The advent and subsequent growth of fast and reliable communication tools (such as Flock and Slack) has changed the dynamics of the way we work on a daily basis. No longer are we tied to an office or a phone line, as today’s teams can work from anywhere. As a result, workers can collaborate more easily and build amazing things faster.
In truth, we are on the verge of an evolutionary shift in the way we work. Technology trends such as CX-first products and services, process automation and a host of AI technologies will lead the charge to unify and simplify enterprise communication, and make workplace collaboration easier and more efficient in the near future.
Here are few predictions:
CX will redefine B2B products and services
Customer experience (CX) has always been vital for any product or service. However, with the proliferation of SaaS businesses, and the importance of arresting customer churn, CX is more important than ever. In short, it will redefine B2B products in the near future.
Products with complicated setup and configuration needs will be shown the door and enterprises will increasingly expect seamless user experiences, regardless of how segmented their user base may be. In other words, simple and easy will be the norm, and complicated and clunky will be out.
Process automation will lead to increased business efficiency
An often overlooked part of any business is its dependency on processes. Functions such as IT, HR and finance, in particular, rely heavily on standard operating procedures (SOPs), which involve a lot of human interaction, data entry and information-routing processes.
Automating these repetitive human tasks and business processes is the next big change in the workplace. Going forward, enterprises will increasingly focus on automating processes such as IT service requests, employee on-boarding, corporate expense reports and approvals, and marketing collateral requests. As a result, these processes will no longer be a hindrance to productivity.
AI will transform, not replace, human resources
The doomsday sentiment seems to be that machines will take over the world. Sadly, for the conspiracy theorists, this is far from true. Artificial intelligence will enable human beings to do more, not replace them.
Over the past decade, AI technologies such as machine learning have helped increase the accuracy of Google searches, image and voice recognition, autocorrect and a lot more. In the workplace, the increased adoption of bots in communication tools (such as Flock, Slack) will help teams do more. This is just the beginning.
There’s no doubt it’s an exciting time to be on the cutting edge of workplace technology. Properly applied workplace collaboration tools can truly reduce redundancy and waste while increasing teamwork and results. Companies need to embrace elements like CX, process automation, and AI and put them to work. That is the way forward, and what I believe we will see in the coming months.
Bhavin Turakhia is founder and CEO of Flock
