in the comments.