It's no secret that modern technology has revolutionized how businesses operate these days. Without help from technology, companies would simply be unable to do the majority of things they manage to accomplish today.
Therefore, when it comes to productivity and communications within a company, technology plays a vital role, indeed. However, we got so used to technology that we can barely notice how it actually helps us.
In most cases, the impact technology has on a company's productivity and other factors is, in fact, significant, but it's also subtle to the point that it can easily go unnoticed. Because of this, many company owners fail to realize just how important technology really is.
Adopting new technologies is always disruptive, at first. It becomes easy to believe that you're just hurting your company by doing this.
Although disruptive in the beginning, adopting new technologies can be a major advantage for your company. With that in mind, here are a few technologies that improve your company's productivity and communication in significant and subtle ways.
Cloud computing
Cloud computing is one of the most important new technologies that help businesses undergo a digital transformation. The impact of this technology on productivity and communication is very significant but the way cloud computing works is, indeed, subtle.
Let's take cloud services as an example. Cloud services, such as SaaS (Software as a Service), PaaS (Platform as a Service) and IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) introduced a subscription model that companies can leverage for their IT needs.
Since cloud services are provided over the Internet, the effect on the company is subtle. There's no additional hardware to maintain; there's no scheduled maintenance to install software and no disruption to everyday work at all. However, the improvement in productivity and communication is quite significant.
For instance, you can now have files, documents and any relevant information available to all employees. Moreover, any app that you need can be used on any device and anywhere in the world. When every resource is available and easily accessible, the company's performance is increased tenfold.
Modern phone systems
Just by mentioning phone systems in today's digital world, people automatically assume you're talking about ancient outdated technology. However, modern phone systems also work over the Internet today.
So, what's the difference? This is where improvement in productivity and communication is significant yet subtle. You have an Internet phone instead of the traditional telecom service, so nothing has changed much, right?
Quite wrong, in fact. When you rely on the VoIP service for your business, it's more than just using an Internet phone. You have access to a whole range of services that will vastly improve productivity and communications company-wide.
For instance, you can manage significantly more incoming calls than through traditional means, which is vital for providing exceptional customer service and support. With no wiring, expensive equipment and high maintenance costs, you won't have to worry about any service interruptions that will put your company on hold until the issue is resolved.
Communication software
Nowadays, a lot of companies are leveraging remote work. Remote work allows companies to scour for talents around the world. Moreover, it also helps them to reduce overhead expenses by allowing employees to work from home.
However, how do you ensure exceptional productivity and communication with such a dispersed workforce? The answer is communication software.
Still, this software doesn't seem like a huge step up from emails, which are commonly used to communicate with remote employees. But, emails simply can't connect a remote workforce the way messaging apps or video conferencing can.
With communication software, collaboration becomes seamless, and people can engage with each other as if they were all present in the office. This enhances productivity and prevents employees from feeling isolated, while maintaining seamless lines of communication at all times.
Collaboration software
Collaboration software combines two essential aspects; communication and teamwork, into a single solution. There's no better way to improve communication and productivity than by helping people work together.
Collaboration software, such as project management tools, is, therefore, a crucial element that has a significant but subtle effect on an entire company. People worked together before, that's true, but a lot of time was wasted on searching for data on large spreadsheets and reaching out to a colleague from a different department who can help you out. Moreover, some data had limited access so you had to formally request access to the information you needed.
Project management tools bring everyone together on a project and make data easily available to all. While employees communicate and collaborate, managers can monitor the progress and have insight into what everyone is doing at the time. In terms of productivity and communications, collaboration software has helped companies out immensely.
Technology is a factor that companies cannot succeed without these days. Not only does technology helps companies become more efficient, but it also helps them improve productivity and communication in ways that are noteworthy but also easily overlooked.