The business world, regardless of your industry, is constantly changing and growing – which means you need to keep your finger on the pulse when it comes to business trends and where industry standards are heading. Luckily, for business communication trends, Always Answer has done the leg work for you!
We pride ourselves on keeping up with all the latest news and technology, which means we think we have an accurate prediction of where business communication trends will be moving in the next year, too.
Here are the top 5 business communication trends you should be planning for in the immediate future.
Constant Contact
Clients of all industries expect you to be constantly available to them, whether online or on the phone – but this poses a unique issue for small businesses; who’s answering those calls after hours? Having something better than a voicemail or robot answering your phones after your regular working hours is becoming increasingly important to your customers, especially in this digital age.
Make sure you have a plan in place for call spikes, busy seasons, and the dreaded after-hours caller to ensure that each and every one of your customers get the same great service, regardless of their schedule.
The Landline Demise
More and more companies (large and small) are using VoIP solutions, or Voice over Internet Protocols, instead of landlines or ‘dedicated business phones’. This means (again) you can be reached at all times – are we seeing a trend here?
However, VoIPs can be turned on or off with a simple toggle – think of it like an app that can be activated or turned off dependent on business hours and needs. But this can also lead to overworking your employees or those responsible for answering calls on their personal device or VoIP. This is just one of the many ways that technology is both helpful and harmful, as it keeps you available, but never lets you unplug.
Find balance by allowing an answering service to answer your calls at designated times when you need to ‘unplug’ from the constancy of calls and digital avenues.
Smartphones & Multiple Modes of Communication
Faxes and pagers are a thing of the past for most industries, replaced by texts, emails, IMs, voicemails, and calls – and all of these are looking strong in future trends as well. Make sure, for your business communication needs, you work with a company that can communicate with you in multiple, modern ways too!
Always Answer can deliver your messages in multiple modes, making sure you’re always in the loop – at least, when you want to be.
Applications & Ease for All
Apps for communication are a growing trend, even as other app-trends decline. This is because the biggest gift, the Internet, has given us is connectivity and the ability to speak with others from around the world. So, naturally, use of the internet for this purpose continues to grow as the world continues to shrink.
Additionally, ease of use for technology, apps, and communication is key in the future to ensure that your usability and user experience match your customers’ modern expectations. Don’t get caught in the past with a hard-to-use system, make it easy for your clients, and they’ll repay you with their continued loyalty.
Inclusivity is #1
Inclusivity isn’t just about the photos you use on your website anymore, or the languages your Google Translate can handle, you have to truly create environments that welcome the many and the few. Consider using a service that offers bilingual agents, or programs that allow you to communicate verbally with all languages instead of just English.
Always Answer prides ourselves on our many bilingual agents to service the Texas community, as well as our advanced software that can serve nearly every modern language spoken today!
Contact Always Answer for a Free 7-Day Trial & Get Ahead of the Trends!
Want a free trial of services or to learn more? Contact us today to start, or to learn more about us, our team and pricing on our website. We are waiting to talk to you (and your customers).
