Contribution of technology to Corporate Communication

Contribution of Technology to Corporate Communication

Introduction

Can we imagine our life today without our smartphones? Can we think our life without internet? Can we leave in isolation today without entering our lives in the technology era? I think the answer to all these questions will be probably not? Whether we accept or don’t accept, technology has entered into our lives and they are changing the whole function of human life and businesses are very fast.

Let’s have a brief look to understand that how corporate communication has changed in the workplace in the last 50 years and role of technology in it.

1960-1990

That was the era when a personal meeting was very important before finalizing the businesses. PTT – post, telegrams, and telephone used to be important sources of communication but very costly. By the 70s and 80s, computers entered into the working environment but were on a nascent stage. Television was also in black and white color and it was not in everyone’s home.

The 1980s saw the arrival of a fax machine. This allowed the documents to transmit from one placement to another at a relatively low cost. It still exists but not of much use except in government offices. Fax machine operation was just the beginning of changes in human life.

1990-2015

The 1990s marked the decade that mobile phones entered into our life. The black screen, finger typed numbers, pagers and high rates call to be made were putting the people in elite groups who had a mobile at that time.  Generally, top class executives used to have mobile as they need to make important calls or available on phones all the time as and when a company requires.

But, it was the introduction of email in the late 1990s that revolutionized how we communicate at work. Email has made people life easy and faster without any time zone and extra cost.

By the early 2000’s companies were beginning to use intranets. While originally used for housing internal documents, the intranet eventually evolved to an internal communications platform. We also saw companies begin incorporating video technology into their business. By 2010, new technology entered and the beginning of smartphones occurred. Fax machines, scan machines, PTT replaced with many apps which were launched and the process of communication got changed. Everything was available on one click. These tools have brought companies closer at the global level. The enterprise video technology developed to give human touch technology so that people connect should be there.

Enterprise video technology has been one of the most successful communication technologies in the workplace. Internally, it has changed how companies communicate and interact. For example, large corporate meetings can now be held online. Enterprise video has also improved employee training and onboarding. Best of all, it has reduced a lot of business costs such as travel and meeting room expenses.

2015-and Beyond

Today, we can’t live without technology. Development of technological advancement and an entrance of Artificial Intelligence, IoT, and Machine learning is making human life advanced and complex too. Today, it is everywhere in the business. No doubt, the technology has an impregnable importance in corporate communication and success of a business cannot be imagined without a technical advancement. Skilling and re-skilling of people to prepare better to face the world with technology will enhance their avenues and better prospects in future.

Today’s Communication Technology

Following are the tools used by businesses with technology:-

1. E-mail:- Electronic mail is replacing handwritten correspondence. Businesses use email to communicate with customers and staff. In this, they get a quick response and connect with the concerned person. It saves postage costs and having an internet connection, it is cheaper as well. Many companies like Yahoo, Google, etc. provide free email accounts.
2. Social networking sites:- Today, all companies are available on various social networking sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Myspace, Twitter, Pinterest, etc. the objective behind their availability on all these sites helps them to connect with an audience and check their likes and preferences on regular basis. Companies also educate, aware and interact with them through this platform and get the real-time feedback of their businesses. The company also use this platform for hiring the best talent for their businesses. Belong.co is an organization who with the use of artificial intelligence helps companies to get the right talent for their organization. When company comes up with their job advertisement, they start using the most active user based on company requirements and suggest an organization to hire them. This is very cost effective and time saving for employees and employers. The effective use of social media in today’s world is a panacea for business to communicate about their existence effectively.
3. Online Chat:-video chatting is also a good way to connect with masses and give them real-time organization public communication tool. Many companies hold a weekly chat with their internal and external employees and customers to share company’s vision, mission, objective and goals.
4. Blogs: -Blogs are the short content which is written on the website. It is crispy, short and to the point. The senior executive of an organization uses or write blogs so that consumers get the right information in a specific period of time. It is in a conversational manner and it is basically a system to manage media, employee, etc.
5. Cellphones: – cellphones are the strongest form of communication. It gives access to public relations practitioners/corporate communicator to know about the current happening in the world and also convey the audience their messages instantly.

Importance of Technology to Corporate Communication

1. Bring business efficiency

It helps people to be more productive and efficient. Whether you’re using a word processing program that allows you to edit with ease or an electronic bookkeeping system that pulls data at the touch of a keystroke, technology makes life easier. You can schedule sales calls and appointments, track employee time, and perform many tedious tasks that once took hours in only minutes.

2. Ensure Computational Accuracy

Modern spreadsheets like Excel, with its computational formulas, ensure accuracy. Accounting programs like QuickBooks allow keeping account inventory accurate and clear. All information related to sales, its management, areas, customer data and pay bills, payroll have become easier with the support of computer and its various functions. The basic understanding of system saves time and cost and compile financial information. With the use of many software programs, data can be stored easily and manage as well.

3. Technology helps to be competitive in marketplace

Today, no business can function without technology. Competitors use technology and go ahead in business, therefore, it is essential for a business too to use technology and its more advanced process as compared to its competitors. The use of digital marketing to promote a company and online sales tools to sell across the street and across the globe. Embrace Customer Relationship Management systems that allow a company to track what their customers do and like.

4. Be Industry Relevant

Technology opens the other information as well related to business for eg. A healthcare profession with the use of technology can connect its consumers online, understand their health-related problems, get connect with a pool of doctors, and regular information about latest development. It will help them to be industry relevant and acceptable in a market.

5. Security

Technology can be used to protect financial data, confidential executive decisions and other proprietary information that leads to competitive advantage. Simply put, technology helps businesses keep their ideas away from their competition. By having a password on computers, a business can ensure that all the important files are protected and saved.

6. Efficiency of Operations

Technology also helps a business understand its cash flow needs and preserve precious resources such as time and physical space. Warehouse inventory technologies let business owners understand how best to manage the storage costs of holding a product. With proper technology in place, executives can save time and money by holding meetings over the Internet instead of at corporate headquarters.

7. Information Retrieval and Distribution

Information from text to audio, video or images can be easily sent to the public in a vast array of methods. This way relationships are created faster and easier too.

Types of Communication Technology

Web Conferencing

Web conferencing may be used as an umbrella term for various types of online collaborative services including web seminars (“webinars”), webcasts. and peer-level web meetings in general, web conferencing is made possible by internet technologies, particularly on TCP/IP  connections. Services may allow time point communications as well as multicast communications. from one sender to many receivers. It offers data streams of text-based messages, voice and video chat to be shared simultaneously, across geographically dispersed locations. Applications for web conferencing include meetings, training events, lecture, presentations from a web-connected computer to other web-connected computers.

Web conferencing usually allows real-time point-to-point communication as well as multi-task communications from one sender to many receivers in separate locations. Depending on the service, either an application (additional software) is downloaded and installed or a web-based application is launched in the attendee’s browser. The newest open source technology for Web Conferencing is Google’s WebRTC.

As per Web Coferencing.org –Web Conferencing has five advantages which are mentioned as it is available on a website to give the better understanding to the audiences. The detail can be accessed on http://webconferencing.org/5-benefits-of-web-conferencing

1. Application and Desktop Sharing
2. Increase Productivity
3. Conduct employee training easily
4. Improve customer relations
5. A business process is no longer constraint by location.

Really Simple Syndication (RSS)

RSS feed is a form of new media which feeds favorite news and information to deliver to a consumer as soon as they are posted online without consumers having to search for the content. PR defined a customized XML-XPRL (extensible Public Relations Language). XRPL aims to assist practitioners to transfer data or information electronically. Its purpose is to automate information exchange as much as possible, quicker result and higher quality communication, with fewer errors.

The RSS is a useful method for disseminating information because it provides a link to the customers in a shorter volume of time, put users in control and very easy to use.

Popular RSS Readers

You may want to test several RSS readers/aggregators to see which one works best for you. There are many RSS readers that offer a free version and an upgraded version. Here are a few popular readers:

• Feedly for web, iOS, Android
• Panda  is a Chrome extension, web, iOS
• Reeder 3 for Mac and iOS
• Feeder for Android, Chrome, and iOS
• Feedreader for Windows

References:-

1. https://www.thebalance.com/rss-really-simple-syndication-2866935 / retrieved on 25th February 2018
2. https://www.lifewire.com/what-is-rss-2483592 / retrieved on 25th February 2018
3. https://www.3cx.com/pbx/web-conferencing/ retrieved on 25th February 2018
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_conferencing / retrieved on 25th February 2018
5. https://www.oksbdc.org/why-is-technology-important-in-business/ retrieved on 25th February 2018
6. http://smallbusiness.chron.com/importance-technology-workplace-10607.html / retrieved on 25th February 2018
7. https://www.mediaplatform.com/2015/06/history-corporate-communication-technology/ retrieved on 25th February 2018