The Future of Communication Tools for Remote and Onsite Teams: Trends to Watch

Workplace communication and collaboration keeps on changing with the changing nature of the workplace. The “new normal” today includes hybrid, remote, and onsite teams, which has increased the demand for accessible, seamless, and robust communication facilities. Staying connected with people is now paramount to output and achievement, whether you work in a busy office, from home or even inside a coffee shop. But where are these tools heading to and how do we stay ahead? 

Here are some of the trends that have an influence on remote and onsite team communication in the future.

Why are Communication Tools Evolving?

If you’ve operated from home or in a hybrid setting for the past couple of years, it is obvious that communication tools have become crucial for staying in touch. But why is there so much emphasis on changing these tools? It is simple: the approaches to working are different today. Dictating and listening to the same message ”all hands on deck” in one conference room is now a thing of the past. Workforces are now in different cities, states, and even countries, and so the communication tools are required to be much more powerful, effective, easy to use, and above all, diverse.

The New Normal of Work

The COVID-19 virus may have been the initiating force for employees to work from home or remotely, but it looks like this trend is here to last. As per the 2023 State of Remote Work report prepared by Buffer, 97% of employees nowadays prefer a hybrid or remote work model. Now the focus has been shifted towards the communication tools which enable the teams to remain in touch even if they are not in the same physical room.

Supporting Diverse Work Styles and Locations

Managing teams that are spread across different locations and time zones can prove to be quite a hassle. There has been a growing need for the communication tools to evolve so that teams can function in a more flexible manner as well and be able to shift to asynchronous communication, translation and even automated experiences. 

Organizations are now in search of solutions that can enhance the experience of working together and mutual understanding irrespective of geographical location.

Rising Employee Expectations

Today’s workers are more interested in tools that enhance their work experience rather than just provide functionality. Particularly, mental health check-ins, intelligent calendar scheduling, and “always-on” pressure-busting devices are being sought. Consequently, organizations are adopting tools that assist workers in feeling more connected without the burden of feeling fatigued.

Communication Tools for Remote and Onsite Teams

With this in mind, let’s take a look at the core trends that are changing the way communication tools are used by remote and onsite teams.

Unified Collaboration Hubs

There was a time, not that long ago, when switching back and forth between apps was part of our daily routines. But today major trends point toward unified collaboration hubs featuring messaging, video calls, project and file management, and even more possibilities. 

It would be appropriate to consider it as your communication and productivity solution where you have all the tools required for completing the work. Consumers of such applications like Slack and Microsoft Teams and Zoom are already taking steps in this direction and it appears that they are not stopping. 

These hubs are simply evolving from being communication focused to becoming productivity focused so that employees do not have to waste precious time navigating through different applications and instead spend that effort collaborating effectively. 

A recent report suggested that companies adopting unified collaboration hubs registered a whopping 30% increase in communication efficiency. Similarly, there are prospects of very big improvements in the future as the hubs surpass needless boundaries and fundamentally transform how teams connect and automate workflows within organizations. Gone are the professional divide walls that resulted in miscommunication and a waste of time. 

It is only a matter of time for very granular customization and integration options that let you configure these hubs in accordance with your team’s requirements. These hubs are going to set the new standard for productivity, whether it is linking your CRM application or arranging meeting times.

AI-Driven Communication Tools

With advancements in AI, especially in the field of chatbots, everyone is getting a virtual assistant for themselves. Virtual meetings in the new age can be integrated with AI which would be able to enhance the user experience and efficiency. Instead of wasting time drafting notes, an AI powered technology can come in handy to draft and create an instant summary of all meeting discussions. 

In the globalized corporate world, multinational teams of people speaking different languages have to use AI Technologies such as Otter.ai or Grammarly wherever they see fit in order to increase their effectiveness and precision when collaborating virtually. The hurdles of language barriers are already gone, thanks to AI.

Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) Integration

The idea may seem futuristic, but AR and VR are transforming distance communication. Imagine participating in a video conference hosted in a legitimate conference room, or a person showcasing a project while featuring the 3-dimensional version of the subject. Microsoft Mesh and Spatial are already beginning this trend, making more revisions on remote communication.

Having VR and AR options enabled in a meeting avoids the disconnect that sometimes is lacking in typical remote work. Flexos’s survey found 43% of remote employees reported higher levels of engagement in virtual meetings that included VR because they were designed to approximate face-to-face interaction. 

Increased Focus on Asynchronous Communication

Since it is not always possible for people to work in tandem, asynchronous communication has gained traction among teams that serve different regions. Even though Slack and Loom help in asynchronous communication, the trend has started to focus on more asynchronous-friendly platforms. This means better planning, self-planning, and, most importantly, a cultural change in companies to honor the time and preferences of employees.

Organizations adopting asynchronous work practices report productivity growth and reduced employee exhaustion. According to a Buffer report on remote working, 32% of remote respondents said thanks to not having to reply to messages immediately during the work hours, they could achieve a better work-life balance.

Data-Driven Insights and Analytics

Making team communication more effective is critical for improving team interaction. These days, almost all communication platforms come with a built in analytics module that reveals metrics of usage, message response rates, and activity levels. Tools such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams are designed in such a way that the managers have access to detailed analytics regarding the level of engagement of their teams.

It is becoming increasingly common for organizations to use communication analytics to detect structures or events that are counterproductive in forming datasets or systems. Recently conducted Deloitte’s Global Human Capital Trends 2023 survey indicates that 60% of leaders surveyed intend to apply communication analytics to enhance decision making about team collaboration in the next year.

Enhanced Privacy and Security Features

With people being located in different geographies and using digital communication devices and platforms, data security becomes a major concern. Since teams are communicating and collaborating and discussing sensitive information over the internet, there is an increase in the usage of security measures such as end to end encryption, multifactor authorization, and access control.

Privacy features are not only about safety of data, rather, they give confidence among the team members, especially in virtual environments where physical participation of people is minimized. Such transformation is consistent with the data protection rules and regulations which are required to enable remote and onsite teams to work collaboratively without compromising sensitive data.

Hybrid Communication Tools

As more people are sticking to the hybrid work model, it is getting increasingly important to have tools that allow remote and on-site employees to collaborate with each other. For example, Miro and Jamboard provide collaboration tools such as virtual boards to remote employees so that they can attend the brainstorming session as if they were physically present in the room. 

Such hybrid tools are vital in ensuring that collaboration is redefined, making it possible for employees who are physically present in the office and those who are not to have the same resources needed to collaborate. This is especially important at this point in time where companies are moving towards more hybrid approaches as it allows them to have the best of both worlds.

Customized Experiences with API Integrations 

No team is identical; hence, all teams have different communication requirements. Businesses can tailor their communication tools on the basis of their needs by using APIs, consolidating different features into a single interface designed for their processes. Customized experiences are becoming a reality through tools such as Zapier and Integromat that let teams import data from their CRM, project management tools, and other software into their communication tools. 

API integrations will increasingly be a relevant issue as teams look to more advanced integration solutions to facilitate the simplification of their processes and the standardization of communication.

Conclusion

The whole situation with collaboration and communication tools is constantly evolving to fit an increasingly remote and hybrid working climate. It is a fact that there is already a great emphasis on having unified experiences, intelligent automation, presence of VR/AR, and confidentiality with a focus on security among others. 

In looking forward, one thing is for sure: there will continue to be an adaptation of digital communication tools specific to particular teams function, along with consideration of an employees personal working pattern and privacy, and providing one with intelligent insights based on data will be mainstream. Auzmor is trying to keep you in the know with such trends so that you will be aware of the best app for your work whether it be entirely working from home or working hybrid.. The perfect devices will help everyone and every company fully achieve their objectives.

 

People will inevitably adapt to the means of communication available to them, but what’s going to be constant is the need for teams to be productive, connected and empowered. Managers and organizations have to keep the team’s needs in mind regardless of the working environment and location, all these trends have to be considered and well thought out strategies have to be in place to guarantee success.