As remote and hybrid work became mainstream after the pandemic, communication channels too simultaneously evolved to meet the demand of a distributed workforce. While instant messengers were already replacing a lot of the communication that happened over landlines and emails, the adoption of new-age communication technology exploded during the COVID lockdowns. Companies began to heavily invest in video conferencing technology and even ventured into virtual reality tech for immersive meetings, demos, and conferences. But the communication revolution has not stopped there. A new wave of breakthroughs is underway, which could potentially rewrite the way humans interact with each other.
- AI-driven automation and hyper-personalization
Since OpenAI released its flagship product ChatGPT on November 30, 2022, there has been no turning back for communication technology, especially when it comes to customer-facing applications.
Companies have employed powerful AI models to resolve customer support inquiries via chatbots and virtual assistants and create content, like marketing copy, emails, etc., tailored to each customer demographic. AI-powered technology, such as text-to-video, text-to-audio, and AI avatars that can speak and make human-like expressions has propelled many a company’s marketing and customer outreach efforts, as launching podcasts, video ads with digital avatars, etc., has become a pain-free process. Case in point, a Spanish agency created an AI model called Aitana Lopez, which has gotten over 250k followers on Instagram and is bringing in €10,000 per month in revenue.
Similarly, AI has impacted workplace communication. Companies are leveraging a myriad of AI tools to automate the creation of presentations, email summaries, meeting summaries, proposals, etc.
RCS adoption by Apple
The communication protocol RCS (Rich Communication Services), which is favored by Google, has been adopted by Apple for its devices. The move marks a paradigm shift when it comes to text messaging because it will facilitate better interoperability between Android and Apple devices. While the switch does not mean that messages sent from an Android device to an Apple device will start appearing blue instead of the usual green, it will go a long way in ensuring things, like high-quality photo and video sharing, read notifications, typing indicators, etc.
Better interoperability between Android and Apple devices means that businesses can easily reach a more diverse audience with multimedia-driven campaigns and outreach efforts. Employees can also use the same functionalities to communicate better internally irrespective of the device.
CPaaS (Communication Platform as a Service)
Given that all companies nowadays have to have a digital communication channel to interact with their customers and facilitate employee collaboration, CPaaS has emerged as a viable solution. Essentially, CPaaS providers offer companies a cloud-based communication platform that can be customized and integrated with their existing websites/ applications.
The adoption of the service is set to grow at a rate of 29.4% in the coming years because it saves companies the hassle of building a communication platform from scratch and ensures that they don’t have to compromise with pre-built communication tools that don’t have the necessary features.
By embracing the CPaaS model, companies can incorporate text messaging, voice calling, video conferencing, call routing, SIP trunking, number masking, etc., into their business applications.
It is also worth mentioning they can implement compliance and security functionalities, like the ability to record voice calls, two-factor authentication, phone number verification, and fraud alerts. Consequently, customers and employees, especially the ones who are working remotely, can communicate seamlessly and securely in a variety of ways.
The resilience of instant messengers
Unsurprisingly, businesses have made it a priority to engage with customers via channels, like WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, Messenger, etc., which have billions of active users who spend hours on these platforms every day.
The trend is further exacerbated by these platforms going all in on business functionalities by enabling payment transfers, video conferencing, large file sharing, and the ability to create massive groups/ communities for customer support, engagement, and product promotion.
Even though these IMs don’t come with functionalities, such as call monitoring or text archiving mandated by regulatory authorities, companies are compensating with third-party compliance solutions.
Mobile-first communication
The continued popularity of instant messengers means that a majority of work-related communication is happening via mobile phones. This brings with it communication compliance challenges because of the prevalence of personal devices, the use of multiple IMs for communication, and diverse geographies. As a result, companies are increasingly focusing their efforts on introducing communication policies around mobile messaging and implementing recordkeeping solutions to handle investigations, audits, and litigation that arise from employees misusing their mobile phones, as it did with the infamous case of the WhatsApp fines slapped on major institutions including Morgan Stanley.
The fact that customers are also hooked on smartphones means that companies are equipping their websites and apps with voice or speech recognition to assist in making inquiries, resolving issues, and even making purchases.
Futuristic communication tech unveiled at the CES 2024
The 2024 International Consumer Electronics Show held in Las Vegas in early January unveiled even more futuristic means of communication that could shape the way business is done over the next decade.
Notably, Timekettle showcased their AI-powered translation device that allows users to have cross-language conversations in real time. With the launch of devices, like the X1 AI Interpreter Hub, global teams can collaborate via calls or video conferencing, making the language barrier a thing of the past.
Taking things to the next level, the Dutch company Holoconnects presented groundbreaking holographic technology that can provide customers with an impactful and immersive brand experience. Undoubtedly, the tech can revolutionize the way corporate meetings, trade shows, and conferences are conducted and make for more immersive experiences than the available VR and video conferencing technology.
The renewed need for human-centered communication
Communication technology is evolving at breakneck speed, but there is a deep-seated yearning among employees and customers alike for empathy and authenticity. In the backdrop of disruption by AI and VR, it has become immensely important for companies to provide a genuine human connection for the sake of employee wellbeing and a deeper connection with the brand.
Ironically, this need for understanding your customers and employees’ communication needs will also largely be facilitated by technology, such as sentiment analysis. It is imperative for companies to constantly collect information on how well their employees/ customers are responding to the communication via surveys and other means to improve their outreach efforts. Employees especially can have their morale improved by the use of customized engagement and team-building programs that seek to take their mind off the barrage of social media activity.
Conclusion
With so many exciting communication tools and technologies hitting the market on almost a daily basis, it can lead to a loss of focus on the most important aspect of communication—complying with the requisite industry regulations. Agencies, including the US SEC, FINRA, CFTC, etc., are on the constant lookout for violators of its recordkeeping norms and are not hesitant to hand out large penalties. The regulators have also kept up with the new communication trends, as evidenced by the crackdown over the lack of video call compliance of financial firms recently. So, it is mission-critical for companies to be vigilant when it comes to their recordkeeping efforts, no matter which new communication tool or technology is trending at the given moment. The regulators are uncompromising when it comes to their requirement of companies to maintain employee communication in a secure and easily accessible manner for the duration of the retention period.
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