Reimagining Virtual Communication in Business Post Covid

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, large and small companies were forced to review and revise their corporate communication blueprint to enable remote work experiences. Although we are past the pandemic, it has highlighted the need for a hybrid workplace model across industries. One thing is for sure: virtual communication applications, such as those offered by business VoIP solution providers, will continue to be ideal tools for facilitating remote work.

However, making remote communication as effective as live human interactions presents the biggest challenge. Here, collaboration tools help with near-real, open, and transparent communication using retail-centric VoIP features, such as internal texting, intelligent routing, video conferencing, task management, etc.

Most corporate leaders are increasingly looking to adopt a hybrid workplace model because of the rise in a new generation of workplace collaboration tools with next-gen social technologies. This devotion to collaboration tools seems more than justified, as a report shows that companies with 100 employees gain $247,500 from the productivity benefits of using collaboration tools.

Let’s see some essential features of virtual communication tools and how they fulfill and reshape business communication needs in post-pandemic workspaces.

Stress on Hybrid Work and Virtual Collaboration Tools

Employers have realized that the hybrid model is better than the conventional full-time office model in terms of productivity, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness. A hybrid setup provides employees with flexible hours and a refreshing change in the environment. This flexibility allows them to balance their workloads, focus better, and take ownership of their work. Fewer employees in the office also imply a reduced cost of real estate, office supplies, and commute. Besides, it promotes improved employee work-life balance.

The key to this transformation is redefined business communication, which is enabled by adopting modern virtual collaboration tools. Virtual communication opens up new and creative channels for conducting business and reaching the target audiences. It also ensures that companies, communities, and individuals are better positioned to tackle future crises.

Essential Features of Virtual Communication Tools for Businesses

• Flexible, Adaptable Channels

For a company-wide collaboration, communication platforms provide flexible, adaptable, and unified channels through which conversations and tasks can be traced easily. Apart from one-on-one calls, video conferencing with the entire team has become affordable and easy, thanks to business VoIP services. Besides, the internal messaging feature allows team members to create chats and conversation threads to provide feedback, request revisions, attach files, etc.

• Cross-functional Collaboration

Different teams can use these tools to support cross-departmental tasks across the organization. It allows employees to upload, share, and organize documents through cloud storage and CRM integration, eliminating the need to toggle between programs to access information. For instance, marketers can collaborate with sales and service teams by creating a task to distribute content and collateral, with numerous users able to collaborate within these documents.

• Workspace Dashboards

A reliable and systematically designed dashboard creates an atmosphere of transparency and lets you leverage fluid communication patterns amongst teams. When new projects spin up in your business, every team needs a common or central space to find, post, and organize relevant information. Besides tasks and meetings, collaboration tools provide easy-to-read calendars of project workflows and deadlines.

• Integration Opportunities

Collaboration tools are flexible enough to connect with other marketing, customer-relationship management, and social platforms. These integrations are made possible via API (Application Programming Interface) or back-end development with the help of a technical partner. Integrations can help organizations enhance the virtual workplace environment by integrating cloud-based applications like Google Drive, Mailchimp, monday.com, etc.

How has it Changed Business Communication Forever?

• Greater Focus on Employee Wellbeing

During the challenging times of the pandemic, employers, leaders, and managers were looking to ensure a strong and healthy workforce. The hybrid workplace model has addressed this challenge with clear segregation of workloads and projects. Virtual communication technologies that make it possible through one centralized platform help leaders acknowledge the benefits of remote work and ensure work-life balance for their employees.

• Stronger Client Relationships through Multiple Customer Touchpoints

Keeping close ties with clients has become more important in this post-pandemic digital age. While in-person meetings are becoming less and less frequent, the digital movement has also opened a plethora of new mediums for clients to interact with your brand, products, and services. There can be nothing better than a collaboration platform that facilitates internal and customer interactions through multiple touchpoints, like calls, social media, automated chats, etc.

• Enriched Virtual Workspace Environment

The reliability and efficiency of a virtual environment can be measured by how accurately and timely employees can communicate with co-workers and customers. Next-gen social technologies and cloud-based platforms are easy-to-use and accessible. The physical environment took immense time for processes like edits, checks, and approvals. Whereas the environment enabled by virtual communication tools puts these challenges at bay, companies can make immediate decisions with the required information at their disposal.

Revive, Reimagine, Reinvigorate Your Business Communication

The hybrid workplace model requires employees to be more connected, informed, and engaged than before. Virtual collaboration tools play a crucial role in the post-pandemic workforce as a key agent of the hybrid environment. These tools have come a long way since the emergence of affordable communication tools with basic business VoIP services. The current technological landscape offers plenty of smart collaboration features, so it would be more than justified to say that the future of work is hybrid.

BridgeVoice is a CPaaS carrier platform that helps such businesses by providing business VoIP solutions to continue doing business from the comfort of their home or office by offering high-end voice termination services.