Emerging Technologies And Trends In Communications

The communication industry has experienced an immense transformation over the past several years. However, that is minor compared to what is expected to come. That is why we have compiled this article to discuss some of the emerging trends and technologies shaping the communication industry.

Keep reading to learn more about them!

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What Are The Technologies And Trends Shaping The Communication Industry

Here are the top technologies and trends currently shaping the communication field.

Integration With Social Messaging Apps

Customers want business organizations to provide personalized customer support and social media experience through straightforward messaging.

For instance, the increasing popularity of social media platforms and accounts, such as Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp, has led to the need for integration with social messaging apps.

For example, most business managers leverage a streamlined WhatsApp Business API to connect their businesses or organizations with over one billion active users. This streamlined API allows them to tailor their business’ communication strategy to suit customers’ needs.

Emphasis On Remote Communication

Over 25% of all employees in North America will be required to work remotely by the end of 2023. This illuminates a significant technological trend that has greatly impacted the communication industry.

The need to hold meetings and communicate in a virtual environment has prompted the design of more reliable remote communication platforms.

Additional tools have been designed to support virtual communication. This helps to improve remote work processes and allows businesses to connect with their customers seamlessly and effectively.

Workplace Chat Apps

Workplace Chat Apps are among the most significant communication technology trends in recent years. For instance, programs such as Discord, Chanty, Google Chat and Slack meet this requirement by offering organizations intuitive internal communication or messaging channels.

The result is a hybrid communication network that allows employees to share information with the rest of their team members, submit questions to supervisors, and communicate with each other.

The chat style of these apps makes communication informal and accessible; this encourages more consistent communication among employees.

Personalization Through Artificial Intelligence

Another huge technological trend likely to emerge in the communication industry is the shift toward personalized communication. Customers no longer want to be treated like just another number in an automated queue. Instead, they want to experience real conversations acknowledging their values, needs and wants.

Providing this type of personalization using a human workforce can be time-consuming, costly and close to impossible. As a result, artificial intelligence is emerging as a reliable solution to this issue.

AI bots and robots can communicate or chat with customers and resolve simple issues while providing the personalized service most customers want.

Visible Light Communication

One of the top emerging trends and technologies in wireless communication is LiFi. Visible Light Communication technology is projected to replace the widely used Wi-Fi.

LiFi uses LEDs operating under high-frequency voltage to create bidirectional channels for data transmission. The lights emitted by these LEDs do not penetrate walls and are not visible to the human eye, so their operating radius is relatively small.

Visible Light Communication s, unlike Wi-Fi, use light rays instead of radio waves. This type of communication can be used in medical centers, airplanes and in shallow depths underwater. LEDs consume much less power, so visible light communication qualifies as a green innovation.

The Internet Of Things

The Internet Of Things (IoT) allows organizations to build a secure communication network between physical objects that are embedded with sensors, software and other technologies, allowing them to share information and data more easier and effortlessly than ever before.

IoT provides a reliable method for organizations to exchange information externally, communicate and even automate processes. It also bridges the gaps between different communication systems used within an organization.

Collaborative Digital Workspaces

Successful companies recognize that team collaboration is vital to their productivity. As a result, an intuitive, collaborative digital workspace is one of the top technology trends in the communication industry.

Current digital workspaces empower individuals to work as if they are in the same room. These workspaces are equipped with a robust set of communication tools. They also allow users to share ideas, delegate tasks and co-edit documents in one accessible place.

This has led to collaborative digital workspaces becoming a must-have technology tool for many organizations. Teams or employees may work in the same building or miles apart, which means they require workspaces to centralize content, eliminate unnecessary emails and SMS messages that bottleneck workflows, and track progress.

4k Image Format

4K video calls were initially only available when using costly video conferencing systems such as those provided by Cisco. However, this technological trend has recently become widely used in video conferencing systems for business communication as they now utilize high image resolution of at least 8 million pixels.

In the coming years, this technological trend will become one of the most significant components of self-contained communication and telepresence systems. This technology has the potential to provide a qualitative improvement to distance communication.

WebRTC And Video Conferencing

WebRTC is a technological concept allowing people to collaborate or run a video conference with others in an internet browser without installing modules, special plugins, or any other accompanying programs.

This provides users with an incredibly intuitive tool that supports every type of remote communication, including content sharing, screen sharing, chat and video and audio communication.

About six out of ten Americans are reported to use video conferencing and chatting platforms for work or social purposes. While 38% of Americans report never having used video conferencing tools.

Voice Assistants

Speech or voice recognition technology is rising in popularity thanks to Alexa, Siri and Google. Tools such as Google Home can help you search for information, play music, set alarms, make a to-do list and more.

Imagine talking to a bot to give you the correct answer or automatically connect you to the right department. This has become an excellent opportunity for innovation, as devices can now even design products that can create audio content.

Automation

Automation allows organizations and employees to send content and messages efficiently, quickly and with minimal resources and time.

This technological trend is especially relevant to organizations that aim to stay on top of the ever-changing trends in product announcements, sales processes, marketing campaigns and customer engagement.

At this point in time, three-quarters of all companies globally use automation tools. Most automated processes involve communication, such as social media engagement, messaging/chatbots and email marketing.

Cloud Services

The need for cloud services is becoming increasingly vital as organizations look for ways to reduce costs while staying competitive. Cloud Services are used to allow employees to access communication applications and data from any device, anywhere and anytime.

Cloud-based communication tools such as VoIP phone systems and web conferencing allow organizations and employees to communicate effectively externally and internally.

Additionally, by leveraging cloud-based systems, organizations can stay connected with their employees and customers from any location in real time while reducing the costs associated with traditional communications.

Unified Communications

Employees are often saddled with overloaded inboxes on multiple platforms. This means that unified internal communications systems can help put an end to missed messages by streamlining essential conversations, content, and announcements into one place.

This includes messaging, video and phone conferencing, chat services and commenting and feedback systems.

Employees also get access to relevant information, which provides a consistent user experience and interface for the various media and communication types which helps to eliminate confusion.

Unified communication systems also tie together three-way communications, including employees to supervisors, supervisors to employees and employees with each other. This centralizes tools for a more responsive communication experience that reduces costs.

Virtual Reality (VR)

Customers consistently require more engagement and information before buying. This suggests virtual reality’s inexpensive and improved technology will grow in relevance. At the present time, many organizations use this technology to take their clients and customers on virtual 360-degree tours.

Video already occupies an ever-growing space in the communication industry. By adding virtual reality to it, you can take advantage of a potent tool that gives your customers and clients more information, increases sales and boosts customer service.

Live Chat

It has become essential for organizations to have a live chat tab on their websites. Research shows that consumers, customers and clients prefer live chat because it offers instant and responsive support access.

In addition, the worldwide live chat market is projected to grow to $987m by the end of 2023.

By investing in live chat software, you can even use it to promote your products through carefully created responses and short ads.

5G Network And Technology

According to statistics, global subscriptions to the 5G network are expected to reach three million by 2025. Such a widespread rise makes 5G one of the most significant technological trends in the communication industry.

5G offers a much higher speed than previous cellular broadband communication and network standards. Creating communication channels, devices and applications that run seamlessly without Wi-Fi use is set to be the next big thing.

Short Video Content

Short videos are engaging, as evidenced by the rapid growth of TikTok, YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels. Research has shown that the short video, 60-second format is perfect for capturing and holding the audience’s attention.

You can leverage short videos to pack as much eye-catching and essential information into them as possible.

Clients are also more likely to pay attention to short video content. Additionally, they are more likely to share your message across various platforms.

How To Keep Up With Technology And Trends In The Communication Industry

Prioritize Learning

Learning is the most significant step to keeping up with technology. Many universities offer online classes and programs that will allow you to learn about current trends and technologies that are utilized in the communication industry.

Through programs such as the SBU online Master’s degree in Communications, students can gain expertise in using the necessary tools and skills required to keep up with emerging trends and technologies in the communication industry.

This program offered by St. Bonaventure University allows students to choose between integrated marketing communication or content marketing specializations.

Join A Communication Community

Many online and in-person communities dedicate themselves to communication, information and communications technology, and emerging trends. You can search for online forums and local community centers where you can inquire about the latest communication trends or technology you are trying to learn about.

If you are a university, college or high school student, you can join on-campus groups to develop various communication and information and communications technology skills.

Additionally, you can follow the accounts of communication companies to learn about emerging trends and technologies.

Devote Time Daily To Communication News

A small part of the day is all you need to stay up to date with emerging technologies and trends in the communication industry. You can get daily news from communication-focused publications.

You can also find reputable communication-focused sites and regularly visit them to receive updates on the latest technologies and emerging trends.

Attend Communication Conferences And Tech Events

Communication conferences are an excellent opportunity to learn more about emerging trends and technologies specific to this industry. You can listen to leaders in the communication industry and apply what you learn from them to your communication profession.

Many communication-focused conferences now record their discussion and keynote speeches and make them available online for those that did not have the budget or time to attend in person.

Practice Using Technology

If you already possess some basic communication, technology, or information and communications technology skills, you may consider putting them into practice more often.

For example, if you want to get better at using communication tools such as Zoom and Skype, you can further improve your skills by making use of video conferencing technology more often.

Final Thoughts

These are our top communication industry trends and technologies influencing the industry.

From the development of AI, the prevalence of remote working, and the reliance on automation, to the changes to digital workspaces and virtual reality, there are a plethora of developments within communications, and that is just touching the surface.

As the world becomes more technologically advanced, work practices and our communication will adapt. To keep up with this, you will need to throw yourself into learning the new technologies and opening your mind to the possibilities within technological communication.