LAST month, I wrote about the now 30-years old birth of the internet that heralded the beginning of a period of incredible advancement in technology and communications.
Three decades on, and there is absolutely no sign of that development slowing down.
For those of us in business, we must embrace these developments, grasping the opportunity to enhance our own products and services, improving business outcomes in the process.
The latest Communications Market Report from industry watchdog OfCom provides a fascinating insight into this and our changing habits in terms of where and how we consume information and communicate with one another.
For example, the most recent data released at the beginning of this month showed the continued decline in how long we all watch traditional broadcast television – particularly among 16-24 year-olds that only watch 39 minutes a day (compared to an average of 2 hours 38 minutes).
Conversely, streaming content is more popular than ever. But it’s the data around telecoms that really interests me – are you surprised?
Among the findings, for example, was that while mobile phone is still the most common method of calling somebody, we’re doing so much less than previously. Call volumes fell by 16.4 billion minutes (11 per cent).
However, what we are doing with our mobiles also continues to change. In 2021, an average 1.6GB of data was used monthly by mobile phone data users. Last year, this figure rocketed to 8.1GB.
That data doesn’t mean people were just browsing the internet more, scrolling through TikTok or checking their Facebook updates.
Rather, they’re using their mobile to make video calls, join Teams meetings, catch up on emails, communicate with clients and even upload and share documents with colleagues and others via shared drives or the cloud.
In business, this is fundamentally changing the way we communicate both internally within our own organisations and externally with our customers.
A great example of how companies are embracing the opportunities that this presents is the increasing numbers that are seeking to adopt Unified Communications strategies.
This essentially provides a central platform through which teams can collaborate and communicate with each other integrating various communication tools, such as voice, video, messaging, and data sharing.
In doing so, business can streamline operations, enhance productivity, and foster better connectivity. This efficiency translates into quicker decision-making and reduced response times, ultimately boosting overall productivity.
Additionally, it also enables real-time collaboration among geographically dispersed teams, supporting remote work and enhancing flexibility.
Moreover, it enhances customer interactions by enabling businesses to provide a consistent experience across various communication channels, thereby strengthening customer relationships and loyalty.
At the end of the day, good business comes from good communication – let’s take advantage of technology to embrace the possibilities.
David Armstrong is chief executive of b4b Group
