2021 has arrived and along with the new year there are many new innovations for businesses to look forward to. Much of the business world is still grappling with the challenges raised by Covid 19, however this in turn has led to many interesting developments in the world of business communications. The way that teams communicate with both their colleagues and customers have had to be redefined to work in a remote environment, a challenge that will continue throughout the coming year.
At Ericsson-LG Enterprise we pride ourselves on being at the forefront of communications technology. Our understanding of the challenges faced by our global partners allows us to pioneer new solutions to assist them. With this in mind, we have compiled 5 of the most important trends the business world will adopt in 2021 and beyond. These trends cover everything from the latest technology to helpful best practices, all of which can support and benefit your team.
Cloud Communications
As we move into 2021 we continue to see the rapid growth of cloud communications surpassing previous expectations. The versatility and cost-effectiveness of the cloud can be useful for any business, but 2020 cemented their position as the must have remote working communication solution.
For remote workers, the clearest benefit of cloud communications is its portability. Hosted cloud solutions have allowed businesses to access the benefits of a comprehensive business phone system, without the hardware that normally accompanies them. This Enables remote teams to carry out advanced call handling processes with high-quality audio from their homes. It is easy to understand where the success of cloud communications comes from.
Equipping teams with cloud communications can make remote working a simpler process. The versatility of these phone systems can lead to fewer missed calls and a better platform for your business to collaborate upon.
Remote Collaboration
Remote working for many industries is here to stay, in some form, for the foreseeable future. Due to the difficult circumstances brought about by Covid 19 many teams across the globe have needed to facilitate a remote workforce. As businesses evolve so too has the perception of remote working, leading many businesses to incorporate remote working as a permanent feature of their company environment.
When working remotely, collaborating with your team can be difficult. Without the right technology to work with it is easy to become isolated and aimless. Cloud communications are one way to assist remote collaboration. By using a cloud phone system or unified communications platform, remote collaboration has never been easier.
86% of employees and executives cite lack of communication or collaboration as workplace failures. This reinforces the importance of remote collaboration to productivity within teams.
Social Media Marketing
With the rise of remote working, traditional marketing techniques relying on specific locations, such as industry events or print media have become progressively less effective in some markets. As a result, social media marketing has been increasingly utilized by many teams.
As a global community we use social media now more than ever, so this tactic is proving to be incredibly effective. From interesting new products, in-depth advertising campaigns or just interesting content from your office, having a strong social media presence allows businesses to stay in front of their customers.
Remote Sales
Just as marketing practices have adapted, the sales process for many businesses is evolving.
With the arrival of remote working and the restrictions enforced due to covid-19, businesses have been required to develop the way in which they sell in unprecedented ways. When travelling and face-to-face communication is no longer possible, remote sales presents an alternative.
Remote sales utilizes technology to guide the customer through your sales process. From introducing them to products, to building their quote to providing support and maintenance after their purchase, all can be done remotely. However, the right technology is needed in order to make sure this process operates smoothly. Video conferencing software provides that face-to-face connection, while a business grade broadband solution might also be required.
For more on remote sales, take a look at our previous blog post: The rapid growth of Cloud technology and what this means to the world of business communications.
WebRTC Communication
Unified Communications applications were a dominant force in 2020. They allowed teams to access a variety of communication tools whilst working from home, which proved to be invaluable when facing the challenges posed by remote workforces across the globe. This technology is set to advance further in 2021 with the arrival of WebRTC Communication.
WebRTC allows your communications to become more accessible than ever before. Instead of relying upon an application, it simply allows users to access their communications through a browser of their choice. This enables users to not only work on a device of their choice, but also to easily invite new users to the conversation through a simple URL. WebRTC Communications has huge potential for businesses, and at Ericsson-LG Enterprise we are supporting it throughout our pioneering iPECS ONE platform.
To learn more about how iPECS ONE can help your business please visit here.
