The relationship between business, communication, and technology is symbiotic.

Business needs have spurred a number of technological advances—such as teleconferencing software, project management platforms, and artificial intelligence (AI)–based automation solutions—that are critical to many businesses’ everyday operations.

Some of the most successful companies in the world, such as Apple and Microsoft, owe much of their success to their ability to capitalize on this relationship.

But you don’t need to be Bill Gates to use technology to optimize your business communications. Thanks to recent advancements, you have access to innovative technologies like the following:

• Cloud-based technologies 
• Workplace collaboration platforms 
• Hyper-personalized customer service 

These groundbreaking inventions have significantly affected both internal and external business communication. These tools are readily available and advanced enough that any business can implement them. 

Here’s how your organization can leverage such technologies to grow your business now and in the future.

Cutting-edge tech transforms your business communications

Certain transformative technologies, such as mobile phones and other internet-connected devices, have become integral to daily life. With advancements growing by the day, keeping up with technology is critical to maintaining quality connections with people, customers, and vendors. In fact, these stakeholders now expect you to use these technologies, and they prefer working with companies that implement them and use them effectively. 

So let’s take a look at some of today’s most valuable technologies and how you can leverage them to grow and strengthen your business. 

Cloud-based storage 

Cloud-based applications like Google Drive and Dropbox simplify data storage and distribution by circumventing common barriers like network downtime and computer crashes. Instead, everything is stored remotely and can be easily accessed (even by multiple people simultaneously) from most internet-connected devices. 

Your organization can use cloud-based technology to accomplish the following:

• Reduce IT-related disruptions in communication by up to 70% and related costs by up to 40%
• Improve internal communication and productivity by facilitating real-time collaboration between teams and individual team members, even when working remotely
• Minimize the time, effort, and cost of upgrading systems with company-wide system updates

Cloud-based file storage unlocks your teams’ power to collaborate and share projects, data, and initiatives, creating a stronger and more unified business environment. 

Workplace collaboration platforms

Modern workplace collaboration platforms, including Trello and Slack, incorporate elements to facilitate faster, more effective communication within your organization. These may include anything from instant chat and messaging features to shared workspaces, group calendars, video meetings, and more.

Your organization can use a workplace collaboration platform to:

• Increase the efficacy of both operations and communication, enabling departments to carry out tasks and achieve goals more quickly and effectively
• Prevent communication gaps, which can increase productivity by 20–25% and improve overall staff morale
• Reduce time and effort spent searching for vital company information and important messages by as much as 35%

Using technology to facilitate teams’ communication and collaboration efforts only heightens their ability to produce high-quality work efficiently and effectively. 

Artificial intelligence

AI simulates human thought processes to achieve more complex goals than regular computing can effectively tackle. In business, AI technology is typically used in three ways: automation, insight, and engagement. 

Here are some examples of how and why companies might adopt AI technology:

1  Automation: A custom prescription eyewear company offers a chatbot feature on its site. The bot walks customers through the basics of eyewear ordering by answering questions like, “What information do I need to order?” and “How do I submit my prescription?” This lets the company’s customer service team focus on more complex customer concerns.

2  Insight: An online bookstore tracks its customers’ purchasing history and recommends books they might enjoy based on it. They increase revenue by as much as 10% by using these findings. 

3  Engagement: A makeup retailer uses GPS to send offers to customers who have downloaded their mobile app and who are near their brick-and-mortar locations. These offers boost marketing-spend efficiency by up to 30% using this hyper-personalized approach.

AI technology’s applicability has increased exponentially. Businesses can now fill gaps in inefficiencies that were previously difficult to close without spending employees’ valuable time. 

Virtual and augmented reality

Virtual and augmented reality technologies aren’t just for gamers—both VR and AR can be powerful tools to foster innovation as well as efficiency. Both have applications in the realm of communication that can strengthen relationships with internal personnel and external connections alike. 

Let’s look at a few reasons why a hypothetical company might harness virtual and augmented reality:

• Attracting and retaining customers: A luxury car manufacturer notices sales and visits to their handful of traditional showrooms are dropping. They know that over 60% of consumers already shop virtually at least half of the time. Therefore, instead of building more dealerships, they create “virtual showrooms.” They’re not alone: 
  • As of 2018, as many as 46% of retailers planned to implement VR and AR to improve their customer service.
• Providing a rich, immersive tour of their product’s features: Using VR headsets, customers can explore the available models from the comfort of their own homes. They can inspect the headlights, roll down the car’s windows, open the middle console, and even start the ignition to listen to the engine. 
• Providing attentive, helpful service from well-trained employees: After they’ve checked out a few models, customers can talk with knowledgeable employees who are also equipped with VR headsets. These employees can answer questions and guide them through the next steps of purchasing a car.

Digital communication assistants

Digital communication assistants like Grammarly can enhance the efficiency, engagement, and responsiveness between colleagues and customers. Grammarly Business’ AI technology is designed to understand “natural” language, flow, and syntax and offer intelligent suggestions for improvement. Cloud technology makes it easy to store, transfer, and access documents across various platforms and devices.

So, what can Grammarly Business do for you and your business? Quite a bit!

1  Improve, standardize, and polish internal written communication. When people aren’t communicating effectively, their productivity suffers. It can also damage their working relationships; when team members are struggling with miscommunication, misunderstandings and mistakes follow. 

But all is not lost. Grammarly Business will get you and your team on the path to clear, concise, and consistent communication with features including:

• A sophisticated tone checker that checks your writing against your desired tone and offers suggestions for improvement
• A customizable internal style guide that will improve brand consistency, visibility, and recognition and which allows you to set your company’s desired brand tone. Instead of wading through piles of documentation or “learning as they go,” new employees will be equipped with the basics of your company’s communication style immediately.
• An analytics dashboard that monitors your team’s top areas of growth, along with the top tones used in their writing. They can also chart their progress via Grammarly Business’s weekly updates.
• A sophisticated writing assistant that scans your writing for clarity, spelling, grammar, conciseness, engagement, and inclusion and suggests alternatives when needed

2  Boost your team’s engagement, productivity, morale, and retention. A recent study found that companies with effective communication channels were 50% more likely to have low turnover levels. When employees are empowered and able to engage with their colleagues productively, they’re much more likely to stick around.

3  Improve your customer service and satisfaction. A customer who turns to a happy, engaged team member is likely to leave happy—and equally likely to return and recommend your business to others. 

In a nutshell: Digital communication assistants like Grammarly are versatile tools that can help improve many different facets of your business. 

The future of business communication and technology

Advancements in business communication technology have been accelerating in recent years. The COVID-19 pandemic pushed many enterprises to adopt or upgrade technology that would allow for better, faster, more reliable remote connectivity. That, in turn, pushed the technology to adapt and advance even further.

Even as offices reopen and workers return, employers must increasingly focus on how to thoughtfully leverage business communication technology to remain competitive and responsive to customer needs.

Compared to an estimated value of $2.7 billion in 2018, the worldwide market for workplace collaboration software is expected to nearly double in size and reach up to $4.8 billion by 2023. 

Experts also expect physical spaces to become more “digitized” as time goes on, with 44% of businesses planning to rely on AI-driven analytics to provide increasingly personalized customer experiences. As AR and VR become more widely used (and understood), companies will continue to uncover more creative and profitable uses for them.

As for digital communication assistants—these will prove increasingly valuable as more and more internal and external communications take place virtually. Tools like Grammarly allow team members to optimize the efficacy of their communications across an array of channels, including internal collaboration platforms as well as email, social media, texting, and more.

Adopting the right business communication technology now is about more than catching up to current trends; it’s about preparing for the future and setting your company up to reap the rewards of improved scalability and communication practices for years to come. 

Grammarly is a digital communication assistant that uses leading-edge technology to provide insights and suggestions that can vastly improve the quality of your company’s written communications. To learn more about how Grammarly Business can augment your business communication and technology strategies, reach out to us today.