If the COVID-19 crisis taught businesses anything, it’s that we can no longer rely on traditional methodologies and techniques to get stuff done. Even before the crisis, the prevalence of globally distributed workforces and supply chain intricacies meant organisations faced greater challenges regarding their human resources and their ability to share information and work together.
The way to confront this challenge is by leveraging technology. The global collaboration software market is expected to grow by double digits every year between 2024 and 2032, with businesses implementing intelligent meeting solutions that add to their growth ambitions. Telecommunications is also rapidly evolving as traditional technologies such as public switched telephone networks (PSTN) take a back seat in favour of newer digital and internet-enabled systems.
All of this goes to show that the future of business communication and collaboration lies in adopting an integrated technology-driven strategy, one that sets the groundwork for enhanced business performance and productivity.
Rethinking communication in the modern organisation
The emergence of remote and hybrid models has had a radical impact on business communications. There is debate about how prevalent those models will remain – one KPMG survey found that CEOs are hardening their stance on returning to pre-pandemic ways, with 83% of those surveyed expecting employees to return to the office full-time within the next three years – but the impact will live on thanks to existing investments in digital and collaboration software solutions.
Platforms such as Zoom, Skype and Microsoft Teams have forever changed how organisations can go about connecting their staff using voice, video and text-based messaging functionality. Communication then enables collaboration, as these platforms and others offer new capabilities such as file and document sharing, group scheduling and calendar management, and workflow automation tools.
No two businesses have the same needs when it comes to communication. However, the innovation of these tools and how they integrate with greater online infrastructure, especially in the case of cloud-based infrastructure, gives all businesses an edge in how they operate. It’s that integration that leads organisations to extract new value, whether it’s an informal start-up in the retail sector or a multinational conglomerate in mining or financial services.
The benefits and possibilities
Whether organisations work in-office or remotely, or a combination of the two, online collaboration tools can bring colleagues and teams together and maintain sufficient productivity levels.
Tools help organisations save time and resources (even something as small as eliminating the time spent reading and answering e-mails can go a long way). They can automate certain tasks and centralise company files and data, and employees can share said files and data much quicker with each other owing to cloud storage server hosting. Administrators and team leads have improved visibility into their respective groups and, by recording all communications, can enforce company-wide accountability and transparency.
Collaboration software is also benefiting from the trend of AI/ML technologies and how businesses can leverage AI to enhance existing functions. AI makes it easier for employees to schedule meetings, book conference venues, share documents and take notes, while enhanced chatbots and virtual assistants can help them be more productive and improve the collaboration experience overall. According to one survey, 72% of businesses that use AI extensively reported high organisational productivity levels.
Making the most of what you have
Going forward, only certain organisations and industries will continue to require legacy communications technologies to function. For the rest, the adoption of unified communications and a switch to holistic, integrated solutions leads to not just reduced costs but also business communication that is more intelligent as well as contributes to innovation and organisational growth.
All of this is feasible with an integrated technology approach. Today’s collaboration tools and solutions offer full suites of advanced features that augment and replace traditional systems. For example, Microsoft Teams Calling, which is available as part of the Microsoft Teams environment, enables internal and external calls without the need for traditional phone and landline systems, all while offering additional features such as call forwarding, voicemail and call analytics and reporting.
This is just one example of how technology evolves business functions and activities. By working with product vendors and service providers that understand that evolution, enterprises in South Africa can dial into the trends that will transform their organisations and put a call out for a new kind of business performance.
Microsoft Teams Calling is now available from SEACOM in partnership with Q-KON South Africa. For more information about the solution, e-mail info@seacom.com or call (0861) 855 855 to speak with a sales representative.
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