Do you miss writing letters to friends and family? Previously, mailing letters and messages through pigeons was the primary mode of communication. In addition to being time-consuming, this communication mode was quite unreliable as letters got lost. Soon after, electronic telegraphs and telephone came into existence, removing the distance between sender and receiver. As a result, people got landlines in their homes, eliminating communication barriers. So, how does technology help in overcoming communication barriers?
From smoke signals, messenger pigeons, telephone to emails – technological advances are evolving communication rapidly. In the 21st century, people can work from home while communicating with their team members through mobile phones and communication tools. Likewise, you can attend online conferences and connect with loved ones by sitting in one corner of the world.
With the availability of translation tools, technology also reduces the impact of language differences, closing doors for cultural misunderstandings. Thus, you can eliminate the usage of wrong words in your conversations that might send a wrong message to the receiver.
If you are still sceptical about embracing technology, let us assist you in this regard. Here are six ways how technology is overcoming communication barriers.
1. Reduces language barriers
As digital marketing continues to break regional boundaries, entrepreneurs are conducting trading activities across the borders. Although it is unfolding new investment opportunities, communication has always been a barrier. After all, a Japanese client can’t speak or write in English adequately, nor an American trader understands Japanese. Fortunately, technology is bridging this communication gap with machine translators. Now it becomes easy to translate a document into any language within a few minutes.
Besides Google and Bing translate, you can choose a specific translator according to the specialization area. If you have to translate pdf files, select a translator that deals with different file formats. The modern-day translators are leveraging artificial intelligence, which means translations will have a human touch, increasing accuracy. Thus, people don’t have to learn a new language when expanding operations overseas since human-quality machine translators will do the job.
2. Better and faster interactions
We are far past when people had to wait for days and months to receive a message. Today, we live in a digitalized world that fosters real-time communication. All under-sea cables and wireless signals are ensuring instant data delivery to any location on the planet. Thus, you can call anyone worldwide by tapping your fingers on your smartphone. Likewise, there are several tools for audio and video calls, encouraging instant communications.
Whether you are at home or crossing a busy street – you only need an internet connection to communicate with each other. In addition to real-time interactions, you can send text messages and emails at any time of the day and get responses quickly. All these electronic messages and emails never get lost. Most importantly, all the data lines are secure with encrypted servers, closing doors for theft and breaches.
3. Enables information sharing
In the past decades, information sharing was all about discussions and debates, but not anymore. Technology is improving knowledge sharing across organizations. Have a look below.
I. ELearning: With increasing access to savvy tools, students can learn from the comfort of their homes. They can communicate with teachers over video-conferencing tools, while teachers share course-related material over emails. Moreover, tools like Google Classroom offer a virtual classroom experience where students can upload assignments, perform quizzes, etc.
II. Virtual Training: In large companies, initiating training programs is becoming challenging in a fast-paced environment. Luckily, employees no longer have to travel to attend workshops as technological advancements promote virtual training programs.
III. Digital Marketing: Now, marketing has become a two-way process. Companies promote their brand message, and viewers respond with feedback. Social media forums are also letting organizations exchange information with users, giving a better understanding of changing preferences.
One could say technology is making communication more transparent, consistent, and shareable.
4. Reaches a wider audience
The fundamental goal of every business is to maximize profits. Some try to expand their existing product line, while others want to grow overseas to reach a wider audience. However, setting up an office in every country needs a hefty amount of capital and investment. But when you reap the benefits of technology, you can communicate with audiences without travelling physically. You can use social media forums like Facebook or Instagram to communicate with international audiences.
For instance, if you are thinking of expanding your business in South Korea, set demographics to target Korean customers. The digital algorithms will put your brand in front of Koreans, encouraging them to buy from your company. Similarly, you can interact with them by responding to their comments, messages, and emails. Alongside reshaping communication, you can enjoy higher sales and profits with minimal investment.
5. Leverages artificial intelligence
Have you heard of artificial intelligence (AI)? In this VUCA world, we need machine intelligence to keep up with changing times. And with the advent of AI, we are about to begin a new era of interactions in the environment. Firstly, it is streamlining customer service with self-service and interactive voice response technologies. Instead of customer representatives, chatbots will be communicating with customers to provide shopping assistance.
These bots have human-like intelligence, meaning people won’t know they are engaging with a bot. Unlike humans, they don’t need coffee breaks, making customer service available round the clock. Therefore, customers will benefit from quicker service, improving the flow of communication. Furthermore, AI can also transform raw data into personalized communications, strengthening relationships with customers.
6. Increases workplace collaboration
Unsurprisingly, workplace collaboration has always been a crucial aspect of organizations. Managers want employees to work together on projects because more brains bring more innovative ideas. Fortunately, online communications tools can help employees stay connected and work together on projects from any location. Thus, whether you have a remote or in-house team, make your business account on Slack, Trello, or Skype.
It lets employees send direct messages and share documents. Similarly, they can organize conversations into different channels, eliminating the hassle of travelling from one department to another. Do you know the best part? Managers can connect these communication tools with the ERP system to automate tasks. As a result, managers can assign work to every employee virtually while keeping tabs on their progress.
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Final thoughts
Believe it or not, but technological innovations are changing how things happen in this world. From letters, telephones to mobiles – it continues to change the way we communicate. It is influencing the workplace environment as organizations can hire remote employees now. Similarly, people can stay connected with their loved ones, no matter how far they live. Above all, it offers exceptional trading opportunities by eliminating potential language barriers.
