The Evolution of Business Communications
Photo source: Interactive Powers.
Leading companies have a wholeness approach about how to communicate better with customers across their processes.
Communicate is a top priority for businesses today — but how can you quantify its value to your organization? That’s especially important in these times, with businesses managing the economic impact and uncertainty of disruptive events, and how this will impact both their customers and employees going forward. The History of Business Communications is, of course, closely linked with the histories of Communications itself and that of Business Operations. When the two merge, they become a vital part of successful Commerce. We have now entered the Digital Age of VoIP – the world is moving away from static landlines and computers, and into an era where you can carry out all of your Business Communication tasks from the palm of your hand.
Have you identified all your System Building Blocks?
Check if you have all communications systems required to compete in a tech world:
- WEB - World Wide Web
- PBX - Private Branch eXchange
- P2P - Peer-to-Peer Communication
- IVR - Interactive Voice Response
- ACD - Automatic Call Distribuitor
- RTC - Real-time Communications
Have you asked all these Key Strategic Questions?
Check your real Customer’s Experience (CX) across your company’s communications:
- Can they easily communicate digitally across your processes?
- Can they do it instantly from anywhere?
- Can they contact you thought any preferred channel?
- Can they comply with policies and oversight easier now than before?
- Can they reschedule a communication task in real-time?
- Can they be attended in real-time from any device?
What are the 5 Stages of Business Communications?
In the Digital Age, any company or organization requires to reimagine and reinvent most existing processes both for customers and employees across branches, contact centers, apps and websites. Discover now where your company is staged to match all communications goals for your business:
◼️ Stage 1: At the beginning… Telephony comes first.
Some companies start just with a phone line or a small PBX to receive or make phone calls. We consider this stage first stay-connected step of any company. Even if in the Digital Age, it’s possible to start directly to the next stage, no company or self-entrepreneur can manage any business without a phone for its first employees. This Stage is the phone only communication, but remember that in the current situation, telephony can use SMS for texting and you can use specific apps that improve your telephony without to much cost and effort.
Required Systems: PBX
◼️ Stage 2: World Wide Web… Website is now essential.
At this moment, this stage can be considered the most important stage for any business. World Wide Web (WEB) is now a key communication tool that is not possible to forget even if your business is not fully digital. At this level, most Small and Medium Businesses have reached their goals to be properly located in the World Wide Web and can get directly contacted by phone with few volume of calls. This stage ensures that you can talk with a customer or partner requiring to talk but without to much complexity… Remember a PBX handles calls, but it’s not properly designed to manage a large volume of traffic to any extension attended by a human.
Required Systems: WEB + PBX
◼️ Stage 3: Socials and Video Meetings are required…
This stage is becoming a leading one for the Digital Age, World Wide Web (WEB) is not only a question of website but can adding much more value web elements, like an online store, blog, chatbot, socials networks and linking all these specific tools to better communicate with all Internet users. By the way, employees connect remotely much more than ever for their diary activities using video conferences based on Peer-to-Peer (P2P) communications to perform virtual meetings because work is now extended to different places or offices… At this stage, most companies are thinking, they have already solved most of their communications issues but wait for the next stage… It’s not yet really true!
Required Systems: WEB + PBX + P2P
◼️ Stage 4: Empowered Telephony is no longer optional…
When your business becomes greater and it manages more users interactions, your initial PBX is a bottle neck that could compromise your business processes and employees tasks. Most companies do not feel properly the right moment to scale their communications with an IVR or ACD to improve calls automation and performance. Both platforms are a required in a context of high volume of calls, workflows and process management. At this stage, companies in the past years thought they had reached a complete multi-channel attention and nothing more could improve Business Communications.
Required Systems: WEB + PBX + IVR / ACD + P2P
◼️ Stage 5: Video Real Time Communications are required!
Digital evolution trend requires more valuable and real-time interactions to avoid that customers and partners have to waste time scheduling transactional tasks, call meetings or waiting emails or web forms response, now they really need to feel much more real-time and Omnichannel experience. Right now, video is no longer a nice to have, it’s a must have. Your customers expect to meet your employees or agents in a face-to-face communication modality to get a better convergence between presential and virtual interactions. At this point, RTC platforms or gateways are a mandatory component to enclose video communications and transform all digital channels!
Required Systems: WEB + PBX + IVR / ACD + P2P + RTC
The State of The Art: Business Communications
Today, customers rightly expect to be able to complete transactions remotely, securely and efficiently from anywhere. They often use websites, smartphones, portals or apps to help them to transact. Digital technology is available everywhere giving companies the capabilities needed to digitize and streamline claims or sales processes, and add ease of remote and digital transactions by letting customers complete sign forms, verify their ID, including speech recognition, natural language processing and automation from their devices.
The State of the Art for your Business Communications is a complete and standard integration across ACD, RTC, IVR, PBX, P2P), WEB systems. At Interactive Powers we do not thrust on road reinventions from the Legacy to the Cloud, we drive disruption and transformation pushing each platform to its limits and standards in order to protect your technology investments and developments. We understand a seamless integration is a key strategic approach to Streamline your Business Communications. Avoid creating IT islands, connect all systems together and get a maximum return on investment (ROI).
Open Standards:
What Comes Next?
In an increasingly complex Digital Business Environment, it is more important than ever to break down any organizational silos and orchestrating cohesive and meaningful experiences for consumers. The Business Communications story is endless, you cannot imagine yet what are all the next future stages that technology and people will change in your business to keep it safer, well connected and with outstanding digital interactions. We are sure about one thing, all these building blocks are available from all ACD, RTC, IVR, PBX software components powered by Interactive Powers.
Streamline your business communications.
Interactive Powers can help you to turn easily customer experience into a competitive advantage, as our solutions are integrated into your existing processes.
Please, contact our sales for more information.
Interactive Powers - Streamline your business communications