There’s no denying that technology has had a significant impact on our daily lives, and nothing has been changed more than the modern workplace.
The rapid rise of video conferencing and virtual workspaces has allowed businesses to find new ways to improve productivity, collaboration and flexibility; as office environments begin to move away from the email, mobile and desktop phone platforms they’ve become so accustomed to.
Innovative digital communications are at the heart of every modern workplace, allowing you to create a truly collaborative environment which encourages teams to work closer together. But how exactly does such advanced visual technology help improve communication?
Teams Aren’t Restricted By Distance
The way people work is changing, with 70% of global workers now working remotely at least once a week, and 53% working remotely for half the week or more. Since the modern workplace is so focused on collaboration, businesses need to offer a variety of formal, informal, structured and social spaces which enhance communication and give people the choice of where to work.
When implemented correctly, visual collaboration technology will enhance the meeting experience, offering team members a more effective form of communication; with a study from the IMCCA finding that nine in ten remote employees feel that video technology helps them feel more connected to their colleagues.
Additionally, such a seamless meeting experience will significantly reduce the need for travel and face-to-face meetings, helping you save on travel costs while maintaining strong relationships with your teams, clients and collaborators.
Communicate Faster and Smarter
Virtual workspaces, digital whiteboards and other forms of visual collaboration will allow your teams to communicate faster and smarter. Most platforms will allow team members and clients to keep in touch across multiple devices, helping employees work together everywhere on a 24 by 7 basis and keep driving projects forward.
Instead of being restricted by physical distances, businesses can now enjoy the benefits of regular face-to-face interaction through a simple finger-tap, communicating faster and more efficiently through high-quality video platforms.
According to Forbes, more than half of message interpretation comes from facial expressions and body language; two things you just can’t get over the phone or via email. Since full understanding is so important in any working relationship, video conferencing has become vital in avoiding miscommunication and helping to build stronger relationships between users.
Improve Collaboration
Collaboration plays a major role in the modern workplace, and visual platforms are built to improve the ways businesses communicate, interact and work together.
Digital whiteboards, video walls and interactive displays make it easier than ever for teams to view, share and annotate relevant files, with such a dynamic environment encouraging creativity and increasing engagement in meetings. This enhanced form of communication ultimately ensures teams and projects become more focused, improving the quality of work and delivering better results.
Digital communications have become the main driving force behind collaboration, helping teams share ideas, designate tasks and exchange information in ways that best suit them, rather than restricting them to tight time schedules and set meeting locations.
Boost Productivity and Efficiency
Employees wasting time in unproductive meetings has become a serious issue for businesses. A recent European survey found that 56% of all meetings are unproductive, while 66% of workers make excuses to avoid them altogether.
Although the need for a meeting might be completely unavoidable, video technology is designed to improve the productivity and engagement of those involved. A visual environment ensures team members remain focused on the task in hand, allowing them to become more interactive during discussions, meetings, lectures and presentations.
Advanced technologies, such as digital whiteboarding and video conferencing, allow you to display the right information at the right time, regardless of whether you’re presenting to people in a meeting room or team members based on the other side of the world.
Technology is a great tool, but remember it’s still you who is presenting, and when talking to a crowd of people you need to make sure to be clear and exact. If you feel like your presentation skills need improvement, you should work with a presentation training company to get better.
Ultimately, this ensures everyone is always on the same page, regardless of where they’re based or which device they’re using; while this increased sense of flexibility is bound to make workers happier and more driven in their work. When you’ve got such focused, creative and flexible communications in place, productivity levels could be sent through the roof.