Today’s businesses are facing a wave of digital transformation, as new technologies and strategies power the move towards a more connected, more innovative workforce. Changing technology trends are inspiring everything from a global move towards the cloud, to the adoption of new solutions like AI and machine learning for enhanced customer experiences.
While you don’t necessarily need to embrace every new trend in the UC industry to stay ahead of your competitors, you should be aware of the strategies that are coming together to give enterprises and rising companies more ways to communicate and collaborate in an increasingly dispersed workforce.
Over the course of 2017, we’ve seen an increase in the adoption of video conversations, a growing conversation around the potential of artificial intelligence, and an accelerated move towards the cloud. As we break into 2018, many industry experts are excited to see what the conferencing and communication world has to offer.
User Experience Is Now Essential
It’s hard to ignore the fact that user experience or “CX” has become increasingly important for companies who want to differentiate themselves in the marketplace. The good news is that an increasing focus on satisfied customers has led to the development of new and improved conference call services, that allow companies of all shapes and sizes to tap into the benefits of worldwide collaboration and communication.
Firms now have the resources that they need to deploy more advanced audio and video conferencing services for the entire workforce, meaning that everyone has access to the tools they need for constant communication. Whether you need to share files or arrange a call, there’s a service available for all segments of a growing business.
Mobility Is More Important
The age of the desktop computer and the official office space might not be over yet, but it’s fair to see that we’re seeing a more consistent move towards the age of mobility. An increase in smart devices and mobile technology in recent years has prompted a significant shift in the way that organizations operate. We’ve begun to see a measurable growth in remote work, now that employees can handle their responsibilities just as easily outside the office.
The key to making the most out mobility in 2018, will be making sure that your entire team has access to the right tools and applications. However, you’ll need to ensure that you’re keeping your business secure too, particularly with cyber security threats on the rise, make sure your conference call service that’s not only effective, but safe, and secure too.
The Cloud Will Be More Significant
For many businesses, 2017 represented the official end of PTSN. While some companies still have a PTSN strategy in place, it’s safe to say that most businesses have made the move towards a more flexible VoIP strategy. While cloud technologies and versatile communication solutions have been around for a few years now, we’re just starting to see the true impact that this method can have on the enterprise today.
Studies suggest that about 90% of today’s organizations are using cloud technology in some way – information that highlights just how powerful cloud resources can be. If that wasn’t enough, according to the IDG Enterprise Cloud Computing Study, about 47% of companies have moved their messaging platforms to the cloud for simpler, and more scalable communication strategies. Today, more businesses than ever before are beginning to break free from the restrictions of legacy systems.
We’ll Be Focusing More on Data and Analytics
One of the most significant trends that have emerged in recent years, and continued to grow in 2017, has been the focus on big data and analytics. From marketing automation that makes it easier for companies to expand their global reach, to sales algorithms that help us to learn more about our customers, organizations are gathering an astronomical amount of data every day.
In 2018, there’s a good chance that professional groups will want to start tapping into the information that’s available on their communications platforms. This could mean that we start looking at AI as a way of evaluating the performance of agents in a conference call or turning to machine learning to figure out where we need to make changes in the ways that we interact with customers. New technology like the Meeting Owl could even help us to understand how and why we’re using conferencing technology so that we can make meetings more efficient.
5G Mobile Internet Will Begin to Emerge
The growth of new and improved call conferencing services has led to the innovation of various new solutions for collaboration, file sharing, and more. One of the most exciting new trends set to start appearing in 2018, is the 5G mobile internet, which is the fifth generation for mobile communication, capable of providing data transfer rates of about 100 Mbit/s in some cities.
For those interested in enhancing their conferencing strategy, the benefits of 5G are obvious. This standard will allow people around the world to connect with each other more seamlessly while choosing the best resolution for everything from audio to video. With the rise of 5G video, you may find that your conferences become more immersive than ever before.
BYOD Will Be Promoted More Aggressively
Finally, BYOD has been another topic that we’ve been talking about in the communications space for some time now. However, developments in the mobile technology space could mean that Bring Your Own Device employee frameworks could become a more realistic opportunity for businesses in the New Year. The key to success here, of course, will be making sure that BYOD delivers freedom to the modern workforce, without compromising security.
